Travel With Rick Steves

Get in a festive mood as Rick invites a few of his friends to compare the beer styles of Europe, and the cultures that go with them. Also, writer David Farley tells us about an eccentric hill town not far from Rome. It's home to a generation of bohemian residents, and one of the strangest mysteries in Italy — a centuries-old relic the Vatican would rather not talk about.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Author Graham Robb describes a few of the extraordinary historical characters of Paris. Then vintner and tour guide Cecilia Bottai shares tips for planning a getaway to the relaxed "green heart" of central Italy. And author Celia Lyttelton tells us how she traveled the world to find the ingredients for making her very own custom perfume.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Journalist Euny Hong explains how South Korea has made itself not only an economic powerhouse but a pop-culture superpower. And tour guides from Portugal join Rick to share recommendations for planning a week's getaway to Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve, and the colorful, historic towns in between.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

British travel writer Will Hide recounts his journeys along the back roads of Appalachia, where country music first arose from the melodies and instruments of immigrants from the British Isles. Then tour guides from France share tips on exploring the Loire Valley's many magnificent châteaux. And author Sara Zaske reveals what she learned from the German style of parenting while raising her young American children in Berlin.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Guidebook co-author Pat O'Connor delves into the details of driving in Ireland, where renting a car can be worth the extra expense when it gives you the flexibility to explore the countryside on your own schedule. Then author Mary Morris explains why she prefers to go solo to connect with other people in her travels, and how she ensures her safety. And tour guides from Prague offer tips for enjoying the beauty of the Czech capital.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Travel writer Julian Sancton tells us how a trip to Antarctica helped him see that continent through the eyes of the early polar explorers. Then science reporter Zach St. George explains how some North American tree species are migrating to survive a warming climate. And two Italy-based tour guides take us to the resort lakes of northern Italy, where outdoor sports and celebrities compete with the scenery for visitors' attention.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Get acquainted with some of the most popular French and Italian saints, and learn why they remain important to their countrymen. Plus, actor David Suchet shares what he discovered while making a documentary about the life and times of St. Peter, and the first-century world he inhabited in Galilee.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Kayaker Dave Ellingson tells us how he learned to savor the unexpected on a paddling adventure in Minnesota. Then German comedian Hape Kerkeling relives his hike on the famed Camino de Santiago in Spain, where he learned something new every day. And adventurer Christina Nealson recommends places in New Mexico to get in touch with both the indigenous and Spanish colonial heritage of the desert Southwest.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Get an expert's tips for enjoying the best of the Louvre's gigantic trove of treasures on a short visit. Then hear about what you can expect from US embassy and consulate staff, should you need their assistance while traveling, from the President of the American Foreign Service Association. And listen in as Rick recalls his first unchaperoned backpacking trip to Europe, right out of high school, in the summer of 1973.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

A Brussels-based tour guide offers his recommendations for making the most of a weekend in the Belgian capital. Then one of Rick's co-authors joins us to explore what it means to become a "temporary local" when traveling, and how it can help you actually relax on your next vacation. And listeners share ideas for enjoying areas they know well, as long-term locals — including Maine's Acadia National Park and the art museums of St. Petersburg, Florida.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.