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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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Europe’s Charm at Your Doorstep

We’re high in the Italian Alps, in Castlerotto — a town I love because it’s right in the midst of mountain splendor, yet doesn’t have that empty ski-resort-in-the-summer feeling. Our hotel — the Cavallino d’Oro — is a great example of the Italian/German mix characteristic of this region (the Dolomites, in the far north of Italy). Our group is just finishing up breakfast before loading up the bus. And just outside the door of our hotel is the cobbled town square. For our tours, we favor hotels where the charm of Europe is literally at your doorstep. On our My Way Alpine Europe Tour (which I’m leading now), we spend a dozen nights in unforgettable mountain towns in the Alps of Austria, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and France.

This is Day 59 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I lead tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.

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A Busy Day on a Rick Steves Tour

A good tour leader — especially on a Rick Steves tour — creates a learning atmosphere on the bus, laces together a good balance of sights and experiences, and makes sure there’s lots of fun along the way. In this montage of clips, I get a chance to talk about how the European Union funds ethnic regions (in this case, Ehrenberg Castle in Tirol, which spans Austria and Italy); we visit one of my favorite open-air folk museums (Ballenberg in Switzerland); we poke into an old farmhouse to ring some cowbells; and we rip down the mountain on a summer luge ride. All 26 of us enjoyed two trips each on the longest and most exciting luge course in Tirol (Biberwier, on the road between Innsbruck and Reutte).

(My tour assistant, Trish Feaster, produced this clip. She’s blogging about our tour at her website, The Travelphile.)

This is Day 58 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I lead tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.

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My Response to the Nice Attack

Terrorism hit France again — this time on Bastille Day. That’s the day the French celebrate one of the most consequential events in the history of Western civilization: the French Revolution. In 1789, France was on the front line of bringing our world basic values we often take for granted today: blessings like liberty, equality, tolerance, and pluralism. It paid dearly, and we all benefited. Today, France (still a champion of these Western values) is on the front line of terrorism, and they are, again, paying dearly. Here are a few thoughts I had from a mountaintop in France.

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Meet Your Rick Steves Tour Group: The Name Game

I just met 26 happy travelers and we’re well into our My Way Alpine Europe Tour. It’s so much fun to be personally leading our tours again. (Over the next 12 days or so, I’ll be reporting on the fun we’re having.) We lead about 900 tours each season. On our tours, we become like a family, and it’s important that we know each other’s names. Early on, we play a memory game to learn everyone’s name. Here, on the lakeside terrace of our Hallstatt hotel, watch as little Allison demonstrates how agile young minds are. You can see what a wonderful variety of people join a Rick Steves tour. That’s one thing I really enjoy about this work.

(My tour assistant, Trish Feaster, filmed this clip. She’s blogging about our tour at her website, The Travelphile.)

This is Day 57 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I lead tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.

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Back in the Tour-Guiding Saddle

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For 25 years, I personally led lots of Rick Steves Europe Tours. But for the last decade or so, I’ve preferred to just ride along as a tour member instead — enjoying the work of our hardworking and passionate guides. But this year I’ve decided to get back into the tour-guiding saddle and personally lead a couple of tours.

My first tour — a Rick Steves My Way Alpine Europe Tour — just kicked off in Salzburg, where I met my 26 happy co-travelers. (Our My Way tours are “un-guided,” designed to include ample free time. Rather than a tour guide, a My Way tour comes with a tour manager — that’s me — who gets tour members from point to point, orients them to their options, handles logistics, and answers questions.) It’s a joy to be leading our tours again. And over the next 12 days or so, I’ll be reporting on the fun we’re having, right here on my travel blog and on Facebook.