Favorite Links
Here are some helpful websites for European travel. Choose one of the categories below, or simply scroll down the page.
General Resources
Search engines, European news, packing, and tips from other travelers.
Practicalities
Phones, money, tourism information offices, passports and visas, translations, weather, and events.
Transportation
Transport options by car, train, bus, ferry, and plane.
Accommodations
Camping, castles, villas, apartments, convents, monastaries, home exchanges, and hostels.
Travel Savvy
Bookstores, email and electronics, packing tips, travel forums.
Special Interest
Accessible travel, backpacking, biking and hiking, cooking schools and garden tours, living abroad, seniors, students, socially responsible travel.
General Resources
- Google: The best Web search engine, and a good starting point for finding information on any topic (travel-related or otherwise)
- BBC: The best site for European news, from Britain's premier news agency; also try International Herald Tribune
- Rick Steves Graffiti Wall: Join our online message boards where travelers swap tips and tales
- Wikipedia: Exhaustive online encyclopedia edited by its users
Practicalities
- Countrycallingcodes.com: Instructions on how to dial any phone number in Europe (also see Howtocallabroad.com)
- Oanda.com: The best currency conversion tool on the Web
- Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory: Contact information for tourist offices throughout Europe
- US State Department: Foreign entry requirements (passports and visas), travel warnings, and more
- US Transportation Security Administration: The latest on rules and regulations for flights
- PROMT Translation: Helpful language translator; also try Bing Translator or Google Translate
- Weather Channel: The latest weather predictions for anywhere in the world; also see Worldclimate.com
- What's On When: Dates and details on European festivals and cultural events; also see Time Out
- US Customs and Border Protection: What you can bring home from overseas
- Electronic Embassy: Lists foreign embassies in Washington, D.C.
- Travel Guard: Short-term travel and medical insurance
Transportation
Air Travel
- Rick Steves' list of European budget airlines
- Skyscanner: Search engine for tracking down cheap flights within Europe
- Elizabeth Holmes Travel Agency: Personalized full-service travel agency
- Europe by Air: Budget flight passes to 150 cities
- Seat Guru: Guide to airline seating
- Airport Guide: Arrival information for most of Europe's airports, including how to get into the city center
- Sleeping in Airports: Budget traveler's guide to the sleeping in airports
Buses and Metro Systems
- Eurolines: Europe's most extensive bus network
- Urban Rail: Metro info for major cities
- Bus Eireann: Ireland's national bus company
- National Express: Britain's largest coach company
- Citylink: Scotland's main bus company
Driving
- Auto Europe: Car rental
- Europe by Car: Car rental and leasing
- Sixt: Car rental
Ferries and Boating
- A Ferry: Ferry connections throughout Europe; also try Your-A Guide to International Ferries
- Greek Ferries: Connections and schedules
- KD Line: Day trips on the Rhine River
Maps
- Via Michelin: Online maps for all of Europe, plus a reliable route planner with good estimates of time and distance for your journey; other good map sites include Google Maps, Mappy, and Map 24
Rail
- Rick Steves' European Rail Guide: Helpful rail information
- Deutsche Bahn: German Rail timetable, ideal for checking train schedules for anywhere in Europe
- DB Navigator: Rail schedule app for mobile devices
- Rail Fan Europe: Links to every country's own national rail website
- Rick Steves' Chunnel information: Unbiased tips on crossing the Channel
- Eurostar: Information and online booking for the Eurostar
- The Man in Seat Sixty-One: Personal website on train travel, with detailed info on sleepers
- Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane: Rail schedules for Italy
- National Rail: Rail schedules in the UK
Accommodations
Camping
- Karmabum: Camping in Europe and other budget travel info
Castles, Villas, Farms, and Apartments
- Celtic Castles: Castle and manor accommodations in the UK
- Cross Pollinate: Online booking agency representing hand-picked B&Bs and apartments in Paris, London, Rome, Florence, Venice, Barcelona, Lisbon, and Istanbul
- Your Enchanted Italy: Villas and apartments throughout Italy; also try Italyvillas.com
- Agriturismo.com: Accommodations at over 550 farms throughout Italy
- Paradores de Tourismo: Luxurious, government-sponsored, historic inns in Spain
- Pousadas de Portugal: Elegant, government-sponsored, historic inns
Convents and Monasteries
- Santa Susanna: List of convents in Italy from the American Catholic Church
- Monastery Stays: Booking service for monasteries and convents in Italy
Home Exchanges & Home Stay Programs
- Servas: A non-profit home stay network
- HomeExchange.com: Home exchanges
- International Home Exchange Network : Home rentals and exchanges
- The Friendship Force: Network of hosts welcoming travelers
- Global Freeloaders: Travelers share their homes at no charge
- Couchsurfing Project: International network of free home stays
Hostels
- Hosteling International: HI's official website
- Hostel Bookers: Find hostels, B&Bs and budget hotels
- Hostels.com: Worldwide network of private hostels
- YMCA Europe: Inexpensive accommodation for YMCA members
Hotels
- For Rick's recommended hotels, see his latest travel guidebooks
Travel Savvy
Bookstores
- Rick's Travel Store: Rick Steves guidebooks and travel gear
- Moon: Excellent Moon guides to areas that Rick doesn't cover
- Lonely Planet: Guidebooks and forums
- Wide World Books: Seattle area travel bookstore
Email and Electronics
- Google Mail: Free web-accessible email account; also try Yahoo Mail or Hotmail
- Blogger: Free blog-hosting site
- Cybercaptive: Directory of cybercafes in more than 160 countries
- RoadNews: Tips for traveling with a laptop
- Voltage Valet: Electrical converters and transformers
Packing
- Rick's Packing Tips: Including Rick's Famous Packing List and our Women's Packing List
- OneBag: Another great site for learning how to pack light
Travel Forums
- Rick Steves Graffiti Wall: Share your best travel tips
- Rick Steves Travelers Helpline: Ask your travel question
- Independent Traveler: user-submitted travel reports and tips; also try Johnny Jet, Practical Nomad, Virtual Tourist, or Trip Advisor
- Travellers Point: Travel help, blog-hosting, find old travel buddies
- Eurotrip: Budget travel advice; also try Travelzine
Special Interest
Accessible Travel
- Mobility International: Resources for travelers with disabilities
- Access-able: Resource directory for disabled travelers; also try Emerging Horizons, and Gimp on the Go
- Wheelchair-Accessible Europe: Lists hotels in Europe offering wheelchair-accessible rooms
- Sagetraveling.com: Comprehensive Accessibility Information for the European Traveler
Backpacking
- Backpack Europe: Resources and tips for backpackers
Biking, Hiking, and Skiing
- Cicerone: Reliable guides for walkers, bikers, trekkers, and climbers
- TrailDino: Links to hiking trails around the world
- Go Ski: Worldwide skiing information
Cooking Schools and Garden Tours
- Shaw Guides: Worldwide cooking school directory
- Gardenvisit.com: Worldwide garden tour directory
Family Travel
- Blog: DeliciousBaby: Debbie Dubrow shares her travel experiences and best travel advice on how to make travel with kids fun
Living Abroad
- Transitions Abroad: Living, working and studying overseas
- Escape Artist: Articles and forums on ex-pat life
- Vocalist: Busking (being a street musician) in Europe
Religious Travel
- Papal Audience: Tickets to see the Pope at the Vatican
- Santiago de Compostela: The Spanish pilgrimage route
- Sacred Destinations: Catalog of religious destinations worldwide
Seniors
- AARP Destinations: Travel guide for seniors and slow walkers
- Smarter Travel: Seniors on the Go column
- Road Scholar: Non-profit organization providing educational travel for those 55 and older
Students
- International Student Travel Confederation: Student and youth ID cards and resources
- STA Travel: Student and youth travel
- Council on International Education Exchange: Work and study abroad programs for students and teachers
- Semester at Sea: Study abroad on a ship
- IIE Passport: Study-abroad programs
Socially Responsible Travel
- Global Volunteers: Volunteer work overseas; also try Volunteers for Peace and Civil Service International
Tour Guides
- Denmark: History Tours offers guided Walking Tours in Copenhagen
- Greece: Faye Georgiou (fayegeorgiou@yahoo.gr) is the local guide for Rick Steves' tours in Athens
- Greece: Niki Vlachou, Rick Steves guide in Olympia, offers tours and transportation for cruise ship passengers from the port of Kataklolon
- Italy: Valeria Biasi, Rick Steves guide in Verona, operates aguideinverona.com
- Portugal: Cristina Quental, a local guide in Lisbon recommended in Rick Steves Portugal, operates lisbontourguides.com
- Spain: LeTango.com: Rick Steves guide Carlos Galvin leads private tours of his home city and area: Barcelona, Madrid, Segovia, and Toledo
- Turkey: SRM Travel: Rick Steves Turkey guides Lale Surmen & Tankut Aran lead tours of their home country
- Turkey: Melitour: Mehlika Seval, a former Rick Steves Turkey guide, leads her own tours in Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia
Travel Journaling
- Globejotter Tours: Rick Steves tour guide Dave Fox leads small-group tours in Asia and Africa with a creative writing theme
Women's Travel
- Journey Woman: Travel advice for women