Smart Travels with Rudy Maxa Season 2

While Athens sprawls, its historic core survives. After climbing the majestic Acropolis, rowing the Plaka, and cheering Greece's best folk dancers, we take some easy trips outside the city. Take a pilgrimage to the location where the famed Oracle of Delphi provided guidance and cryptic predictions, and visit the epic ruins of King Agamemnon in the ancient capital of Mycenae.

On the Greek Islands we get familiar with the ferries as we island-hop the Aegean. Sun-drenched, upscale and exotic, Santorini sits on the rim of an ancient, but still active, volcano. At one end of the island, the archaeological site at Akrotiri uncovers a city frozen in time by the volcano's eruption 3,600 years ago.

From Nice to St. Tropez, we drop in on the hot spots along the Mediterranean's famous Cote d'Azur. Based in lively Nice, we visit the local beaches and superb modern art museums featuring works by Matisse, Picasso and Signac. Monaco, Cannes, and St. Tropez await.

The Burgundy region boasts top French wines, romantic canals, Romanesque churches, and some of France's most renowned cuisine. We base in the small town of Beaune and learn about its history of exceptional wine-making. Add a wondrous hot-air balloon ride over the verdant Loire Valley to the itinerary too.

With world-class cultural sites, dynamic new architecture and unstoppable energy, Berlin is a city on the move. We visit the museums - the ancient treasures of the Pergamon and the Egyptian museum, German Expressionism at the Neue Nationalgalerie and the newly designed Jewish Museum.

Munich's lively Marienplatz pulses with outdoor cafes, shoppers, street musicians and happy tourists. At the famous Hofbrauhaus, we sample Bavarian beer and kick up our heels with Schuhplattler dancers clad in lederhosen. Next stop is the Residenz, the family palace built by the Wittlesbachs, who ruled Bavaria for more than 700 years.

In musical Salzburg, we focus on Austria's easy approach to life. We visit the city's grand cathedral, take a funicular up to Europe's greatest medieval fortress, and shop along fine Baroque streets reminiscent of Mozart's time. We visit the house where the young Amadeus was born and where he composed his first masterpiece.

Habsburg palaces, coffee houses, Strauss waltzes...all are symbolic of Vienna. Visiting elegant Schönbrunn Palace, riding in carriages, sampling luscious apple strudel and listening to Mozart concerts, we see that Austria's capital still lives its elegant, proud past.

Milan symbolizes the powerhouse Italy of the 21st century--a European center for finance and fashion. We explore Italy's most extravagantly decorated Gothic cathedral, look at Leonardo da Vinci's famous Last Supper and shop, shop, shop. A visit to the Milan Design Museum shows how, for the Milanese, everyday life is art

We wend our way across this largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Once the hub of the ancient world, Sicily offers up a vibrant, sun-soaked brew of history, tradition, and intense cultural pride. A climb up Mount Etna for its unearthly views will delight.

Here's where we pull together some of Europe's most rewarding sites from the classical world. Ancient Greek and Roman remnants are more than cold stone. They hold centuries of stories. So we revisit some favorite classical sites around the Mediterranean, pick up some new stories and see what kinds of connections we can make.

Travelers adore Italy, and Italy adores the Renaissance. In this historical half-hour, we follow Western Europe's transition from medieval to modern times by exploring the arts and ambiance of this vibrant period of human history that turned our imaginations towards greater purpose.

A key attraction of travel on any continent, including Europe, is that 30 minutes outside any city exists a getaway unlike any you will find on the globe. Truly unique locations that resonate with history and significance. Here, we explore a few such places.