A trio of France tour guides banter about the nuances of northern and southern France, from climate and demeanor to food and fashion.

France: North vs. South

Dutch tour guides Ellen Janzing and Jody van Engelsdorp Gastelaars illuminate the differences between the fairy-tale provinces of Holland and the country of the Netherlands.

Holland vs. the Netherlands

820 Vietnam; Touring the Mississippi River

Published on February 7, 2026 — Stow away with an Easter Island-based travel writer and lecturer as he tours the seas, letting us in on what life is like on the cruise-ship circuit. Then listen in as journalist Lyse Doucet tells about her career as the chief international correspondent for the BBC and delves into the issues her profession grapples with today.

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

821 Expert On Board; Foreign Correspondent Lyse Doucet

Astronomer Philip Plait -- who fell in love with Saturn after first viewing the gas giant, with its mesmerizing rings and moons, through a telescope as a child -- shares some of the amazing discoveries we've made about the planet in recent years. Then actor Martin Sheen describes how his travels in the developing world have opened his eyes, and his heart, to the needs of others. And a Florence-based tour guide and culinary expert lets us in on where to find the best food in her adopted home.
For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com

744a Falling for Saturn; Heart of Martin Sheen; Florentine Favorites

Published on February 21, 2026 — Bradt guidebook author and Estonian authority Neil Taylor lets us in on the abundant appeal — and burgeoning tourism scene — of the former Soviet republic. And a certified craft beer expert takes us on a tour of European suds and helps us tap into the best pints across the continent.

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

822 Estonia Today; European Beer

Published on February 28, 2026 — Rick engages a panel of European tour-guide friends to find out how they're responding to recent changes in the political relationship between their countries and the US, and to discuss the home-grown populist pressures that have been gaining followers in Europe. Plus sculptor Richard Rhodes recommends European destinations with especially impressive stonework — from famous buildings to little-known sites that have endured through the ages.

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

823 The View from Europe; Stonecutter's Tour of Europe

Get tips for experiencing what remains of Aztec culture in modern-day Mexico City. Then hear about what recent excavations in Pompeii are revealing about first-century life in the Roman Empire. And join a historian in considering how the cultures of France's many neighboring countries have long shaped and enriched its identity.

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

824 Pre-Columbian Mexico City; Unearthing Pompeii; Shortest History of France

Tour guides from the north and south of Ireland let us in on their picks for sights and experiences that will make a first trip to the Emerald Isle a memorable one. Plus, an Irish American singer explains the importance of music to the Irish and how the island's history is found in its folk ballads and songs.

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

825 First Timer's Ireland; At Home in Ireland

A pair of documentary producers share what they learned interviewing the residents of Christiania, a communal society tucked right inside — and yet worlds away from — downtown Copenhagen.

Christiania After 40 Years

Rick Steves Audio Europe