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Rick Steves’ Travel Blog

Here you can browse through my blog posts prior to February 2022. Currently I'm sharing my travel experiences, candid opinions, and what's on my mind solely on my Facebook page. — Rick

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A Tour Guide’s Legacy in Kinsale, Ireland

At age 62, I’ve been traveling in Europe as a teacher for 40 years. That’s long enough to see some of my very favorite people slowing down and retiring. Don Herlihy is dear to my tour-guiding heart — and one of the most inspirational guides anywhere in Europe. He’s one of those guides who, with the power and love of his own personality as a local teacher, can make a good town into a great stop. For several decades, Don has shared stories and memories about Kinsale with my Ireland guidebook readers and tour members. Now he’s slowing down and has apprenticed Barry Moloney.

Barry Maloney, Don Herlihy, Rick Steves

While our Rick Steves’ Europe Tours guide Declan Field could have done a fine job taking our group on a historic Kinsale walk, there’s something special about having a local guide walk you through his or her home town. Our Kinsale walk with Barry was one of the best hours in our two-week Ireland tour.

Barry Maloney giving a tour

While seeing my old favorites hang it up saddens me, I’m always encouraged by the vigor, creativity, and freshness the next generation brings. Don’s legacy is in very good hands with Barry.

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This is Day 79 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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The Many Joys of Ireland

Ireland is enjoyable for many reasons: the cool weather (even in July); the sparse population (both of locals — more than eight times as many people live in England — and of tourists — there’s never a real crowd issue); and the joyful people (good-humored and easy-going). Another bonus is that in Ireland, as I like to say, I enjoy the sensation that I’m understanding a foreign language. What is it about Ireland that brings you back?

I’ve just wrapped up two weeks in Ireland with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours. Here are some of the highlights of my trip.

I love a good sheepdog demonstration. While traveling through the British Isles with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, I’ve seen them in the Scottish Highlands, in North Wales, and now here, in South Ireland.

Our Best of Ireland in 14 Days Tour bus stopped at the Kissane Sheep Farm. John Kissane’s family has raised sheep here for five generations, and now his little son is at his side, learning the trade. We got to know the family, learn of their livelihood, and watch highly-strung sheepdogs race around according to John’s call.

As one of the brothers sheared a sheep effortlessly, he told us the wool industry is so bad these days that the farm survives only with the help of money generated by showing off the tradition to visiting tourists. While they normally do demonstrations for tours, individuals can call and arrive when a demonstration is scheduled and, for a small fee, join in.

You probably don’t think of gorgeous Art Deco stained glass when you think of Ireland…unless you’ve seen windows by Harry Clarke. When in Dingle or Cong, don’t miss his sweet, jewel-like images enlivening the windows of churches lucky enough to have his work.

There are plenty of “falconry exhibits” around Europe where you can watch the trainer work with his birds. But at Ireland’s School of Falconry at Ashford Castle (near Cong, in the west of Ireland), each member of our tour group got to actually feed and flip the bird…twice! Caryn’s face shows the both intimate and intense experience we had getting to know our hawks.

The streets of Ireland come with a fun and positive energy. Here’s the scene in Dublin.

In Ireland, you never know when you’ll be blindsided by something clever or funny…like when it came time for me to give back some of that beer in my favorite Dingle pub.

This is Day 78 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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My “Best of Ireland in 14 Days” Tour Experience

For 25 years, I led our tours. Now I enjoy taking them. Every year I thumb through the Rick Steves’ Europe Tours catalog and see which tour fits my latest travel dreams. This spring, I enjoyed our Sicily tour (I wrote about my Sicily experience in earlier blog posts), and now we are wrapping up a great two weeks in Ireland.

One thing all of our tours have in common: great travel buddies. We learned long ago that if you promote your tours in the right way, you scare away the high-maintenance travelers — and the fun, easy-going people you’ll enjoy sharing your trip with end up on the bus. That was certainly the case with this merry band of Rick Steves travelers. Diana, Bob, Dan, Marlene, Marcia, Clare, Ed, Taffy, Cindy, Eddy, Demi, Keene, Jennifer, Mike, Kathy, Larry, Chuck, Lynda, Clark, Rebecca, Caryn, Pat, Tom, Ron, Susan, Kathy, and Mike — thanks for joining us, and happy future travels!

Rick Steves with tour group

We had two guides with us on this trip: The very experienced Declan (with well over a decade of Rick Steves guiding experience) and Dara (after learning from the masters on several apprentice tours, he’s about ready to lead on his own, and will graduate after this last learning tour).

Being Rick Steves on a Rick Steves tour, I was constantly brainstorming with Declan and Dara about ways to bump up the vivid, experiential nature of the tour. For me, it’s the little things that add a lot. Here, after an appetizing cultural intro, Dara is handing out an assortment of local taste treats in an inviting basket (rather than passing around a grubby bag).

Dara with cookies

With the wind blowing hard enough to nearly fly us like kites, and the dramatic Cliffs of Moher stretching in either direction, Declan fortified us with a wee bit of Irish cream before setting us loose to join the gulls high above the crashing surf. (I love Irish weather. Even in July, every day on this tour was broken clouds, a good breeze, and temperatures in the 60s — notice we had the right clothing.)

Tour group at Cliffs of Moher

Declan posted our itinerary every day. And every day, I marveled at the great efficiency of having a bus driver to do the driving and parking, and a guide to line up each day’s plan. Not a moment was wasted, and we knew exactly how to get the most meaning and fun out of each experience.

itinerary

You’ll notice that we were staying in a B&B in the town center (beyond where the bus could enter), so we had a shuttle to move our bags to where it was parked. Our first stop was at a remote memorial at the site of the assassination of Michael Collins. Rather than sit for lunch in a big formal restaurant, we had free time at midday in the delightful town of Kenmare. After that, a farmer and his border collies were ready for us, with a sheepdog spectacle and a close shave. We were in Dingle with time to relax before a town walk, dinner together, and an evening full of live trad music in the pubs. Lots of experiences and stress-free efficiency — that’s the beauty of Rick Steves’ Europe Tours.

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This is Day 77 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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The Dark Hedges of the Kingsroad, Westeros

If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, the Dark Hedges (about 50 miles northwest of Belfast) is a big deal. More than in any other country, driving around Ireland you find excuses to stop and see places featured in your favorite TV shows, movies, pop songs, traditional songs, and great literature (and towns with the same names as your Irish friends…which can get exhausting if you’re traveling with an Irish Catholic American).

dark hedges road

The Dark Hedges grow along Bregagh Road — known to the people of Westeros as the Kingsroad. Our tour group stopped here on our way from the Antrim Coast to Belfast. The half of the group that watches Game of Thrones was ecstatic at the chance to see this mysterious line of snaky trees. For the rest of us, it was just a beautiful walk. I love any chance we have as a tour group to get out of the bus, take a scenic walk, and hop back on the bus at the far end. (We were just driving through with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, but there are actually Belfast-based bus tours dedicated to Game of Thrones sights.)

 

This is Day 76 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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Video: 28 Magic Moments on Our Best of Ireland Tour

Our Best of Ireland in 14 Days Tour is wrapping up. I took a moment on our bus to let each person in our group share their magic moment. Here are 28 memories in two minutes. Thanks to our great driver, Pascal, and our wonderful guide, Declan, for a smooth and unforgettable experience. Sláinte!

This is Day 75 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.