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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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Why Do We Travel?: Sicily Reflections

Why do we travel? It’s costly, time consuming, and — frankly — lots of work. On my recent Best of Sicily tour, the answer became happily clear as we shared 11 experience-packed days, orchestrated by a gifted guide. It was pure Sicily, and well worth whatever it took to get me there.

An elderly aristocrat gave me a tour of his 1935 racing car. I looked a crypt-full of monk skeletons straight in the eye sockets. After savoring cannoli where it was invented, I discovered exactly how good it can be. I learned the difference between Naples- and Sicily-style pizzas (and that I prefer Sicilian). I compared bushy eyebrows with old guys on a bench in Syracuse. I was served a glass of full-bodied red wine by a Sophia Loren–esque woman in a vineyard on the slopes of a steaming volcano. And I became part of the mesmerizing, swaying rhythm of an entire community on their Good Friday procession, by joining right in.

All these travel memories were made even better as they were shared by two dozen wonderful Rick Steves travelers. Next month, I’m doing the same thing…but on our Ireland tour! Stay tuned.

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This is Day 30 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 in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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Video: Rick Steves Readers Share a Driver and Split the Bill

I love my work for many reasons. For example, this morning I woke up, looked out my window, and saw the small group of my readers that, each morning, gathers here to share the cost of a private minibus tour of the Amalfi Coast (which you’d never want to drive on your own). All over Europe, I work to help travelers economize by sharing costs. This works particularly well here in the Bay of Naples area: Every day, a local company (Mondo Guide) meets my readers for shared-cost tours of Naples, Pompeii, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast.

This is Day 29 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 in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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Video: Jockeying Dinghies at the Blue Grotto

rick steves at blue grotto

Thanks for the photo, Ben!

Visiting the Blue Grotto on Italy’s fabled Isle of Capri is one of those must-do experiences. Here’s a quick look at how it’s arranged. And here’s a tip: You’ll pay essentially the same (about $20) to shuttle from the big port to the grotto and back (ten minutes each way) as you’ll pay to take a scenic, narrated, one-hour ride all around the island…and the island tour stops at the Blue Grotto before completing the circle. To jump into a dinghy and pop into the grotto costs another $20. (By the way, I thought the trip around the island was as memorable and as fun as the Blue Grotto ritual.)


My Capri day was made fun and efficient with the help of local guide Anna Bilardi Leva. Thanks, Anna!

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This is Day 28 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 in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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Video: Living My Guidebook, High Above the Amalfi Coast

Sitting down to lunch in Ravello — high above the treacherously beautiful Amalfi Coast — and enjoying the pasta that’s the specialty of this town, it occurs to me that experiences like these are made possible by good information…and that’s what the Rick Steves Italy guidebook is packed with. As I spend about 80 days a year personally in the field, “living my guidebook,” I often wonder how many people are actually still doing this work. It’s clear to me: The only way to research and write a good guidebook is to live it. And it’s tasty work.

This is Day 27 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 in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

 

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Video: Sorrentines Thank God…and St. Antonino

Popping into a church, you can always discover little treasures. Here are the relics of St. Antonino, patron saint of Sorrento. Ex-votos fill the display cases with tokens of thanks to God…I mean, St. Antonino. My guide, Giovanna, is walking me through the experience, complete with electronic candles.

This is Day 26 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 in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.