Author: Rick Steves, Special to USA TODAY

With pilgrimages, the point is to go beyond tourism and connect more deeply with a place, a culture or a faith. Rick Steves shares several favorites.

Ireland is an isle filled with cultural and historic wonders … and lately with lots of tourists, too, prompting many sites to require reservations.

It will be some time before visitors can once again experience Pairs’ Notre Dame; however, France has plenty of other spectacular Gothic cathedrals.

There’s much more to the booming Northern Irish capital than the Titanic and the Troubles. See why you should consider a day trip from Dublin.

Be skeptical of fake officials, selfie-taking tourists behind you at the ATM and Airbnb hosts demanding wire transfers, warns Rick Steves.

Be skeptical of fake officials, selfie-taking tourists behind you at the ATM and Airbnb hosts demanding wire transfers, warns Rick Steves.

Set under a historic fortress, Tomar is a place with lots of local ambience, yet remarkably untouristed – and well worth a stop.

Paris’ Père Lachaise – final resting place of Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde – isn’t Europe’s only must-see cemetery. Rick Steves suggest a few more.

Florence offers a wide array of foodie activities and Tuscan delicacies beyond the usual Italian pizza and pasta fare –  be brave and dive in.

Rick Steves shares a few DIY tips from his own European cruise experiences: Disembark early and return late, try private tours and eat off the ship.