An Irreverent History of Rick Steves' Europe Tours

In January 2023, European travel expert Rick Steves hosted a series of free, fun virtual events to inspire travelers to their next European adventure.
Join Rick for a nostalgic trip back to the "Europe Through the Gutter" roots of Rick Steves' Europe. Boarding the virtual bus with Rick, we'll follow the bumpy road from a minibus of intrepid backpackers to today's program, which now boasts 150 guides, 40 itineraries, and nearly 30,000 fellow travelers each year. After a Q&A session we'll finish with a drawing to win a free Rick Steves tour!
Recorded 1/16/23. Promotions may no longer be valid. #festivalofeurope #ricksteves #mondaynighttravel
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[@brianboyd1239]

this story is probably one of my favorite videos of yours Rick... so interesting and fun to hear your story

[@kessas.489]

I'm glad that you can pay almost everywhere in Europe with your debit or credit card...

[@sergioedhi1839]

I’ve done Italy in 2017 and Spain/Paris in 2018 using Rick Steve’s guidebooks. They are the best resource to plan a trip. I do hope someday I’ll be able to go on one of his tours in the near future. These are the places I went on each trip: Italy 2017 (Venice, Day trip to Murano and Burano, Florence, day trip to Lucca and Pisa, Amalfi Coast-staying in Minori, day trip to Capri, Naples) Spain/Paris 2018 (Madrid, day trip to Toledo, Sevilla, Cordoba on the way to Sevilla, Nerja, Barcelona, Paris) I would not have been able to plan this trips without Rick’s help. thanks you!

[@victorlee8930]

I still own "22 Days in Germany, Austria, & Switzerland", 3rd Edition, by some no-name Rick Steves, that I bought for my first trip to Europe in 1991. I was on a student orchestra tour that ended in Berlin. Following Rick's advice, I continued on to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, took the Romantic Road bus to Munich, and took day trips to Dachau and Salzburg. I had a train pass, and I mailed postcards to secure reservations in advance. I've used his books for my honeymoon in Italy, vacations in France, Austria, England, Norway, and Netherlands, and sightseeing squeezed into business trips to Milan, Bern, Berlin, Amsterdam, and London. Now with the web, I use multiple information sources, but I always include Rick.

[@terrilowdon3194]

Rick, what an amazing journey, you, your travelers, and staff has had thru the years! Wishing you all the best as the journey continues!

[@vcom2327]

I remember the large sleeping tents in Munich and the dormitories in the Swiss Alps. Great fun.

[@jasonlove8733]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😀

[@rhyacinthlevrini6577]

I spent three weeks in Venice March 2014 and my Rick Steves´ travel book on Venice was an invaluable resource as well as the videos on Venice and the Lagoon. I have been following you for years and happy with this video to see why. The comment Rick mentions in Q&A about changing attitudes reminded me that my first international travel was to Morocco in 1970 where I stayed in a $.75 /night lodging, (same year as the CSNY song "Marrakesh Express"), and my 2014 Venice trip when I rented an apartment for three weeks. Living a champagne taste on a beer budget, renting an apartment in Venice didn´t turn out too bad at 104E a night, because in the long run it was out of season, no cruise ship crowds, I shopped at local venders for food and wine; and I prepared my main meals in the apartment, then pigged out on cicchetti and pizza slices during the day as I explored, got lost, and found my way again. Like Rick says, "You`re on an island!" When Italian friends visited me from Milan, I took them to the best restaurant in all of Venice, my apartment! It was a small one bedroom fully furnished apartment with a small covered terrace overlooking a canal off the Grand Canal. The canal was often used by singing gondolieri lip synching arias! 😏 BTW I have been following one of your tour guides, Pål from Norway on his KZbin channel for over a year, and I was happy to view the video Rick and Pål did the other night on the Scandinavian tours. Eventually I would like to see Pål cover the far North of Norway; I left my Heart in Tromsø, referred to as the "Paris of the North". I will be back this Summer on a 90 day visa stay, but this time staying at a friends apartment; I´m not too old to sofa hop! Thanks for sharing Rick, your Life´s story in a nutshell!

[@vcom2327]

What? No wine tonight? :-)