Rick Steves' Europe

At Oxford and Cambridge, we'll see where kings and prime ministers studied. Then we'll wander through Blenheim Palace and visit the Industrial Revolution at Ironbridge Gorge.

In Lisbon, we'll stroll waterfront and back lanes and hear some soulful fado music. Then we'll head royal to Sintra to explore its fanciful castles and ramparts with grand views.

In the heart of Portugal, we'll dance on the beach at Nazaré, marvel Batalha's abbey, revel with students in Coimbra, savor port wine, and visit Portugal's fascinating city Porto.

We'll learn how to get the most out of a cruise by planning, avoiding lines, and eating quick meals on the go. And along with the joys of cruising, we'll consider the downsides.

Island-hopping to Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhodes, we'll tour ancient ruins, sample rustic cuisine, and compare beaches. We'll also see how cruising lets you do this efficiently.

We'll cheer with the masses at Siena's Palio horse race, toss a caber at a Scottish Highland Games, don a mask for Carnevale in Venice, and celebrate Easter in Greece.

We'll celebrate Sevilla's April Fair and Bastille Day in Paris, run with the bulls in Pamplona, party at Oktoberfest, and celebrate Christmas in Nürnberg and the Swiss Alps.

We'll sing with merchants, drop in on a contessa, and join in the passeggiata. Then we'll sip wine near Mount Etna, ponder Greek and Roman relics, and relax in Taormina.

We'll dine at the fisherman's harbor in Cefalù, ponder the ancient Greeks in Siracusa, commune with monks in a Capuchin crypt, and eat our way through a classic Sicilian banquet.

We visit Glencoe, Inverness, and the Culloden battlefield, and keep our eyes peeled at Loch Ness, as we work up an appetite for modern Scottish cuisine and traditional folk music.

On the windswept Isles of Iona and Skye, we'll wander through Iron Age forts and a venerable distillery. Then we'll set sail for Orkney's 20th-century wartime harbor at Scapa Flow.

Starting in vibrantly gritty Glasgow, we'll tap into Scottish passions as we tour Stirling Castle, have a wee dram on the Speyside Whisky Trail, and watch a sheepdog demonstration.