Rick Steves' Europe

In this third of three travel skills episodes, we'll visit the Swiss Alps, Paris, and London while covering tips for finding hotels, using transit, and selecting restaurants.

In this second of three shows focusing on travel skills, we'll visit Venice, Siena, and the Cinque Terre in Italy to learn about trip planning, packing, safety, and - perhaps the most rewarding skill of all - connecting with the locals.

In this first of three shows focusing on European travel skills, we'll visit the Netherlands and Germany to learn about transportation by train and car, changing money, and settling in upon arrival.

We'll start with a cruise through Venice's lagoon, pausing to savor fresh fish canal-side. Then we'll sample the treasures of the Accademia Gallery, explore some back-street wonders, and luxuriate in a venerable café on St. Mark's Square.

In Venice, we'll sample the splendor of the Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Basilica, Grand Canal, and masterpieces from the Venetian Renaissance - then take a glide on a gondola.

Hiking through the Cumbrian Lake District, we'll admire idyllic lakes, discover misty waterfalls, tour a slate mine, and climb up to a stony summit. Then we'll play some cricket, hike Hadrian's Wall, and be dazzled by Durham's cathedral.

In London, we'll ponder royal tombs in Westminster Abbey, discover treasures in the British Library, enjoy the vibrant evening scene in Soho, uncover Churchill's secret WWII headquarters, and straddle the Prime Meridian at Greenwich.

We'll ride a unicorn into the Middle Ages at Paris' Cluny Museum, get a heavenly look at stained glass in Sainte-Chapelle, go on a tombstone pilgrimage at Père Lachaise Cemetery, and savor the Parisian café scene.

In Paris, we'll cruise the Seine River, pay a visit to Napoleon's tomb, and take in the majestic Louvre. Then we'll shop in a village-like neighborhood, attend church in a pipe organ loft, and celebrate Bastille Day.

We enjoy Renaissance art in Florence, the city that propelled Europe out of the Middle Ages. Then we visit two cultural capitals in their own right: Pisa, where we'll marvel at a tipsy tower; and Lucca, where we'll celebrate Puccini.

In Florence, we'll revel in the genius of Michelangelo and Botticelli, climb the dome that kicked off the Renaissance, and cross the Arno to take in modern-day artisan life.

We explore Rome on a more intimate scale - dodging Vespas in Trastevere, roaming through the historic Jewish Ghetto, and enjoying art treasures in a string of rarely visited churches to uncover the charms of hidden Rome.

This second of three shows on Rome reveals a city busy with life and bursting with Baroque.

Focusing on the grandeur of classical Rome, we'll marvel at the Colosseum, Pantheon, and Capitoline Museum before heading out on a bike ride along the ancient Appian Way.