Travel documentaries

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Travel shows on BBC Select inspire exploration, adventure, and cultural immersion and transport you to captivating destinations around the world. Our selection of travel documentaries feature tour guides such as Joanna Lumley, Alexander Armstrong and Bettany Hughes and offer glimpses into incredible landscapes and lesser known gems across the globe. Embark on journeys across Europe, Asia and more with our collection of travel series and films.

Italy's Invisible Cities

Watch Italy's Invisible Cities

Three-part BBC documentary series that uses cutting-edge technology and 3D scanners to uncover the hidden treasures that lie beneath Naples, Venice and Florence. Join Dr Michael Scott and Alexander Armstrong as they discover hidden tunnels, historic passageways and even long-forgotten torture chambers.

Joanna Lumley in the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon

Watch Joanna Lumley in the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon

Bhutan, the beautiful land-locked nation in the Eastern Himalayas, has always been steeped in mystery.

In this revealing BBC travel documentary, Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley retraces the steps her grandparents took in the country 60 years before. Through her eyes, a world that challenges accepted ideas of wealth and happiness is explored.

But what family secrets will Joanna uncover?

Joanna Lumley’s Great Cities of the World

Join Joanna Lumley in this enjoyable 3-part travel series as she explores Berlin, Paris and Rome and discovers cities full of culture and intrigue.

From the Notre-Dame to Trevi Fountain and Sistine Chapel, Joanna visits the famous landmarks but also meets the people that make these incredible cities what they are today. There’s a photographer who captured life in Soviet-controlled East Berlin, a holocaust survivor, a former refugee who became an inner-city beekeeper and Rome’s famous paparazzo.

The Art of Gothic

Watch The Art of Gothic on BBC Select

This BBC Select art history documentary spends some time down in the dungeon as it delves into the world of the Gothic.

Acclaimed art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon explores how a group of 19th-century architects and artists spurned the modern age and turned to Britain’s medieval past to create iconic works and buildings with a distinctly creepy edge.

But what attracted them to the dark side?

The Silk Road

Stream The Silk Road on BBC Select

Covering 5,000 miles, passing through 13 countries and crossing some of the most dramatic landscapes on the planet, this is the fascinating story of the lucrative trade route which changed the course of civilization forever.

In this extraordinary BBC Silk Road documentary series, Dr Sam Willis explores how the fortunes, ideas and history of the West were shaped and exchanged by travelers from the East.