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Why We Travel

In times of crisis and challenge, we ask ourselves: What is the true value of travel? Is it just hedonism...or something more powerful? After a lifetime of exploring Europe Rick Steves shares his reasons why. This special episode is a sonnet to travel — an introspective love story, set in Europe, that vividly celebrates the rewards of exploring our world and the joy that awaits those who travel.
Season 11 Episode 1108 Length 26:47 Premiere: 12/04/20

Rick Steves' Europe

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Season 11 Episodes

Why We Travel
S11 E1108 Length 26:47 Premiere Date 12/04/20

Ethiopia: A Development Story
S11 E1107 Length 25:33 Premiere Date 11/24/20

Egypt’s Nile, Alexandria, and Luxor
S11 E1106 Length 26:15 Premiere Date 11/24/20

Egypt’s Cairo
S11 E1105 Length 25:02 Premiere Date 11/24/20

Germany’s Fascist Story
S11 E1104 Length 26:16 Premiere Date 11/24/20

French Alps and Lyon
S11 E1103 Length 25:02 Premiere Date 10/22/20

Swiss Alps
S11 E1102 Length 25:02 Premiere Date 10/20/20

Austrian and Italian Alps
S11 E1101 Length 25:02 Premiere Date 10/19/20

Western Turkey Preview
Preview Length 00:30 Premiere Date 09/30/14

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London: Mod and Trad - S3 E5

Premiered On: 01/19/2005

Rick checks out both the new and the old in London, from the Millennium Bridge and the British Museum's Great Court to well-wrapped mummies and a rare Leonardo. After bantering with Beefeaters at the Tower of London, he does some riverside beachcombing and strolls the trendy South Bank of the Thames, from the Tate Modern to the dizzying London Eye.

  • Saturday June 3, 2023 1:00 pm ET on KET
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Highlights of Castile: Toledo and Salamanca - S3 E2

Premiered On: 11/06/2004

Castile sparkles with Roman Segovia, walled Avila, student-filled Salamanca, and holy Toledo. The region's attractions include El Greco paintings, explosive pickles, Spain's most awe-inspiring medieval walls, tasty "jamon," and one of Europe's most enchanting squares.

  • Sunday June 4, 2023 11:00 am ET on KET2
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Highlights of Paris: Eiffel and Monet to Creme Brulee - S3 E6

Premiered On: 12/12/2004

Packing the best of Paris into one episode, Rick scales the Eiffel Tower and savors classic treats from steak "tartare" to "creme brulee." He also marvels at Monet, Manet, and others in the stunning Orsay Gallery; traces the sad steps of Marie Antoinette; and relives French history from its bloody revolution to its extravagant "belle epoch."

  • Saturday June 10, 2023 1:00 pm ET on KET
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Normandy: War-Torn Yet Full of Life - S3 E3

Premiered On: 11/13/2004

After exploring the half-timbered charm of Rouen, Rick visits Monet's lily ponds, peeks in on local artisans, sets up an easel at Honfleur's harbor, ventures into composer Eric Satie's eccentric world, and feasts on the finest of Normandy cuisine. The trip ends with reflections on sacrifice and freedom on the D-Day beaches and a hike with pilgrims to the enchanted island abbey of Mont St. Michel.

  • Wednesday June 14, 2023 10:30 am ET on KET2
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Belgium: Bruges and Brussels - S3 E7

Premiered On: 12/11/2004

Belgium is a land of contrasts, from the powerhouse headquarters of the European Union and Europe's grandest square in big-city Brussels to the quaint back lanes of small-town Bruges. Rick checks into a medieval hospital, savors the exquisite art of Memling, climbs a bell tower to get up close and "fortissimo" at a carillon concert, and samples French fries and fine chocolate.

  • Saturday June 17, 2023 1:00 pm ET on KET
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Belfast and the Best of Northern Ireland - S3 E4

Premiered On: 11/20/2004

No trip to the Emerald Isle is complete without a visit to Northern Ireland. Rick tours bustling Belfast, sneaking a peek at its politically charged neighborhoods; goes wild in Portrush, Ulster's answer to Coney Island; taste-tests Irish whiskey; scrambles over six-sided rock columns; putters through a world-class golf course; and stomps his feet to Irish music in rough-and-tumble Derry.

  • Sunday June 18, 2023 11:00 am ET on KET2
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French Riviera: Uniquely Chic - S3 E9

Premiered On: 12/25/2004

A long-time favorite escape of Europe's elite, the Riviera coastline still sparkles with yachts. After following the footsteps of 19th-century aristocrats along Monaco's harbor and Nice's "promenade des Anglais," Rick visits the picturesque artist's hangouts of Chagall, Matisse, and Picasso.

  • Saturday July 1, 2023 1:00 pm ET on KET
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Belfast and the Best of Northern Ireland - S3 E4

  • Saturday May 27, 2023 1:00 pm ET on KET
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Why We Travel - S11 E8

  • Wednesday May 24, 2023 3:00 pm ET on KET2
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Normandy: War-Torn Yet Full of Life - S3 E3

  • Saturday May 20, 2023 1:00 pm ET on KET
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Ethiopia: A Development Story - S11 E7

  • Wednesday May 17, 2023 3:00 pm ET on KET2
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Highlights of Castile: Toledo and Salamanca - S3 E2

  • Saturday May 13, 2023 1:00 pm ET on KET
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Egypt's Nile, Alexandria, and Luxor - S11 E6

  • Wednesday May 10, 2023 3:00 pm ET on KET2
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The Majesty of Madrid - S3 E1

  • Wednesday May 31, 2023 3:00 pm ET on KET2
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Egypt's Cairo - S11 E5

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