Rick Steves is one of the most respected names in travel, selling thousands of books, as well as starring in a popular PBS-TV travel series about his travels through Europe.
And now you can enjoy his expertise at no cost with these free podcasts of some of his favorite attractions in Rome, Florence and Venice, Italy, along with Paris, France.
A List of Available Self-Guided Tour Podcasts:
Florence, Italy
- Accademia & Michelangelo’s David
- Renaissance Walk
- Uffizi Gallery
Rome, Italy
- The Colosseum
- The Pantheon
- Roman Forum
- Sistine Chapel
- St. Peter’s Basilica
Venice, Italy
- Frari Church
- The Grand Canal Cruise
- St Mark’s Square and Basilica
Paris, France
- The Louvre
- The Orsay
- Versailles Palace
- Historic Paris
Why You Should Use These Free Tours
Each of the tours features Steves himself offering commentary and inside tips for each of the attractions in a verbal flow that makes you feel like you’re actually there with him, walking among the centuries old buildings.
To help with the visuals, each podcast also has a free downloadable map of the attraction. Use them to acquaint yourself with the attraction before you even visit, then bring them along with you to keep yourself on track as you follow the podcast tours.
All of the tours and maps are sponsored by American Airlines, so you may have to wade through a bit of advertising and logos, but you can’t find better self-guided tours of these iconic attractions for free.
To download your copies, simply visit Rick Steves’ website or iTunes.
Additional Free Material From Rick Steves
It should be noted that other free travel information can be downloaded from Steves’ website, such as his .pdf guide to Eurail passes, and tips for packing and other traveler must-knows. You can also sign up for his free newsletters online, which offer interesting tidbits about Steves’ travels in between plugs for his guidebooks and other endorsed products.
For those who happen to be in the Seattle area, Steves even offers classes for travelers ranging from learning languages to digital travel photography to European highlights at the ETBD Center in Edmunds, WA. Classes are about an hour and a half and are free, though they do require pre-registration as class sizes are limited. Not all classes are taught by Steves, but all other teachers are hand-picked and trained by Steves. More information, including a current list of classes can be found at Steves’ website.
Have you used any of Rick Steves travel materials, like his guidebooks, or watched his TV show? Please leave a comment as to what you think of him or his free material.
Michelle Snow - Michelle Snow been a freelance journalist and photographer for over twenty years, specializing in travel and entertainment. She got her ...
Join the Conversation