Rick Steves shares his extensive knowledge of European history, art and culture. His years as America's most popular European guidebook author blends with his relaxed but informative style to make this one of public television's most popular series.
Visit the Rick Steves' Europe web site. Fifteenth-century Florence was the home of the Renaissance and the birthplace of our modern world. The birthplace of Mozart - and everyone's Sound of Music fantasies - Salzburg is a Baroque jewel of a town. In Europe's classiest capital we'll tiptoe through the palace of Maria Theresa and be dazzled by the Hapsburg crown jewels. By train, bike, and boat, we visit the top Dutch sights outside of Amsterdam: from Haarlem to Rotterdam, and from Delft to the Zuiderzee.
After 16 years and more than travel shows, Rick and his crew take you behind the scenes to show you just how they produce this series. The small towns and rural charms of Tuscany give us a healthy dose of the "sweet life" as we hunt for truffles in an oak forest, nibble through an artichoke festival, share a farmhouse feast, and ride a classic convertible through the cypress groves of Mona Lisa's back yard. Burgundy is a calm and cultivated corner of France, where nature is as sophisticated as the people.
The Dordogne River Valley with its dramatic castles, pre-historic cave paintings, and prized cuisine is an unforgettable blend of man-made and natural beauty. After exploring the proud cuisine capital of Lyon - which, at least in its own mind, rivals Paris - we head for Chamonix, in the shadow of Europe's tallest peak: Mont Blanc. In this second of two episodes on Europe's "City of Light," we ride a unicorn into the Middle Ages at the Cluny Museum, take a midnight Paris joyride in a classic car, get an extremely close-up look at heavenly stained glass in Sainte-Chapelle, go on a tombstone pilgrimage at Pere Lachaise Cemetery, and savor the Parisian cafe scene.
Medieval York and Georgian Bath - easy side-trips from London - pack an exciting pair of sightseeing punches. In this second of a two episodes on Florence, we enjoy more of the exquisite artistic treasures of the city that propelled Europe out of the Middle Ages. Don't blink as we blitz through Europe's tiniest countries: Vatican City, the world's smallest country, comes with the planet's biggest church. Hamburg, Germany's mighty port city has risen from the ashes of World War II with a gleaming new skyline and a brisk creative energy.
