This week on the Travel with Rick Steves radio show: Christmas is a little different across the pond — where Santas dwell on farms or in the woods, festively decorated boats stand in for sleighs, and fermented trout is a must-try treat. Learn about holiday traditions observed in France, Norway, Greece, London, the Spanish Basque Country, and small-town Italy, as a slate of Rick's guides share their customs and memories of this festive season. Find your local station, subscribe to the podcast, or

Watch Now: Monday Night Travel — Celebrate a European Easter with Rick Steves Last night, 7,000 households joined my big Monday Night Travel Easter extravaganza — and together, we went behind the scenes to Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, and the Vatican City for celebrations spanning the entire season. From colorful Carnival festivities to the dramatic rituals, family-filled feasts, and sacred gatherings of Holy Week — our intimate tour was filled with Europe’s many Easter tradition

Christmas is almost here! Over the next two weeks, I’ll be sharing clips, extras, and behind-the-scenes notes from my one-hour special, “Rick Steves’ European Christmas.” The tour guide in me was determined to cover the biblical story of Christmas in this special, while also explaining related holidays and traditions and meeting the locals. We learn about Epiphany, Advent wreaths, the origin of St. Nicholas, the pagan roots of so many Christian traditions, and all those fascinating cultural diff