Author Terry Tempest Williams describes the various "personalities" of a dozen US national parks and examines each one's contributions to the American character. Then historian Flannery Burke tells us how Arizona and New Mexico came to embody what we now think of as the Great Southwest. And travel writer Christopher Solomon enjoys getting dusty on a mountain-bike tour across southern Utah.

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

495b National Parks Dinner Party; The Great Southwest; Utah's Craziest Bike Ride

A Paris-based journalist lets us in on what happens behind closed doors at the city's grandest museum when it shuts to the public each Tuesday. And the last apprentice to be trained in the medieval techniques of masonry in Tuscany reveals how ancient secrets help to turn stone into masterpieces of art and architecture.

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

814 Tuesdays at the Louvre; Stone

Hear a Francophile's recommendations for some of the most magnificent religious architecture to explore in Paris. Then vicariously experience a winter solstice ritual from inside an ancient tomb in Ireland, and warm up to the custom that's central to life in Finland: the sauna. Plus, kick off the Christmas season with local holiday traditions from Tallinn, Rome, and Venice.

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

815 Sacred Paris; Newgrange Solstice; Finnish Sauna; Christmas in Estonia, Rome, Venice

Christmas is a little different across the pond — where Santas dwell on farms or in the woods, festively decorated boats stand in for sleighs, and fermented trout is a must-try treat. Learn about holiday traditions observed in France, Norway, Greece, London, the Spanish Basque Country, and small-town Italy, as a slate of Rick's guides share their customs and memories of this festive season.

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

427c Christmas in London, Umbria, France, Norway, Greece, Basque Country

Celebrate Norwegian roots in America as we mark the 200th anniversary of a major wave of immigration to the US from the Scandinavian nation. Then join an expert of the offbeat as he delves into some of the more curious places and things held dear by people around the world. And listen in as callers share their favorite travel memories of the year behind us. Plus, learn from Scottish tour guides about Edinburgh's lively New Year's Eve traditions of Hogmanay. 

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

816 Vesterheim; Atlas Obscura Curiosities; Lessons Learned

Published on January 3, 2026 — A budget-minded travel blogger shares timely tips for keeping costs down — so that you can keep your travel dreams alive. Then a British journalist with a passion for rail travel enthuses about the special magic of the sleeper train. And an American writer based in Chile tells us what he loves about living in South America.

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

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