rick steves tours northern ireland

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Destination: Ireland

The book of kells — christ enthroned.

For me, one of the great joys of travel is having in-person encounters with great art — which I’ve collected in a book called Europe’s Top 100 Masterpieces . Here’s one of my favorites:

Jesus Christ sits on a throne and solemnly cradles something very important — a book, the holy word of God. He has a lush head of curly flaxen hair and a thoughtful expression. Seated under an arch, he’s surrounded by a labyrinth of colorful, intricately woven designs.

This illustration from an old Bible tells the story of Jesus. This particular drawing came right at the point in the story (Matthew 1:18) where this heavenly Jesus was about to be born as a humble mortal on earth.

It’s just one page of the remarkable 1,200-year-old gospels known as the Book of Kells. Perhaps the finest piece of art from the so-called Dark Ages, this book is a rare artifact from that troubled time.

It’s the year 800. The Roman empire has crumbled, leaving Europe in chaos. Vikings were raping and pillaging. The Christian faith — officially embraced during the last years of the empire — was now faltering, as Europe was reverting to its pagan and illiterate ways. Amid the turmoil, on the remote fringes of Europe, lived a band of scholarly Irish monks dedicated to tending the embers of civilization.

These monks toiled to preserve the word of God in the Book of Kells. They slaughtered 185 calves and dried the skins to make 680 cream-colored pages called vellum. Then the tonsured monks picked up their swan-quill pens and went to work. They meticulously wrote out the words in Latin, ornamented the letters with elaborate curlicues, and interspersed the text with full-page illustrations — creating this “illuminated” manuscript. The project was interrupted in 806 when Vikings savagely pillaged the monastery and killed 68 monks. But the survivors fled to the Abbey of Kells (near Dublin) and finished their precious Bible.

Christ Enthroned is just one page — 1/680 th — of this wondrous book. On closer inspection, the page’s incredible detail-work comes alive. To either side of Christ are two mysterious men holding robes, and two grotesque-looking angels, with their wings folded in front. Flanking Christ’s head are peacocks (symbols of Christ’s resurrection), with their feet tangled in vines (symbols of his Israelite roots). Admittedly, Christ is not terribly realistic: He poses stiffly, like a Byzantine icon, with almond eyes, weirdly placed ears, and E.T. fingers.

The true beauty lies in the intricate designs. It’s a jungle of spirals, swirls, and intertwined snakes — yes, those are snakes, with their little heads emerging here and there. The monks mixed Christian symbols (the cross, peacock, vines) with pagan Celtic motifs of the world around them (circles, spirals, and interwoven patterns). It’s all done in vivid colors — blue, purple, red, green, yellow, and black — meticulously etched with a quill pen. Of the book’s 680 pages, only two have no decoration.

As Christianity regained its footing in Europe, monasteries everywhere began creating similar monk-uscripts — though few as sumptuous as the Book of Kells. In 1455, Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press, books became mass-produced…and thousands of monks were freed from being the scribes of civilization.

Daily Dose of Europe: Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula — The Next Parish Over Is Boston 

Spending St. Patrick’s Day stuck in my house makes me very nostalgic for many wonderful visits to Ireland. And one of my favorite corners of the Emerald Isle is the dreamy Dingle Peninsula.

Because of the coronavirus, Europe is effectively off-limits to American travelers for the next few weeks (and likely longer). But travel dreams are immune to any virus. During these challenging times, I believe a daily dose of travel dreaming can actually be good medicine. Here’s another one of my very favorite travel dreams-come-true…a reminder of what’s waiting for you in Europe on the other end of this crisis.

I once met an elfish, black-clad old man in the little town of Ventry, on Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula. When I asked if he was born here, he paused, breathed deeply, and said, “No, ’twas about five miles down the road.”

I asked him if he had lived here all his life.

He answered, “Not yet.”

When I told him where I was from, a faraway smile filled his eyes as he looked out to sea and muttered, “Aye, the shores of Americay.”

Dingle Peninsula gives the traveler Ireland in the extreme. It feels so traditionally Irish because it’s part of a Gaeltacht, a region where the government subsidizes the survival of the Irish language and culture. While English is everywhere, the signs, songs, and chitchat are in Gaelic. This sparse but lush peninsula marks the westernmost point in Ireland. Residents are fond of gazing out at the Atlantic and saying with a sigh, “Ahh, the next parish over is Boston.”

Fishing once dominated Dingle, but tourists and moviemakers are well onto the region now. Several films feature the peninsula, including  Ryan’s Daughter  and  Far and Away . Its offshore islands were the hideout of an aging Luke Skywalker in the most recent Star Wars trilogy. What had been a trickle of visitors has surged into a flood as word of Dingle’s musical, historical, gastronomical, and scenic charms spread.

About 30 miles around, the peninsula is just the right size for a daylong driving or cycling tour. Hopping on a bike, I assess the gathering storm clouds and zip up my parka. In Ireland, good and bad weather blow by in a steady meteorological parade. A little rain will just add to the experience. Circling these roads is like a trip through an open-air museum. The landscape is littered with a half-million sheep and dozens of monuments left behind by Bronze Age settlers, Dark Age monks, English landlords, and even Hollywood directors.

In the darkest depths of the Dark Ages, when literate life almost died in Europe, peace-loving, scholarly monks fled the chaos of the Continent and its barbarian raids. Sailing to this drizzly fringe of the known world, they lived out their monastic lives in lonely stone igloos or “beehive huts” that I pass on my ride.

Rounding Slea Head, the point in Europe closest to America, the rugged coastline offers smashing views of deadly black-rock cliffs. The crashing surf races in like white stallions.

I ponder the highest fields, untouched since the planting of 1845, when the potatoes rotted in the ground. The vertical ridges of those bleak potato beds are still visible — a barren and godforsaken place. That year’s Great Potato Famine eventually, through starvation or emigration, cut Ireland’s population by a quarter.

I stop to explore the Gallarus Oratory, a stone chapel dating from AD 700 that’s one of Ireland’s best-preserved early Christian monuments. Its shape is reminiscent of an upturned boat. Finding shelter inside as a furious wind hurls rain against its walls, I imagine 13 centuries of travelers and pilgrims standing where I am, also thankful for these watertight dry-stone walls.

When the squall blows over, I continue up the rugged one-lane road from the oratory to the crest of the hill, then coast back into Dingle town — hungry, thirsty, and ready for a pub crawl.

Of the peninsula’s 10,000 residents, 1,500 live in Dingle town. Its few streets, lined with ramshackle but gaily painted shops and pubs, run up from a rain-stung harbor. During the day, teenagers — already working on ruddy beer-glow cheeks — roll kegs up the streets and into the pubs in preparation for another tin-whistle music night. “Pub” is short for “public house.” A convivial mix of good  craic  (that’s the art of conversation, pronounced “crack”) and local beer on tap complements the music. People are there to have a good time and visitors from far away are considered a plus.

In Dingle, there’s live music most nights in half a dozen pubs. There’s never a cover charge. Just buy a beer and make yourself at home. The Small Bridge Bar and O’Flaherty’s are the most famous for their atmosphere and devotion to traditional Irish music. But tonight — and most nights — I make a point to wander the town and follow my ears. Traditional music is alive and popular in Ireland. A “session” is when musical friends (and strangers who become friends) gather and jam. There’s generally a fiddle, flute or tin whistle, guitar,  bodhrán  (goat-skin drum), and maybe an accordion.

I follow the music into a pub and order a pint. The music churns intensely, the group joyfully raising each other up one at a time with solos. Sipping from their mugs, they skillfully maintain a faint but steady buzz. The drummer dodges the fiddler’s playful bow. The floor on the musicians’ platform is stomped paint-free and barmaids scurry through the commotion, gathering towers of empty, cream-crusted glasses. With knees up and heads down, the music goes round and round. Making myself right at home, I “play the boot” (tap my foot) under the table in time with the music. When the chemistry is right, live music in a pub is one of the great Irish experiences.

The Irish like to say that in a pub, you’re a guest on your first night; after that, you’re a regular. That’s certainly true in Dingle…the next parish over from Boston.

(This story is excerpted from my upcoming book, For the Love of Europe — collecting 100 of my favorite memories from a lifetime of European travel, coming out in July. It’s available for pre-order .)

My Favorite Writers? Other Travelers

Who are my favorite writers? Other travelers. Just regular people who become great writers by traveling well and sharing their feelings and discoveries thoughtfully.

I’m home for a week before continuing my 2019 travels, and I’ve been catching up on my mail. I’ve been inspired by many of the emails I’ve read, such as this one from Don, who shared how — even when he found himself in a tourist trap — he was able to dig deep and connect with the locals. Thanks for the trip report, Don. Keep on travelin’.

Hiya Rick, wherever you are. I am ten days and many pints in on a 30-day tour of Ireland, with no car (never learned to drive) and nothing but your guidebook to lead me. So far it’s been great following your advice…Dublin, Kilkenny, Cashel, Kinsale, (all surprisingly easy to connect without a car). But now I find myself spending a night in Killarney–for which your book offers the sorry traveler who lands there no tips and only pity. Believe me, it was out of necessity. And as I looked for a pub this evening I thought, “Oh, I see what Rick means”. Even though Kinsale was totally overrun with Yanks, it was nothing like this. If Disneyland had an Ireland, it would be modelled on Killarney. Okay…what to do? I’ve been to John Cleere’s Pub in Kilkenny and I’m headed for Dingel next, so I don’t need live music. I veer off to the side streets in search of somwhere real and decided to trade music for sports. First pub I find that fits the bill is called Dan Linehan’s. Sure enough, here’s where the locals are. You know you’re in the right place when there are betting slips on the bar, next to the beer mats. Kids next to me say hi and before you know it one tells the tender, “Another for us, please. And whatever the American is drinking”. After they leave I wander some more and across the road from the chippie they recommended (great chips), I sniff out another place–The Luane. It’s not packed with Americans…in fact there’s not even one. I order a pint and actually get mistaken for a local. This guy was surprised when I said, “Me? A local? I just got here this morning.”. So, my point is…even in Killarney, it’s possible for guys like us to have a good time. Just gotta find the back door. God bless, Don

A Visit to St. George’s Market, Belfast

It was a rainy day on the Emerald Isle, and I was somewhere I had never been before: St. George’s Market . Join me and my guide Jackie there now in this little clip.

Here’s how I wrote this place up for our Rick Steves Ireland guidebook :

St. George’s Market was the largest covered Victorian produce market in Ireland. Today, the farmers are gone and everyone else, it seems, has moved in. Three days a week (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, about 9:00-15:00), St. George’s Market becomes a thriving artisan, crafts and flea market with a few fish and produce stalls to round things out. With a diverse array of street food and homemade goodies added to the mix, it’s a fun place for lunch (5 blocks east of City Hall, at the corner of Oxford and East Bridge streets, tel. 028/9043-5704).

A Memorial Garden in Belfast

I have always believed that no trip to the Emerald Isle is complete without a visit to Northern Ireland. And I recently spent a few days there, after a stop in Dublin, researching the next edition of our Rick Steves Ireland guidebook .

In Belfast, I spent a fascinating 90 minutes with Tucker, a guide from Cab Tours Belfast — a taxi tour company that is made up of both Catholic and Protestant driver guides who are committed to giving unbiased, dual-narrative tours. On Bombay Street, we stopped at the Clonard Martyrs Memorial Garden. Join us there now.

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Northern Ireland

I am planning a trip to explore Northern Ireland in the fall of 2008. I will be traveling alone this time and not sure of the best way to get around. Most of the tours I have found are only partly in Northern Ireland. Can I do this without renting a car? I enjoy traveling by myself but as a 58 year old female, I do prefer some structure. Any suggestions? Are the railways there a good way to get around? Thanks for any suggestions.

Dale, it would help to know exactly where you plan to visit in Northern Ireland? I was there a few months ago, and the trains seemed to be good between the major centres, however a bit sparse in the outlying areas.

If you're planning on getting to more out-of-the-way places, you'll probably have to consider Coach (slower and may not fit with your schedule as well) or rental car. Driving in Ireland can be a bit "nerve wracking" at times, and one also has to contend with parking, damage or other potential problems.

I assume from your Post that you're not really interested in a more complete tour of Ireland? Have you looked at Rick's Ireland 14 day tour? This covers mostly the south, but also several days in various parts of Northern Ireland (Portrush, with brief stops in London/Derry and Belfast).

If you could provide some further information, it would help.

In all of Ireland, buses cover the areas not served by trains. Check out the pass that combines train/bus. I bought a pass there when I visited Ireland a few years ago. It was a good deal. About 20 years ago I visited the Giants' Causeway by bus. One problem I remember is that bus service was scarce on Sundays.

I travelled through Ireland and Northern Ireland for a month with no car in 2007 and did it on my own as I am not a big fan of organized tours (but to each his own). Check the Irish rail and Bus Eireann websites for timetables to the locations you want to explore to see if the times are convenient to your schedule (especially since you are travelling in the Fall and not during the height of tourist season).

Trains are no problem between large cities and some coastal towns, otherwise, the buses fill in the gaps and are cheaper. I trained from Belfast to Portrush and based from there to explore the Antrim Coast. From Portrush, you could join a coach tour for a day or, if running in the Fall, the cheap hop-on/hop-off shuttle that loops between Dunluce Castle, Giant's Causeway and the Old Bushmills Distillery. I then took a train from Portrush to Derry.

But if you are very tight on time, a structured coach tour will probably whiz you through the sights quicker.

Thanks for such good information. I am thinking that maybe 1 week might be long enough to see the "best" of Northern Ireland. I think I might do a week also in the Cork / Killarney etc. area. I would love to see Killarney National Park.

Seems like buses and some trains would get me around Northern Ireland ok and maybe stay at 3 different B & B's around the area. Any suggestions as to the areas I might want to use as my "home" points?

Thanks again for your help.

I spent a week in No. Ire. summer of 2007. I rented a car and was very glad that I did. Although you could probably see much via train and bus, I think you would be much better off with a car. Much of No. Ireland is rural and public trans is limited because of that. That is, pub trans might get you to the town, but you might still need to walk a long way to see what you want.

And I am a 60 yr old female.

Jo, thanks for your input. My only hesitation about a car is not the crazy road signs or even the sometimes tricky driving but that I can't drive a manual transmission :( Automatic cars approx $500 for 2 weeks. Have to really think about that.

p.s. I used to live in Vegas....great town!

Dear Dale: I did a trip in Northern Ireland all by rail/bus and to be honest, it wasn't the best, but it is doable. the one thing you should see in Northern Ireland is the Giant's Causeway, but I would not stay in the nearby town of Portrush. You can actually stay in Bushmills which is closer and from what I could tell, was much prettier. I was in Portrush off season and it was a ghost town.

You can take a train from Dublin to Belfast to the Antrim Coast, and then you can rent a taxi to take you to the Causeway or you can take a bus. If you plan however to go from Northern Ireland to Ireland, please email me directly, because the public transportation can be tricky.

also I HIGHLY recommend Cork and the surrounding areas. I stayed at the most amazing B&B in Cork City where I had the best breakfast of my life--at the GARNISH HOUSE.

Near Bushmills we stayed 3 nights in 2005 with Valarie at Valley View Country House. Very fiendly and comfortable. Nearby Giant's Causeway is extraordinary. www.valleyviewbushmills.com

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Dare to Disobey Rick Steves in Northern Ireland, An Alternative Itinerary

I’m often leery of the “must see” tourist sites in any cool place. I can say NO to Pier 39 in San Francisco, Times Square in New York City or Bocas Town in Buenos Aires. I know what I want and my contrarian attitude allows me to carefully choose how I spend my time while traveling. So I did just that on a recent trip and found myself disobeying the Rick Steves Northern Ireland guide.

I’ve also disobeyed Rick Steves in London , Edinburgh  and Madrid . Having said that, I must throw props to Rick. His guide books are thoughtful, well researched and offer a lot for the budget minded traveler. I do use them and so should you. But they aren’t a holy text and you should feel free to disobey Rick Steves’ advice when it suits you.

Rick Steves Northern Ireland Suggestions

Rick Steves uses a system of triangles to rate and prioritize sightseeing. ▲▲▲ for must see sights, ▲▲  for pretty great sites, ▲ for kinda great sites and naught but a mention for others. He combines Northern Ireland into his Ireland guidebook. Which, while practical from a geographical standpoint, is a bit of a disconnect geopolitically. The books do give background on the history of British Northern Ireland as well as the sectarian struggles. But more ink is given to Ireland than Northern Ireland in the guidebooks.

For the Irish Isles collectively, he reserves the ▲▲▲’s for sites in Ireland and rates Belfast (▲▲), the Antrim coast (▲▲) and Derry (▲) somewhat lower. The guide for Rick Steves in Northern Ireland calls out the following sites as worth a visit:

• Belfast : Titanic Belfast, Sectarian Belfast (Falls road/Shankill road) Belfast City Hall and Ulster Folk Museum.
• Antrim Coast : Giants Causeway Bushmills Distillery and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.
• Londonderry : Derry wall walk, Derry Bogside murals and Tower Museum Derry.

(This article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase, I’ll make a small commission.)

Disobeying Rick Steves in Belfast

Belfast is a small city and is a bit thin on sites. Rick and I agree that 1-1/2 days ought to do it.

Titanic Belfast

I don’t get it. The ship sank on its maiden voyage. Why is there a giant museum dedicated to a failed ship design? Unless you are a ship geek, you had a distant relative die aboard or you have the hots for Leonardo DiCaprio, think hard about whether you have time for it.

Sectarian Belfast

Now, here’s is where Rick and I do agree. The sectarian murals were my primary reason for visiting Northern Ireland. Rick recommends a black cab tour and I concur. The neighborhoods are tricky to walk and some of the murals will be difficult to find if you don’t know where to look.

The tour surprised me. I thought that I was going to see some interesting, historical murals…and I did. But the murals don’t chronicle ancient history, or even recent history, it feels more like yesterday’s history. The wounds are still fresh and the gates separating the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods still close at night.

Check out this post on the Belfast Murals for inspiration. You can check out reviews of the various black cab tour providers on Trip Advisor or book a tour here .

Downtown Belfast

Rick recommends City Hall and it is indeed interesting. The building has some historical murals selling its own version of Northern Irish history. But there is a more modern side to Belfast that you can see by wondering downtown by St. Anne’s Cathedral.

Have your black cab driver drop you at the Cathedral and wander the quadrant south of the church between Talbot, Waring and Hill streets. There you will find yet more street art that is edgy and political but not so sectarian. Grab lunch in one of the many cafes or pubs in the neighborhood.

Some fun pubs in Belfast include the Perch, Kelly’s Cellar and the Duke of York.

Read also: The Best 2-day Antrim Coast Road Trip For Game of Thrones Sites and Giant’s Causeway

Disobeying Rick on the Antrim Coast

You can “do” the trifecta of Giant’s Causeway, Bushmills Distillery and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge as a 1-day bus tour from Belfast…but don’t . The Antrim coastline will better reveal itself to you if you get your own car and take it more slowly.

Bushmills Distillery

Do you like whisky? Because if not, then why go to Bushmills? And even if you do like whiskey, you can get your fix by exploring some of the better bars in Belfast like the Merchant Hotel, Henry’s Bar or The Friend at Hand (which also has a mini-museum). They offer a wide selection of Irish whiskeys and local gins and the bartenders will be happy to help you geek out on craft booze while getting you buzzed.

Giant’s Causeway

Rick and I are back in agreement regarding Giant’s Causeway. The hexagonal basalt rocks that characterize the coastline have a weird symmetry that defy the imagination.

The visitor’s center and parking lot are only open from 9a-7p. But the causeway itself is open dawn to dusk. So if you are visiting in the summer, it leaves a lot of daylight during which you can visit the causeway sans the tourist hoards.

We chose to spend the night at the Carnside B&B (reviews and book at Trip Advisor or Booking.com ) because it’s walking distance to the causeway. We awoke early, walked down and had the site largely to ourselves.

Whitepark Bay

By happy accident, we randomly pulled over into the parking lot for Whitepark bay. We walked down to the water, dodged beachcombing cows and watched the storm clouds fight the sunlight for space in the sky. As with Giant’s Causeway, we had the place largely to ourselves (if you don’t count the cows) and it was a blissful beach walk. This sort of happystance won’t happen on any bus tour.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Despite my contrarian urge to skip what sounded to me like a tourist trap, we went to the rope bridge. It is set on a beautiful stretch of coastline and it offers great sea views.  The bridge isn’t as scary as it sounds and no one could realistically call transiting the bridge “adventure travel.” It gets busy there so, again, you’ll have the advantage with a car. That way you can go early or late and beat the tour buses.

Dunluce Castle

Dunluce Castle is located just a few miles south of the town of Bushmills. So if you disobey me and go to the distillery, then you should also make the detour to Dunluce. Rick only gives it one triangle but I give it two. The castle has been standing for seven centuries and a visit there will give you a good overview of the medieval history of the area. And the coastal views south of the castle ore not to be missed.

Game of Thrones sites

I guess that Rick Steves’ Northern Ireland is a land where history and geography trump pop culture. I say this because the guide doesn’t prioritize the many Game of Thrones filming sites in the area. But the Northern Ireland tourist bureau  is all over it.

They have both a physical map (available at the airport) as well as an app  that will guide you to some of the many filming sites for Game of Thrones in Northern Ireland. I’m more a fan of the books  than the HBO series. But even then, by making a scavenger hunt of finding the sites, we were able to explore some corners of the Antrim coast that would have otherwise escaped us.

Read More : Take a more in-depth tour of the Antrim coast by checking out the Antrim Coast Road Trip and get tips for how to survive driving in Ireland .

Score a deal on your rental car by using this link to compare pricing.

Keen to Disobey Rick Steves?

Maybe I didn’t completely disobey Rick Steves in Northern Ireland. I did visit some of his suggested sites and loved them. But by getting a car and crafting my own itinerary, I was able to see more street art and more coastline than I would have seen had I had strictly adhered to the “must see” sites. I suggest that you do the same.

If you are also keen to disobey Rick Steves in Northern Ireland, you should start first by getting the Rick Steves guide to Ireland . Review his suggestions (and mine) and then make up your own mind about how to craft your perfect itinerary. Have fun and happy travels.

If you are also visiting Ireland, check out the following resources

• A 7-10 day Ireland road trip itinerary .
• Tips for planning a trip to Ireland .
• These two different one-day itineraries for Dublin .
• This literary tour of Dublin and also this list of awesome bookshops in Dublin .
• This road trip from Galway to Connemara .

Share Northern Ireland with your friends and Pin this Post!

Read also: 23 No Holds Barred Ireland Travel Tips to Help You Crush Your Trip

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Moya McBride

Saturday 18th of August 2018

That’s definitely not the Dark Hedges, I’m not surprised you liked White Park Bay, but should have gone on to Benone Strand. The Mournes are worth seeing, and Strangford Lough. As for the sectarian Belfast tour, as a Northern Irish woman, it’s time to leave it in the past.

Carol Guttery

Tuesday 21st of August 2018

I know- I was near...but not quite on the right road for the Dark Hedges...oops. I heard that the peace wall will be coming down. I hope that's the case.

Thursday 8th of June 2017

Great points! I have often found "must see" places to be disappointing and/or irrelevant. Guide books are a great help to tourists - and I am a big Rick Steves fan - but they are not the be all and end all for traveling. Do what interests you and you're bound to be satisfied with your experience!

Monday 31st of October 2016

Beautiful itinerary, saving and pinning it. Love the idea of a scavenger hunt of the sites where Game of Thrones was filmed.

Wednesday 2nd of November 2016

Thanks- it makes a fun ride. And tricky too- to be honest, I'm not sure I was actually in the right place for the Dark Hedges. It's not like they have a billboard. You just have to go...and then figure it out as you go along

iandangerfield

Sunday 30th of October 2016

Love this list! I also love the title, it caught my eye.

Mike Cotton (@MikeCjourno)

It's a brave traveller who'd dare go against Rick's advice ;) But, saying that, using an expert such as Mr Steves is a great start but it's always fun to deviate from a set itinerary and create your own.

I agree. I'm super brave :)

Travel Expert Rick Steves' Top Tier Travel Tips

F or decades, travel writer, activist, and TV/radio personality Rick Steves has carried his love of travel through homes all over the world. Having fallen in love with travel as a child, Steves' tenacity for the world is up there with that of the late, great Anthony Bourdain. In that time, Steves has doled out quite a few pieces of golden travel advice .

Some of these pieces of advice may seem obvious or simple, but often, those are the tried and true bits of learned experience. Making travel more efficient, easy-going, and simpler isn't always an action-packed endeavor, after all. Now, thanks to the beauty of the internet, a lot of things like booking tours in advance are easily done. Alas, some tasks like packing light take finesse and experience — and oftentimes a bunch of handy luggage cubes. Either way, here are our favorite travel tips from traveler extraordinaire Rick Steves.

Read more: The Complete Guide To Packing Light

This advice isn't unique to Rick Steves, though it is no less important — especially if you aren't a frequent traveler, the art of packing light is one that needs practice. If you're able to bring only a carry-on bag, you won't have to wait for your checked luggage, which means you can start your trip even sooner once you land.

"You'll never meet a traveler who, after five trips, brags, 'Every year, I pack heavier,'" Steves told Business Insider. "You can't travel heavy, happy, and cheap. Pick two." Steves' advice is even more prevalent if you go somewhere like many cities in Europe that are loaded with stairs around every corner. That's probably one of the myriad reasons why Steves' European tours only allow travelers to have a carry-on bag.

Also, if you pack light and leave room in your bag, it gives you some parameters for spending money at your destination. If you have a ton of room between a carry-on and a checked bag, you're more likely to overspend because you can. When you don't have a lot of luggage space, you don't have much choice unless you pay to ship it home.

Remember That Time Is Money

Budget travelers often butt up against the notion that saving a few dollars might cost them more time than spending the money. That's why Rick Steves encourages you to consider how much your time is worth in those scenarios. "Shrink and tame big European cities by hopping into the occasional taxi or using a ride-sharing service," Steves explains. "By knowing when a private ride is the best way to get somewhere, you'll save time, money, and energy."

There are a lot of times when a $15, 10-minute cab ride will save you ample time compared to the few dollars you'd save by taking a train or bus for 45 minutes. It's important to acknowledge that the more time you spend trying to get places on your trip, the less time you can spend doing things you wanted to on your vacation. You can help offset that sticker shock by setting money aside ahead of your trip for unexpected travel fees.

Plan To Avoid Needless Lines

Avoiding lines is a two-fold scenario. The easiest way to free up your excursion time is by reserving tickets or entry times online ahead of your visit to a place like The Louvre or the Vatican Museums. When these kinds of tourist-heavy locations suggest getting tickets ahead of time, they mean it. Even with those recommendations in mind, you may be surprised how few people actually buy their tickets ahead of time or make attendance reservations.

"It's not uncommon to find hour-or-more waits in ticket-buying lines and rooms packed shoulder-to-shoulder with visitors and intercontinental B.O," Rick Steves explains. "So it's up to smart tourists to do whatever is possible to minimize hassles and maximize their experience." Even if you purchase tickets ahead of time, you may have to wait in a short advanced reservations line, though it's nothing in comparison to the line of people who didn't buy ahead of time.

Try Local Accommodations Over Familiar Chains

Opting for hostels or micro hotels isn't the only way to save money on accommodations when traveling. If you decide to stay somewhere local over a major hotel chain you're familiar with, you may save some money and get a better experience in the process. Non-American hotels outside of the United States are frequently more expensive than their local counterparts because a lot of American tourists would rather have familiarity than save money.

Going local over national is highly recommended by Rick Steves. "I look for places that are clean, central, relatively quiet at night, reasonably priced, friendly, small enough to have a hands-on owner and stable staff, run with a respect for local traditions, and not listed in other guidebooks," Steves says. "If I can find a place with, say, six of these eight criteria, it's a keeper." Staying in a place that is more connected to the local culture and community is going to give you a more genuine experience of that location anyway, so you're bound to leave with a deeper understanding of the place you've visited.

Look Into Less Visited Cities

There are cities that people wait their entire lives to visit, like Paris, London, or Rome. However, there are so many other cities in those countries that can showcase other sides of the place that could save you money and bumping elbows with millions of other tourists. Why not save some money seeing a gorgeous place like Oberammergau instead of just Berlin in Germany?

"One thing I would remind people of is that, a lot of times, second cities are a good idea," Steves argued to the Seattle Times. "Everybody goes to 'the first city' of Seattle. Why not check out Tacoma? Everybody goes to Lisbon, why not check out Porto? Everybody goes to Madrid; why not check out Cordoba?" Steves' point is that the larger cities aren't more worthy of a visit than smaller ones. These "second cities" aren't lesser than their larger counterparts; they're simply either smaller, less heavily populated, or less touristed than the others.

Prioritize What You Need To See Or Do

Particularly if you are visiting a massive metropolis, you are not going to be able to see everything the city has to offer in a single trip. Even if you plan out every single second of every day (which you shouldn't do), you'll run yourself ragged before you visit every museum, site, or restaurant on your list. Once you accept that fact and prioritize what you absolutely need to see or do, you can enjoy the adventure without regret — so says Rick Steves.

"You can't see it all, especially in one trip, and that's a blessing," Steves told Business Insider. "Enjoy seeing what you can and be thankful you have important experiences left over to enjoy on your next adventure." When you free up time in your schedule, you open yourself up to the idea that you can come back. If a place truly captures your heart, having a list of things you want to return to do will make the pain of saying goodbye for now a little less painful. Plus, it'll encourage you to plan your next trip right away.

Embrace Local Cuisine

From dining where the locals eat to understanding seasonal cuisine in your destination, eating well in any given destination takes several factors into consideration. One way to do that is by visiting restaurants that don't translate the menu back to English, meaning they don't specifically cater to mostly tourists. Another way is to see what's on the menu itself beyond the text. Though specifically talking about Italy, Rick Steves' cuisine advice works on a larger travel scale as well.

"I always like to say a good traveler can go to a good restaurant and look at the menu and know where they are and what month it is by what's being served," Steves told Eater. "They will eat the local specialties and they will eat them in season." If a seasonal menu in Italy is full of root vegetables and tubers seasonally appropriate, you have a hint that the place will give you a more authentic experience.

When Eating, Make It A Family Affair

It can be difficult to decide what to eat when you're trying to sample as much local cuisine as possible. That can be difficult at a restaurant, especially if you don't eat a lot at meals or all at once. One workaround that Rick Steves suggests is eating family style and sharing food with your travel companion(s).

"Whenever possible, I order family style so I can eat my way through more of the menu," Steves told USA Today . "Sometimes, rather than getting two main courses, my travel partner and I share a little buffet of appetizers or first courses — they're filling, less expensive, and more typically local than entrees." This tapas style of eating might be uncouth in some circumstances, but who cares? If you and your travel companion share similar tastes, it only makes sense to try a little of a lot rather than attempt to eat through a ton of food on your own. Besides, it's also less wasteful since you aren't ordering more than you can eat.

Don't Get Distracted

This advice goes beyond not getting too distracted by your phone or social media-worthy photos to experience a place truly. This is about safety. Even some of the best-traveled people, like Rick Steves, are not immune to the occasional pickpocket. Whether successful or not, pickpockets target heavily touristed areas in part because of the constant chaos, crowd, and easily distracted travelers.

"Tourist attractions (especially ones that are free to see and are out in the open) and places for transportation tend to be targeted more," Steves told Inc. "Places like parks and national monuments, subways/metros or train stations, and even churches may be targets. Once, one person who was traveling in my group had her stuff stolen during Palm Sunday mass in Germany." Do yourself a favor, keep your phone close to your body, don't constantly look down, and be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Allow Room For Spontaneity

Even for the most rigid travel planners, you need to give yourself a little room for joyful surprises. If you don't over-plan your entire trip, you won't be stressed out, and you'll have time for spontaneity — which could lead to your favorite memories of the adventure. That's why one of Rick Steves' biggest pieces of advice is to leave space in your trip open for the unexpected.

"If a serendipitous opportunity presents itself, the answer has always got to be 'yes,'" he stated to Travel+Leisure . "...[Overplanning] takes away some of the joy of travel, which is letting things unfold in an unpredictable way." Without planned breaks in your itinerary, you're closing yourself off from random happenstances that could completely change your life. Take this writer's advice on this one, having been forgotten by a tour company in Ireland. Instead of going back to the hotel, they hopped onto a different bus tour that offered their two available spots. That ended up being one of the best memories of that Ireland trip.

Read the original article on Explore .

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Rick Steves Says To Always Do These Things Before Traveling

Packing your suitcase, creating an itinerary, tidying the house — travelers are all too familiar with the basics of pre-trip preparation. Still, you can easily neglect those not-so-obvious tasks due to a lack of time or memory. Preparing for a trip is often an intricate process that requires careful and timely planning. Not sure where to start? Thankfully, we have travel expert Rick Steves in our corner.

As a travel show host, founder of "Rick Steves' Europe," and seasoned traveler, Steves brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the industry. On numerous occasions, he's shared extensive tips about the ins and outs of travel preparation. Steves is particularly well-versed in international travel, as he told Forbes , "Except for two years of pandemic, I've spent 100 days a year exploring Europe every year since the mid 1970s." Planning for international travel is a different beast, and Steves has highlighted the non-negotiables of preparing for a trip abroad, too. Without further ado, let's unpack Steves' checklist essentials.

Handle health-related matters and medical needs

Unsurprisingly, according to  Rick Steves' website , getting health-related matters squared away is one of his must-do pre-travel tips . Whether a routine check-up or dental procedure, it's crucial to fit in necessary medical appointments before traveling. Additionally, make sure you have enough of your prescription medications. It's a good idea to bring the actual prescription on your trip, too.

Steves shared with The Denver Post  that international travelers should ask their health insurance provider about their coverage plan. He also advised considering  travel insurance . "This can minimize the financial risks of a vacation," he explained. Weigh the pros and cons of insurance for your particular set of circumstances. "Your potential loss varies, depending on factors such as your health, how much of your trip is prepaid, the refundability of your air ticket, and what coverage you already have (through your medical, homeowners', or renters' insurance, and/or credit card)," Steves added. The host highlighted trip cancellation and interruption insurance as his top picks.

Verify travel documents and payment cards

Rick Steves has emphasized the importance of verifying travel documents on his website. Are you renting a car on vacation? Renew your driver's license if necessary. You should also renew passports set to expire within six months of your return date. Per The Denver Post, Steves said, "You may be denied entry into certain countries if your passport will expire within three to six months of your ticketed date of return." The renewal process can take up to eight weeks, so plan accordingly. In addition, Steves advises travelers to have backup copies of travel documents as a security net. Consider bringing one passport copy and leaving one copy behind with someone trusted and reliable.

Traveling abroad comes with its own agenda, especially regarding those wallet essentials. If you're headed to another country, Steves suggests smoothing out details with your debit and credit card companies. "This will ensure that they don't decline foreign transactions. While you have them on the line, confirm your debit card's daily withdrawal limit, request an increase if you want, and ask about fees for international transactions," Steves told The Denver Post.

Make reservations to avoid long lines

While throngs of tourists can sometimes be unavoidable, pre-planning certain activities should improve sightseeing experiences. Rick Steves shared with  Travel + Leisure that he is a big proponent of booking reservations for popular sights, as this can significantly cut down wait times for travelers . If you're going to Amsterdam, for example, make reservations for the  Anne Frank House and the  Van Gogh Museum well in advance, said Steves. As he suggests on his website , a museum pass could be economical. Do you plan to visit the Paris Museum a few times? A pass should come in handy for beating lines and staying on budget.

Numerous hot spots now provide timed reservations, allowing visitors to skip standard lines. Steves told Business Insider , "Take advantage of this fast and easy alternative to standing in needless lines." Further minimize waiting by following "any good up-to-date guidebook," he added. These manuals include shifts in reservation systems and current visiting hours, making them useful for many reasons. Steves wrote on his website about trips in Europe, "Guidebooks are $20 tools for $3,000 experiences. Saving money by not buying one is penny-wise and pound-foolish."

Complete your travel tech checklist

When traveling with technology, it's best to prepare for the worst. On his website, Rick Steves encourages travelers to create a detailed list of valuable electronic devices they intend to pack. Along with photos of these devices, record serial numbers, models, and makes. In the unfortunate case of theft, this information will be crucial when filing an insurance claim or communicating with authorities.

There are several other technology-centered travel tasks to check off your to-do list. What's your move regarding Wi-Fi? Steves told The Denver Post, "If you plan to use your U.S. mobile phone in Europe, consider signing up for an international calling, text, and/or data plan, and confirm voice- and data-roaming fees." With or without service, you'll want to arrive prepared. Before your trip, download essential tools and apps like maps, transit schedules, and translators. Of course, don't forget to download your go-to entertainment programs, too.

Do some creative exploring beforehand

Beyond logistical recommendations about travel preparation, Rick Steves believes in exploring creatively to enhance your trip. When it comes to viewing artistic and cultural sights, Steves is all for getting a headstart. He recommends doing relevant research beforehand to  get the most out of museum visits . He told The Seattle Times , "I can't get you into the Prado Museum cheaper than anybody else, but if you know a little bit about art history when you go to the Prado, it's going to be much more rewarding."

As far as booking your accommodations, Steves has some sound advice. In an interview with Business Insider, the travel host relayed the value of choosing local lodging instead of big-name hotels. Not only will a unique locale give your trip an authentic feel, but it could also keep your budget in check. Steves told Forbes, "Stay in cozy local-style mom & pop accommodations (family-run guest houses, B&Bs, small simple hotels)." That extra forethought could significantly elevate your trip!

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