Rick Steves' Europe - Season 8

The streets of ancient Ephesus; natural spa at Pamukkale; lunch in a Turkish pizzeria; cruising the Mediterranean on a traditional Turkish gulet.

Touring four castles -- Chenonceau, Chambord, Cheverny and Villandry; feeding hunting dogs; local cuisine; a princely garden.

Exploring Versailles; Vaux le Vicomte; Fontainebleau; the glass and statuary of Chartres cathedral.

We start in Jerusalem, alive with religious tradition and passion — Christian, Muslim, and Jewish. We then visit cosmopolitan Tel Aviv, with its in-love-with-life beaches; ponder the sad fortress of Masada; and join pilgrims at biblical sights around the Sea of Galilee. We'll also pay our respects at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, drop into an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, and savor the local cuisine.

This time we're venturing beyond Europe to visit the West Bank of the Jordan River — a land its residents call Palestine. After visiting Jerusalem, we harvest olives near Ramallah, follow pilgrims to the site of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, approach Abraham's tomb — as both Jews and Muslims do — in Hebron, join friends for dinner, and bob in the Dead Sea. We'll also learn about walls, Israeli settlements, and the challenges facing this region.

Five port towns along the Italian Riviera include Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore, Monterosso.

The sights outside of Amsterdam, from Haarlem to Rotterdam and Delft to the Zuiderzee.

Prague's massive castle, statue-lined bridge, Jewish Quarter and 20th-century history.

A reunited Berlin entertains more visitors than ever before.