S02 Episode 1

Venice: Serene, Decadent and Still Kicking

Sorting through the monuments of magical Venice, we trace its decline from Europe's most powerful city to its most hedonistic. We cruise its main street - the Grand Canal - then get lost in its back lanes. We drink-in the art of Titian, Bellini, Donatello, and the Doge's Palace. We luxuriate in a venerable café on St. Mark's Square, enjoy calamari with locals in a canal-side pub, then find our own private Venice: on a gondola, under the moonlight.

25 mins · Sat, 7 Sep 2002

S02 Episode 2

Venice Side-Trips: The Best of Veneto

Pulling on hip boots, we settle into the muck of Venice, then take a speedboat tour of the lagoon. On the mainland, we head for Padova to tour a once-illegal anatomy theater and track the restoration of Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel. In Vicenza, we admire elegant Palladian-style streets and villas. In Verona, we climb the Roman arena, jostle with tourists to rub the brass breast of Juliet, and taste-test grappa before riding the train to Ravenna for its dazzling 1500-year-old mosaics.

25 mins · Sat, 14 Sep 2002

S02 Episode 3

Florence: City of Art

We look into the eyes of Michelangelo's David and Botticelli's Venus, learn tricks for touring the Uffizi art gallery, and climb the amazing cathedral dome that kicked off the Renaissance. Then we immerse ourselves in the Florentine good life: visiting a fragrant 400-year-old perfumery, sipping Campari on a rooftop, chasing the sunset on a Vespa, and sleeping serenely in a converted monastery.

25 mins · Wed, 3 Jan 2001

S02 Episode 4

Siena and Assisi: Italy's Grand Hill Towns

Siena, Italy; medieval hospital; cathedral; bakery; Chianti region; Slow Food Movement; Assisi, Italy; St. Francis' tomb.

26 mins · Sat, 28 Sep 2002

S02 Episode 5

Cinque Terre: Italy's Hidden Riviera

Village life in five port towns includes fishing for anchovies at midnight; a sidetrip to Carrara's quarries.

26 mins · Sat, 5 Oct 2002

S02 Episode 6

Amsterdam and Dutch Side Trips

A journey to the capital of the Netherlands and the surrounding area, including windmills, a flower market, Holocaust memorials, Rembrandt paintings and hike along dykes.

26 mins · Sat, 12 Oct 2002

S02 Episode 7

Prague and the Czech Republic

Prague was always beautiful, now it's fun, too. And the streets are filled with young people who seem determined to make up for their parents' Stalin-gray childhoods.

25 mins · Wed, 2 Jan 2002

S02 Episode 8

Dublin

Whether in the pubs, in its ancient past, in its struggle for independence, or in its lively streets, Dublin is the capital of a nation with a rich history and an irrepressible spirit.

25 mins · Thu, 3 Jan 2002

S02 Episode 9

South Ireland

Nicknamed "the island of saints and scholars," Ireland is also known as "the terrible beauty" for its bittersweet mix of political struggles, hunger, friendly people, and gorgeous landscapes.

25 mins · Fri, 4 Jan 2002

S02 Episode 10

The Best of West Ireland

This time we're exploring the far west of Ireland. Starting on the remote Aran Islands, we cruise to Galway, hike the rugged Burren, and marvel at the Cliffs of Moher before venturing to Dingle and finishing on Great Blasket Island.

25 mins · Sat, 5 Jan 2002

S02 Episode 11

Berlin: Resilient, Reunited and Reborn

We're back in Berlin -- the fastest-changing big city in Europe. If you haven't been here lately, you won't recognize the place. United Berlin has resumed its place as the capital of Germany and one of Europe's great cities.

25 mins · Sun, 6 Jan 2002

S02 Episode 12

Germany's Romantic Rhine and Rothenburg

This time, we're enjoying the charms of Germany's villages and evocative ruins. While much of this country is an urban and industrial powerhouse, this episode is all about storybook Germany.

25 mins · Mon, 7 Jan 2002

S02 Episode 13

Munich and the Foothills of the Alps

This time it's quintessential Germany -- and that means Bavaria - fairytale castles, the exciting city of Munich, and fun in the breathtaking Alps.

25 mins · Tue, 8 Jan 2002

S02 Episode 14

Switzerland's Jungfrau Region: Best of the Alps

If Heidi is alive, she's in this sky-high corner of the Swiss Alps, with cowbells ringing on breathtaking ridges. After settling into a traditional village where locals scythe hay by hand, we hike and bike. We blast an alphorn, get sprayed by waterfalls raging deep inside a mountain, and savor local cheese at 10,000 feet. For a finale, we ride Europe's highest railway up the mighty Jungfrau for hot cocoa, glacier sledding, and oh-wow views.

25 mins · Wed, 9 Jan 2002

Season 2

Rick Steves' Europe

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Season 2 Episodes

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