Rick Steves's Blog, page 7

“It is like finding a path back to ourselves, and to our beginnings. Birds chirp, flowers bloom, and leaves whisper with the help of light winds. Our lungs are full of fresh air and fragrant pastures. Our eyes bathe in the wonderful scenery unfolding in front of us step by step.” That’s how two of our Slovenian guides describe rediscovering long-forgotten alpine hiking trails while staying close to home during this crazy summer.

Within yodeling distance of Italy and Austria, Slovenia is the leas...

Some of the best mountain thrills can be found on Italy’s rocky rooftop, the Dolomites. But beyond wildflower meadows and pristine views, the Italian Alps offer a bicultural, bilingual taste of Europe.

Even though we’re not visiting Europe right now, I believe a daily dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. I recently published a collection of my favorite stories from a lifetime of European travels. My new book is called “For the Love of Europe” — and this is just one of its 100 travel tal...

Sometimes dubbed “The Shotgun Wedding” (for the bride’s seemingly pregnant state), this painting depicts a well-heeled Italian businessman and his wife in their upscale apartment in the cosmopolitan city of Bruges, Belgium.

As America continues to suffer crisis upon crisis, it has never been more important to broaden our perspectives and learn about the people and places that shape our world. And for me, one of the great joys of travel is seeing art masterpieces in person. Learning the stories b...

The far fringes of Europe are rich with vivid memories. I was planning a trip back to Helsinki this summer. While that trip will have to wait, I’m enjoying reliving some Finnish memories.

Even though we’re not visiting Europe right now, I believe a daily dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. I just published a collection of my favorite stories from a lifetime of European travels. My new book is called “For the Love of Europe” — and this story is just one of its 100 travel tales.

There’s...

I’m drinking a lot of Pilsner Urquell at home in Seattle during this crisis. It’s great… but it’s nothing like drinking it in its homeland. It seems when my Czech friends take me around Prague, first we see the sights. And then, invariably, we end up in a pub, where my lessons on the country continue over a few mugs of their beloved pilsner.

Even though we’re not visiting Europe right now, I believe a daily dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. I just published a collection of my favorit...

It’s easy to be America-centric when it comes to the hopes, fears, and frustrations of fighting COVID-19. Being in the travel business, we have dear friends in many countries. And when we get reports from them, it seems like the world is playing a kind of virus whack-a-mole right now. All over our planet, power-hungry politicians are putting their needs above public health, taxpayer money is coming to the rescue but not always getting there, and nations think they are getting into the clear and ...

I miss Europe’s big sights. But I also miss exploring off the beaten path. And one of the most vivid places for that is in Eastern Turkey.

Even though we’re not visiting Europe right now, I believe a daily dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. I just published a collection of my favorite stories from a lifetime of European travels. My new book is called “For the Love of Europe” — and this story is just one of its 100 travel tales.

I’m in Kastamonu, five hours northeast of the Turkish ca...

The Venus de Milo — the goddess of love, sculpted in about 100 BC — sums up all that ancient Greece stood for.

As America continues to suffer crisis upon crisis, it has never been more important to broaden our perspectives and learn about the people and places that shape our world. And for me, one of the great joys of travel is seeing art masterpieces in person. Learning the stories behind great art can shed new light on our lives today. Here’s one of my favorites.

The Venus de Milo created a s...

Homebound now rather than exploring Europe, I’ve been thinking a lot about places that pry open my hometown blinders…places that rearrange my cultural furniture…that make me a bit less self-assured about the best ways to run a society. You actually realize smart and caring people deal with the great moral challenges that confront us all differently. And while for some, that is a good reason to stay home, for me, that is one of the great joys of exploring our world. In so many ways, when we leave...

Few places in Europe have the over-the-top romance of Italy’s Amalfi Coast. When international travel opens back up, I’ll be heading right back to Europe for a romantic break…and that’s where you’ll find me.

Even though we’re not visiting Europe right now, I believe a daily dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. I just published a collection of my favorite stories from a lifetime of European travels. My new book is called “For the Love of Europe” — and this story is just one of its 100 tr...