Explore every episode of the podcast Rick Steves' Europe Video

Paintings evolved to appear more life-like, thanks to Giotto's early exploration of 3-D, Masaccio's mastery of depth, and the realism of Fra Angelico. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

The Renaissance master sculpted "David" and the "Pietà," painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and designed the majestic dome of St. Peter's Basilica. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

The museums of Rome house the treasures of one of the world's great civilizations, from anonymous scenes of everyday life to breathtaking masterworks. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

Karnak was the most important place of worship in ancient Egypt. This sprawling temple complex was built over many centuries during the New Kingdom period, when most of the great pharaohs ruled. Rather than for the public, Karnak was reserved only for royals, priests, and the gods. But today, anyone can explore the site's impressive ruins.

In the British countryside, near the village of Avebury, stand two of England's most mysterious prehistoric sites: the Avebury Stone Circle, 16 times as big as Stonehenge, and Silbury Hill, a yet-to-be-explained mountain of chalk that's the largest man-made construction from prehistoric Europe. More info about travel to England: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england

Tallinn's Kumu Art Museum displays contemporary Estonian art that traces the country's chaotic 20th century, from idyllic German-influenced pastorals and Communist propaganda to the 1960s counterculture and Estonia's eventual (and peaceful) fight for independence. More info about travel to Estonia: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/estonia

Rising above a plain where the Lowlands meet the Highlands, Stirling Castle was the seat of the kings and queens of Scotland for hundreds of years. It's no surprise that this strategic castle has hosted many of the biggest names and events of Scottish history, from Mary, Queen of Scots, to the Battle of Bannockburn. More info about travel to Scotland: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/scotland

Rome is magnificent and overwhelming at the same time. Make your trip to the Eternal City fun and hassle-free with Rick's travel tips, from choosing where to stay to using public transportation. More info about travel to Italy: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy

For centuries, Portugal's royalty considered Sintra the perfect place to escape from Lisbon. Today, tourists can experience Sintra's mix of natural and man-made beauty, too, from fantasy castles to lush forests to craggy hilltops with hazy views of the Atlantic. More info about travel to Portugal: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/portugal

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery is Glasgow's best museum. Like a Scottish Smithsonian, it features everything from natural history exhibits to fine art, including pieces by the 19th-century Scottish Romantics and Art Nouveau architect (and Glaswegian) Charles Rennie Mackintosh. More info about travel to Scotland: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/scotland

In Northern Ireland, Orangemen parades fill village and neighborhood streets with Protestants from Easter through September. The long-established Orange Order — with their signature orange team color — works to defend British rule, and these parades are like pep rallies for the cause of continued union. More info about travel to Northern Ireland: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/ireland/northern-ireland

Sicily's sprawling, gritty capital of Palermo boasts colorful markets and bustling shopping streets that signal a fun-loving city in regeneration. Take an evening stroll through the landmark Quattro Canti and discover Palermo's trendy, inviting neighborhoods. More info about travel to Sicily: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/sicily

In Rome, pop into churches to see art in situ — not hanging on museum walls, but exactly where it was meant to be enjoyed — including magnificent Michelangelo sculptures, dazzling Byzantine mosaics, and impressive Renaissance frescoes. More info about travel to Italy: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy

From Cornwall to the Adriatic, diners have an appetite for meals starring locally caught fish and shellfish — some humble, some chic, all delicious. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

Made from huge stones that were quarried, carved, and moved from as far away as Wales, Stonehenge has amazed visitors for thousands of years. And throughout that time, it's continued to work as a functioning celestial calendar, lining up with the rising and setting sun on the longest day of the year. More info about travel to England: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england

With one of Scotland's best distillery tours and plenty of character, Oban is a basket of Scottish traditions. And it's ideally situated for day trips to three of the most worthwhile Inner Hebrides: Mull, Iona, and Staffa. More info about travel to Scotland: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/scotland

Plenty of character is packed into Lisbon — and much of it is edible. One treat you're sure to find in any Lisbon restaurant, market hall, or café is bacalhau (salted cod), a Portuguese favorite. More info about travel to Portugal: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/portugal

Glasgow is Scotland's most underrated destination. With an energetic cultural scene and unique flair for art and design, this rejuvenated city is bursting with history, pride, and a love of life. More info about travel to Scotland: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/scotland

Sicily's many rulers — from the Greeks to the Arabs to the Spanish — have each left their mark on the island's capital, Palermo. You can still see that impact today through the city's distinctive architecture and in the faces of its residents. More info about travel to Sicily: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/sicily

Alabaster and wine are traditional specialties in the Tuscan hill town of Volterra. Drop by a local workshop or wine bar to see Volterra's masters at work (and enjoy the fruits of their labor). More info about travel to Italy: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/Italy

The fascinating and remote Orkney Islands, off the north coast of Scotland, offer some of the best prehistoric sites in northern Europe, including 5,000-year-old homes and burial mounds. More info about travel to Scotland: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/scotland

Experience the decadence of Paris' belle époque ("beautiful age") at sights like the Opéra Garnier and the Jacquemart-André Museum. More info about travel to France: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france

In 1755, a devastating earthquake reduced Lisbon to rubble. The city's downtown was eventually rebuilt in a symmetrical grid plan, with broad boulevards and inviting squares — a style known as "Pombaline," named for the prime minister who oversaw the reconstruction. More info about travel to Portugal: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/portugal

For centuries, Kraków's Kazimierz neighborhood was the heart of the city's Jewish community. Today, the spirit of the rich Jewish tradition lives on in this revitalized and vibrant part of town. More info about travel to Poland: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/poland

Delight in the mastery of titans Rembrandt and Van Gogh, and ponder the resilience of Anne Frank and her compatriots who lived under Nazi occupation. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

On the Isle of Skye, peat was a vital resource for hundreds of years. People would use it to heat their homes, as a fuel source for cooking, and to add a smoky flavor to whisky. More info about travel to Scotland: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/scotland

Step back into the 1890s at Blists Hill Victorian Town, an open-air museum in Ironbridge Gorge that re-creates the area as it was during its Industrial Revolution heyday. More info about travel to England: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england

An agriturismo — a working farm that offers BnB-type accommodations — is an ideal home base for exploring the Tuscan countryside. At these cozy lodgings, you'll find rustic furnishings, warm hospitality, and the chance to slow down and taste rural life in Italy. More info about travel to Italy: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy

Escape the crowds and experience some of Scotland's most dramatic scenery on the Isle of Skye's Trotternish Peninsula. With jaw-dropping cliffs, unique geologic formations, and windswept views, it's worth getting out of the car and taking a hike. More info about travel to Scotland: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/scotland

The emotional intensity of Spanish culture is experienced most rivetingly in the music and dance of its people: flamenco. While Sevilla is the home of flamenco, Madrid draws Spain's top artists, making it a great city to enjoy an exhilarating performance. More info about travel to Spain: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/spain

Coimbra is a great place to catch a fado performance. Fado is a uniquely Portuguese style of music — soulful and nostalgic, with singers telling tales of unanswered love. And while most fado is sung by women, in Coimbra, it's usually performed by men. More info about travel to Portugal: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/portugal

For a taste of Scotland's west coast, take a day trip from Oban to the islands of Mull, Iona, and Staffa. Here in the Inner Hebrides, you can immerse yourself in pristine scenery, 1,500 years of Christian history, and dramatic sea caves. More info about travel to Scotland: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/scotland

Like many second cities throughout Europe, Porto is a hard-scrabble town that recently emerged from a post-industrial funk to become trendy, revitalized with a fresh and creative energy while evoking Old World charm. More info about travel to Portugal: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/portugal

At the Valley of the Temples, time-travel back to when Sicily was a Greek colony. While little survives of ancient Agrigento, you can wander through the remains of a few grand temples, including the largest Doric temple of the ancient world. More info about travel to Sicily: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/sicily

Bern's 15th-century cathedral — which boasts Switzerland's highest church tower — underwent major changes during the Reformation, when Protestant iconoclasts removed the then-Catholic church's religious imagery. More info about travel to Bern: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/switzerland/bern

The Reformation ushered a new Protestant ambiance into Germany’s places of worship — one conveying strength, humanism, and a more natural spirit. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

Experience Paris's past at the Carnavalet Museum, where you can admire the former monarchy's opulence and relive its downfall during the French Revolution. More info about travel to Paris: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france/paris

Portugal's Douro Valley is the birthplace of port wine, and its steep and twisting valleys have been laboriously terraced over the centuries. Stop by a family owned winery for a peek at local life — and a taste of some fine port. More info about travel to Douro Valley: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/portugal/douro-valley

Fire up memories of the Industrial Revolution in its birthplace, the Severn River Valley. And no trip to England's heartland would be complete without a pint at the local pub — where it helps to know the rules. More info about travel to Ironbridge Gorge: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england/ironbridge-gorge

In Warsaw, experience Polish culture by trying some traditional vodka and taking a stroll through the city's idyllic 18th-century park, which features a monument to one of Poland's favorite sons, composer Fryderyk Chopin. More info about travel to Warsaw: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/poland/warsaw

Oxford is home to the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Today, there's plenty to see and do on a visit to Oxford University, from punting on the River Cherwell to marveling at historic colleges and important artifacts. More info about travel to Oxford: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england/oxford

Coimbra is home to Portugal's oldest and most prestigious university. When school's in session, Coimbra bustles with a youthful energy. As a traveler, it can be fun to drop into this venerable academic world and revel with students. More info about travel to Coimbra: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/portugal/coimbra

Mount Etna, on the island of Sicily, is Europe's most active volcano. Today, the slopes of Etna are renowned for their fertile soil — and the finest vineyards in Sicily. More info about travel to Sicily: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/sicily

Kraków is the Boston of Poland, buzzing with history, college students, and tourists. Even though Warsaw became Poland's political capital centuries ago, Kraków remains the country's cultural and intellectual epicenter. More info about travel to Kraków: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/poland/krakow

Bosnia was the former Yugoslavia's cultural crossroads, home to its three major ethnic groups: Croats, Serbs, and Bosniaks. Each group adopted a different religion, brought to Yugoslavia by various emperors, missionaries, and sultans. Sadly, these differences led to the region's violent conflict in the 1990s. More info about travel to Bosnia: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/bosnia-herzegovina

Bern's pointy towers, colorful fountains, and arcaded streets make it one of Europe's finest surviving medieval towns. And as the seat of the Swiss government, Bern is a fascinating study in modern, pragmatic policies. More info about travel to Bern: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/switzerland/bern

Sophisticated cave paintings and Roman engineering achievements in today’s France reveal ancient standards of living that went beyond mere survival. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

Monaco is one of the world's smallest and most luxurious countries. Along with the Monte Carlo casino, high-end stores, and Grand Prix racetrack, travelers to this principality can enjoy its medieval hilltop, where the Grimaldi family has ruled for over 700 years. More info about travel to the French Riviera: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france/french-riviera

The Sítio district of Nazaré overlooks a stretch of the Atlantic that's famous among surfers for some of the biggest waves in the world. After hitting the beach, you can enjoy fresh seafood washed down with a refreshing glass of vinho verde (Portuguese green wine). More info about travel to Portugal: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/portugal

In addition to being Sicily's most spectacular beach resort, Taormina is home to tasty, traditional cannoli and an impressive 2,500-year-old Greek theater. More info about travel to Sicily: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/sicily