RICK STEVES' EUROPE TRAVEL BITES IV


(TRT noted)

401. South Ireland: The Rock of Cashel (1:22)
The seat of Irish Kings for seven centuries, the Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland’s most evocative sites.

402. Italy’s Great Hill Towns (2:08)
Italy’s countryside is home to a string of hill-capping medieval towns that somehow manage to keep their heads above the flood of the 21st century.

403. Helsinki’s Suomenlinna Fortress (2:10)
The island of Suomenlinna once served as a strategic fortress for three countries, but is now a popular park for the locals.

404. Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes National Park (2:13)
Plitvice Lakes National Park is a lush and unforgettable valley of 16 terraced lakes, laced together by waterfalls and miles of pleasant plank walks.

405. Istanbul’s Golden Horn (2:21)
The Golden Horn, in the very heart of Istanbul, offers plenty of options for a drink or a meal with a view.

406. Norway’s Mountains and Glaciers (2:24)
High in the mountains, Rick hikes on Europe's biggest glacier, then descends into fjord beauty.

407. Naples: The Birthplace of Pizza (2:24)
Pause at any street corner to enjoy a vivid slice of Neapolitan life, and its traditional Margherita pizza.

408. Switzerland’s Jungfrau Region (2:31)
Switzerland’s Jungfraujoch is the top of Europe at 11,000 feet, with spectacular views of majestic peaks stretching as far as you can see.

409. Milan and Lake Como (2:41)
People-watch in Milan's high-fashion shopping zone and take a break on hazy, lazy Lake Como.

410. Barging in Burgundy (2:47)
Burgundy is laced with canals just right for spending lazy afternoons gliding by pastoral scenes on nicely-appointed barges.

411. Budapest: Parliament and Thermal Baths (2:56)
Budapest remains the cultural capital of Eastern Europe with a keenly developed knack for good living.

412. Great Swiss Cities: Luzern (3:10)
Luzern’s inviting lake front includes a modern concert hall, picture-perfect 14th-century wooden bridges, and resident swans.

413. Little Europe: Monaco (3:17)
From the famous casino to the palace atop its fortified hill, a visit to Monaco is a Riviera "must."

414. Bilbao and the Guggenheim Museum (3:18)
Bilbao, in the homeland of the proud and resilient Basque people, has recently been transformed from a gritty steel town to a happening cultural center like no other Spanish city.

415. Rothenburg (3:18)
Germany's ultimate walled city. Rothenburg, is its best-preserved medieval town, and a big hit with souvenir shoppers.

416. Europe: Unified and Building for the Future (3:23)
Rick brings us up to speed on breathtaking developments in Europe, with a look at its ethnic diversity and investment in its infrastructure.

417. Paris: Icons of the City (3:35)
From the Gothic Notre-Dame Cathedral to the Industrial Age Eiffel Tower, Paris hosts a lifetime of cultural delights.

418. Naples and Vesuvius (3:49)
Naples offers a fascinating collection of museums, churches, and eclectic architecture, and towering above it all is the mighty volcano, Mount Vesuvius.

419. Athens and Side Trips: Hydra (3:53)
Hydra is one of the prettiest towns in Greece, with an easy blend of work-a-day commerce, fancy yachts, and lazy tourists on island time.

420. Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle (4:02)
In the foothills of the Alps is the fairy-tale land of Bavaria, home to King Ludwig’s dream castle, Neuschwanstein.

421. Germany’s Castle-studded Rhine (4:04)
Along with transporting camera-carrying tourists, the Rhine moves a steady flow of cargo, as it has since ancient times, all under the watchful eye of once-mighty castles.

422. Arles (4:05)
A great home base from which to explore France's Provence region, Arles is alive with Roman ruins, an eclectic assortment of museums and welcoming pedestrian zones.

423. Nerja and the Costa del Sol (4:08)
A visit to the small town of Nerja on the fun-in-the-sun Costa del Sol ends with a paella feast on the beach.

424. Nice (4:10)
Nice, with its eternally entertaining seafront promenade and fine museums, is the enjoyable big-city highlight of the Riviera.

425. Granada’s Alhambra (4:12)
Exploring the last and greatest Moorish Palace from the period of time when Spain was under Moslem rule.

426. Bohemia and the Time-warp Town of Český Krumlov (4:37)
Český Krumlov is enchanting, with its delightful Old Town of shops, cobbled lanes, characteristic little restaurants, and castle views.

427. Athens’ Ancient Acropolis and Agora (4:49)
The Acropolis is the most important ancient site in the Western world, gleaming like a beacon above modern Athens, with the ancient marketplace, Angora, sprawling out beneath.

428. Pisa’s Grand History (5:21)
Pisa offers three fine examples of its very own “Pisan Romanesque” architecture: the Duomo, Baptistery, and the (now stabilized) tourist-favorite Leaning Tower.

429. Europe’s Bitter Reminders of War (6:22)
Rick visits some of the more somber sites of Europe’s history: a concentration camp, Hitler’s mountain hideout, and an underground resistance museum.