This article appears in our Print Edition, June 2019 -- Page 42
Shopping in Europe can be fun, but don’t let it overwhelm your trip. I’ve seen half the members of a guided tour of the British Houses of Parliament skip out on the tour to survey an enticing array of plastic “bobby” hats, Big Ben briefs and Union Jack panties instead. Focus on local experiences, and don’t let your trip become a glorified shopping spree.
As a fanatic about packing light, I used to wait until the end of my trip to shop, then go hog-wild in...
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Rick Steves' Europe Supplemental
This article appears in our Online Edition, May 2019
While many tourists come to Italy only for the past, those who make time for Milan find that this powerful, no-nonsense city is a delightful mix of yesterday and today. Anchored by its historic cathedral, Milan is a modern, time-is-money metropolis of refined tastes. The window displays on its shopping streets are gorgeous, the well-dressed Milanesi are ultra-chic, and even the cheese comes gift-wrapped.
But beyond the bling, Milan has historic highlights...
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Rick Steves' Europe Supplemental
This article appears in our Online Edition, May 2019
Like so many travelers, my images of Germany -- cute villages, dirndls and lederhosen, and fairy-tale castles -- are from Bavaria, in the foothills of the Alps. You could easily spend a week here, soaking up culture as you bike along fragrant fields and tour the sights.
My favorite home bases for exploring the Bavarian Alps are Fussen and Reutte (just over the border in Austria). They put you an easy drive from the region's most popular sights: the wood-carving...
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Rick Steves' Europe Supplemental
This article appears in our Online Edition, May 2019
Along the western Mediterranean coast, two easygoing -- and easy-to-enjoy -- beach towns stand like sister cities on each side of the border between France and Spain. Both Collioure, in France, and Cadaques, in Spain, are off the grid when it comes to glitzy resorts. And each has a delightful ambience, with welcoming beaches, quaint back streets, and scenery that inspired many notable 20th-century artists.
On the French side, Collioure is where I like to unwind and regroup. When...
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Rick Steves' Europe Supplemental
This article appears in our Online Edition, May 2019
Whenever I think of Belgium, I recall digging into a dish of mussels while seated on a sunny square in Brussels, in the shadow of a lacy medieval spire. My waiter bragged, "In Belgium, we eat as hearty as the Germans and as fine as the French."
Wedged between Germany, France and the Netherlands, Belgium often gets lost in the mix. But this overlooked country rewards with some of Europe's finest cuisine, including the...
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This article appears in our Print Edition, May 2019 -- Page 41
Looking at 2019, here are selected news items and warnings from a few of Rick’s recent articles. — Editor
• Like many travelers, in spring of last year I visited Barcelona, SPAIN, dreaming of seeing Antoni Gaudí’s breathtaking Sagrada Família church. When I got there, the ticket office was closed, with a posted sign: “No more tickets today. Buy your ticket for another day online.” Thankfully, I had known to book tickets in advance.
Along with...
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Rick Steves' Europe Supplemental
This article appears in our Online Edition, April 2019
The Italian island of Sicily is -- perhaps more than any corner of Europe -- a layer cake of civilizations. On one island, visitors can marvel at a well-preserved Greek temple, admire the glittering mosaics of a Norman cathedral, wander through Carthaginian ruins, and feast at a market that evokes an Arabian souk.
One of my favorite places to experience Sicily's rich stew of history and cultures is at the Norman cathedral of Monreale, just southwest of the...
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Rick Steves' Europe Supplemental
This article appears in our Online Edition, April 2019
Back in the summer of 1969, I took my first trip to Europe. My father, a piano importer, brought me to Vienna's Bosendorfer piano factory. Together, my dad and I watched the world's finest pianos being built by hand, in hundreds of meticulous steps.
Each hand-crafted piano had its own personality. And, as I played a selection of new pianos, my dad analyzed the personality of each and matched it to a client's taste back home. Witnessing and enjoying this amazing...
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