Travel With Rick Steves

Get tips for making the most of a long layover in Heathrow Airport with a quick visit into central London. Then meet the Tower of London's "Ravenmaster": the Yeoman Warder tasked with guarding a thousand years of British history. And hear about several celebrated spots in the English countryside that you can enjoy as fun, easy day trips from London. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Two local guides working in Venice recommend their favorite ways to find serenity in the "most serene" of cities, despite its often overwhelming tourist crowds. Then Rick chats with author Phillip Barlag about a dozen buildings and plazas in Rome that offer particularly fascinating insights into the city's rich history. And author Angela Nickerson helps us imagine Rome during the Renaissance, when it was the setting for many of Michelangelo's masterpieces. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Consider your options for encountering the thousand-year-old culture of the Vikings on a visit to Scotland's Orkney Islands. Then listen in as a frequent domestic traveler explains why he believes that visiting all 50 states is a worthy endeavor for all Americans — not merely for fun but as a powerful way to overcome political division. And hear about Frédéric Chopin's struggles with a clunky piano on a Spanish island, where he still managed to compose pieces that changed how the world listens to music. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

The director of the new Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art tells us how a small city in Arkansas became home to a major art museum. Then author Rick Antonson describes how motoring west along the legendary Route 66 can reveal easily overlooked slices of Middle America. Plus, a Dutch tour guide discusses Amsterdam's reliance on bicycles — and what visitors should know before jumping into the bike lane. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Guidebook authors from Morocco and Costa Rica explain why Tangier serves as a handy entry point into Morocco, discuss the meaning of "pura vida" in the tropical abundance of Costa Rica — and tell their story of an overseas trip that led them to fall in love and make a new life for themselves. And a Dutch linguist advocates for learning more about the evolution of Europe's languages as a fun way for travelers to deepen their cultural experiences. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

BBC reporter Nick Bryant gives us a personal look at India as he discusses what he learned about its society while he was stationed in New Delhi. Then Indian-born actress Madhur Jaffrey shares childhood memories from the last days of British colonialism. Plus, friends from Italy tell Rick how they cope with their country's everyday chaos and offer tips for handling surprises you may encounter on your Italian travels. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

A journalist explains why she travels to countries that most people would have a good reason to avoid. Then an alpine guide discusses why she enjoys exploring Europe's historic hiking trails with her young children in tow. And a tour guide discusses what he enjoys most about Romania's less-traveled Old World scene. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

A creative-writing instructor with an appetite for American comfort food describes some of his favorite quintessentially Midwestern dishes, and a former US ambassador lets us in on some of Switzerland's most enjoyable urban festivals and experiences. Then diving experts invite us to imagine the beauty of the underwater world as they explain what motivates them to explore beneath — and above — the surface of warm- and cold-water destinations around the world. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Find out how a camping trip down the Colorado River can be a life-altering experience. Hear about Nancy Pearl's favorite books for armchair adventures. Also, learn the protocol to order and enjoy the local specialties in Spain's tapas bars. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

The authors of "The Bonjour Effect" explain how many of the problems foreigners encounter in France are a disconnect with how the French expect you to communicate. Author Susan Cahill reveals some of her favorite garden spots in Paris and get a whiff of its colorful history.  For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Learn how colorful ceramic tiles have long been an important part of the scene in Portugal. Get recommendations from Cameron Hewitt, Rick's senior researcher, on elegant and soulful Polish cities, some of Europe's best-kept secrets. Hear from Author Anthony Sattin about how nomads have have shaped civilization over the centuries. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Hear about making family memories in western Canada along the historic Rocky Mountaineer train line. Explore the Gulf Islands in the Salish Sea. Learn more about confronting culture clashes in overseas travels. And discover the best local crafts in each of the 50 states. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Hear how Croatia's capital city Zagreb is a hidden gem of Central Europe, a respite from the tourist crowds of other more-famous cities. Listen in as author Richard Grant tells us why Natchez is called the quirkiest town in Mississippi. Plus, find out from TV reporter Conor Knighton about visiting each one of the U.S. National Parks in a year. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Italian food expert Fred Plotkin describes some of the unusual varieties of pasta that you can find in Italy — and the reason behind their different shapes. Historian Jeff Biggers explores the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, where sites dating back to the Bronze Age are found across the island. And tour guides from Tuscany and Sicily bring us the scoop on how to find the best gelato in Italy. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Author Bill Bryson describes how buying an old house in England has made him appreciate how dramatically domestic life has changed in just a few generations. Then writer Pico Iyer explains why visiting difficult destinations can shed light on where — or what — "paradise" might be. And urban planner Jeff Speck celebrates some of the North American cities that are catching up with their European cousins in designing pedestrian-friendly streetscapes. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Join us as we travel back in time to Roman England to consider what remains today from 400 years of Roman rule in Britain. Then hear about the most spectacular sites in Turkey to revel in the rich 600-year history of the Ottoman Empire. And listen in as a Palestinian Israeli shares his hard-earned lessons for getting past polarization within one's own divided society. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Get tips for discovering the delightful bits of Americana that await along the scenic inland back roads of California and the Pacific Northwest. Then listen in on a special in-studio concert with folk musicians Jim and Susie Malcolm as they explore the musical traditions of Scotland. And hear about some of the quirkier festivals you can visit in England. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Hear about the "personalities" that differentiate the biggest of the San Juan Islands, which cluster in the northwest corner of Washington State. Then listen in as actor Martin Sheen describes how his experiences filming overseas have come to influence his political activism. And get a professional intercontinental pilot's perspective on travel and lifelong wanderlust. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Hear about the natural beauty and rich culture that await visitors in the Republic of Georgia, where Europe meets Asia. Then get an update on the travel scene in Amsterdam, where recent regulations attempt to minimize the impact of "nuisance tourists," and a renovated riverfront has become a pleasant place to escape the often crowded city center. And learn how early Polynesian navigators managed to populate the most far-flung islands on earth. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Actors Martin Sheen and his son Emilio Estevez relive their experience filming a movie about walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and describe how a pilgrimage hike with strangers can be an effective antidote to years of pandemic isolation. Plus ecologist and filmmaker Chris Morgan tells us about recent successes in reintroducing certain wildlife species to wilderness areas in Europe. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.