Rick Steves' Europe

What is the value of travel? Is it just hedonism...or something more powerful? Set in Europe, this special episode celebrates the rewards and joys of exploring our world.

Venturing beyond Europe, and with local experts as his guides, Rick uses Ethiopia as a classroom for understanding global hunger and extreme poverty - and how to beat it.

Exploring the Nile Valley from north to south, we see the highlights of Egypt, from fabled Alexandria, to the pharaohs' tombs and temples at Luxor, to the temple at Abu Simbel.

Cairo, Egypt, pulses with energy. We drop in on a mosque, haggle with eager merchants, marvel at King Tut's gold, greet the ancient Sphinx, and climb into the center of a pyramid.

Traveling across Germany, we learn how fascism rose and then fell - and how we can recognize that hateful ideology as well as the tricks of wannabe dictators in our own age.

After exploring Lyon, we head for the French Alps. We'll make some high-altitude cheese, ride the lift to Aiguille du Midi, and hike the Tour du Mont Blanc.

Lacing together dramatic mountains with scenic train rides, breathtaking lifts, and unforgettable hikes, we savor Switzerland's jaw-dropping alpine beauty and its rich culture.

In the Alps of Austria and Italy, we conquer the Zugspitze, visit Innsbruck, tour a medieval castle, hike to Europe's largest alpine meadow, and experience Tyrolean folk culture.