Jetsettersblog

Popular Landing Spots For British Skiers & Snowboarders

Leading flight search engine, Skyscanner (www.Skyscanner.net), dips into its data to see where British winter sports enthusiasts are flying to this winter. Despite economic woes, European ski searches appear healthy with a small rise in flight search traffic for ski airports compared to last year. With a strong US dollar, it seems many Brits are avoiding transatlantic mountains and favouring the more local European peaks.

1. Geneva (Switzerland) – at number one by quite a long way it’s Geneva. Close to the French border (the airport even has a French sector), Geneva is an ideal landing zone for skiers and snowboarders, offering the choice of over 100 ski resorts within two hours’ drive. One of the closest is Lelex, a small resort served by 13 ski lifts, ideal for families and beginners, and at the other end of the scale – Morzine, part of Les Portes Du Soleil ski area, a huge interlinked domaine offering some 650 different pistes, served by over 200 ski lifts.

2. Nice (France) – located for good access to the ski resorts of the Southern French Alps and the Italian Alps, Nice offers access to 12 ski resorts within 3 hours’ drive. Isola 2000 is one of the best in range, rising to 2610m, offering about 50 pistes and around 120km of downhill skiing and snowboarding. Alba, about 2.5 hours from Nice is an ideal choice for beginners, a compact area which is also good for cross country skiing, boasting 52km of Nordic trails.

3. Salzburg (Austria) – located in the north of the country, Salzburg is surrounded by over 100 resorts to the south, east and west, all of which are less than 2 hours drive from the airport. Mayrhofen is one of the most famous in the area and one of the highest resorts in Austria; part of the Zillertal ski area, it offers access to 130 pistes. If you’re looking for a family ski area and need something with shorter drive times, try St Wolfgang – one of the closest ski areas to Salzburg, this small resort has 9 ski lifts as well as 30km of cross country trials.

4. Munich (Germany) – another good access point with almost 100 ski resorts within 2 hours of the airport. Choose from a great selection of Northern Austrian resorts, or for something a little different, why not visit a German ski resort? Though little known as a skiing destination, Germany has some great options; Sankt Englmar is a small ski area best suited to beginners and young families in the east of Germany – or try Grainau – one of the bigger resorts in Germany offering an impressive vertical drop of over 2000m and 44 pistes.

5. Grenoble (France) – there are over 50 ski resorts within 1.5 hours of the airport, including some of the biggest and best such as Alp d’Huez, Courchevel, La Grave, Meribel and Valmorel. For somewhere a little more secret, try Autrans - a quieter area with 16 lifts and about 18km of downhill slopes as well as 160km of cross country ski trails.

Best of the Rest:

Toulouse (France) – offers access to Pyrenean ski resorts in France, Spain and Andorra. Pas de la Casa is a firm favourite with the Brits, renowned for its excellent value and lively après ski action.

Innsbruck (Austria) – great for getting to resorts in the Tyrol region and the city of Innsbruck itself is home to Nordkette, a small ski area with slopes overlooking the city, which boasts one of the steepest runs in Europe.

Milan Bergamo (Italy) – good for Northern Italian resorts. Try Livigno, a duty free ski resort with an excellent terrain park and good off piste options, a quaint alpine town untouched by overdevelopment.

To find more cheap flights, fast – visit www.Skyscanner.net

Even if people pretend it does not apply to them, a simple fact relating to human nature is that most of us are fascinated by death, horror and the macabre. The tourism industry has reacted to this by giving us such places like the Rwanda genocide museum, the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Cambodia, museums of torture, Hitler trails, tours of the Berlin Wall and visits to Auschwitz.

Now, Warsaw has joined in the act and has started to make tours of its famous ghetto available to tourists. This is certainly not a tour for the romantic, yet opens tourists’ eyes in terms of the horrors, which went on during World War II behind the walls of the ghetto. It goes to prove that not only the gondolas of Venice and romance of Rome attract tourists. The opposite end of the emotional scale can prove just as much an attraction.

Before the war, Warsaw was the largest Jewish city in Europe. However, by the mid 1940’s, this fact was no longer valid and half of the Jews killed in the Holocaust were of Polish origin. Most associate the mass killing and horror with the concentration camps situated in places such as Auschwitz or Dachau, yet Warsaw’s ghetto was another scene of pure horror.

It seems to be quite big, yet the thought that 450.000 people were crammed behind its walls suddenly reduce its size dramatically. 100.000 people died of either starvation or disease, as depicted by the 21 current commemorative plaques with gruesome photographs.

Wartime Warsaw was a horrific city of isolation and death, especially for those in the ghetto. Some of the photographs on the trail bear memory to the 7.000 people who were burned alive during a month-long revolt. Poland’s only synagogue to survive the Nazi occupation, Nozyk synagogue, is also available for viewing en route. The whole tour has been developed by the Jewish Historical Institute in cooperation with the Warsaw City Hall.

Travel Company Brings Groups to World War II Sites on a ‘Valkyrie Movie’ Tour To Germany and Poland. Follow in the Footsteps of Claus Von Stauffenberg and His Fellow Conspirators in Their Attempt to Assassinate Hitler at the Wolf’s Lair Headquarters
Alpventures; owned and operated by Tony Cisneros (Portland, OR), offers history tours to sites depicted in the new ‘Valkyrie’ movie (starring Tom Cruise). Their 13-day Wolf’’s Lair Tour visits World War II sites throughout Poland and Berlin, Germany.

Hitler’s Bunker at the Wolf’s Lair

Ruins of the Führerbunker at the Wolf’s Lair near Ketrzyn, Poland. Part of the original Flak tower on the roof is still visible.
Stauffenberg Memorial

The memorial honors Claus von Stauffenberg, who placed a bomb next to Hitler on July 20, 1944 during a situation conference at the Wolf’s Lair. The ruins of the barrack building are in the background.
Stauffenberg’s Grave in Berlin

Stauffenberg and other Conspirators were executed (on Hitler’s order) at the Bendlerblock in Berlin. Their bodies were quickly buried and then exhumed and cremated by the Nazi Regime.
Alpventures Tours

Your Guide for World War II History in Europe and Russia.

More and more history buffs and curious travelers are looking for tours to World War II sites in Europe - and Hitler’s headquarters at the Wolf’s Lair is no exception. Alpventures offers a Wolf’s Lair Tour from May 1-14, 2009 that follows the story of the famous assassination attempt on Hitler’s life, called Operation Valkyrie. Tour groups visit many historical sites connected to Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg and the German Resistance; from Berlin to the Wolf’s Lair near Ketrzyn, Poland. The Tour starts and finishes in Berlin, Germany and includes two days each at the Wolf’s Lair, Warsaw, and Crakow, Poland. The Wolf’s Lair Tour also visits the memorial sites at Auschwitz / Birkenau as well as the Seelow Height battlefield.

Adolf Hitler spent nearly half of World War II (over 800 days) at his former East Prussian headquarters, ‘Wolfsschanze’ (Wolf’s Lair in German). In 1942, the highly secure compound contained as many as 80 buildings housing over 2000 employees, including massive bunkers for Hitler and his inner circle.

Alpventures Wolf’s Lair Tour, the only trip of its kind, allows plenty of time at the Wolf’s Lair and the additional German Army Headquarters at nearby Mamerki (Mauerwald). Alpventures Owner and Tour Guide on the trip, Tony Cisneros, says the Tour focuses on the Valkyrie plot to kill Hitler, but that it includes plenty of other significant spots.

 “We spend two days in fascinating Warsaw, and discover the remains of the Jewish Ghetto, as well as sites where the Warsaw uprisings took place,” says Cisneros. The Tour continues from Warsaw to spectacular Crakow, where industrialist Oskar Schindler lived during the war. Tour guests will see the Schindler Factory and the former concentration camp shown in the movie, Schindler’s List. Participants will also visit the most infamous Nazi Death camps in the world: Auschwitz and Birkenau. The Wolf’s Lair Tour finishes with many sites in Berlin, including the Bendlerblock, where Colonel von Stauffenberg and other Conspirators ultimately met their fate.

Visit our Tour Website: www.wolfslairtours.com

Alpventures specializes in guided Tours to World War II sites in Europe and Russia. For information, please visit our website below or contact us toll-free at 1 (888) 991-6718.

Alpventures Tours
P.O. Box 457
Canby, OR 97013
Toll-Free 1 (888) 991-6718

Website: http://www.alpventures.com

Rail Europe, a distributor of European rail products in North America, announced the launch of Trenitalia’s new Milan to Rome high-speed rail link. The new line shaves an hour off the route, connecting Italy’s political and financial capitals in 3 hours and 30 minutes. The new route establishes Milan as Italy’s main point of connection with Europe’s high-speed larger rail network for the benefit of business and leisure travelers alike. Milan is currently served by Artesia trains from Paris, Cisalpino from Basel, Bern and Geneva, Riviera from Nice and Elipsos overnight trains from Barcelona.

Trenitalia’s ETR500 AV Red Arrow Train, which will service the new route and will be available for reservations on www.agent.raileurope.com in January, was designed by Italian automotive designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro. Giugiaro was recently named Automotive Designer of the Century for his achievements in designing for Audi, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Maserati, Volkswagen and others. The Red Arrow reaches a maximum speed of 186 miles per hour, offering rail travelers in Italy an equivalent level of speed, service and convenience as other European countries.
Passengers can order from a menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner selections from the restaurant car, as well as snacks and beverages from the bar car. TrenItalia’s InterCity Plus and Eurostar Italia trains, offer speedy connections between Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Bologna and Naples and convenient access to many smaller Italian towns. Rail Europe offers a full range of TrenItalia tickets that can be tailored toward each traveler’s individual needs.

To book any of Rail Europe’s wide range of economical railpasses and point-to-point tickets on trains throughout Europe, call 888-382-7245 or visit Rail Europe’s website at the banner at the right.

Ski Freshtracks, the market leaders in adventure skiing, are offering the perfect solution for single skiers this season.

Every Ski Freshtracks holiday is graded by skiing standard which means everyone on the holiday skis and socialises together – ideal for those wanting to hit the slopes, when friends otherwise engaged.
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For the 2008-9 season Ski Freshtracks is offering nine holidays where everyone gets their own room at no extra cost. On all other holidays there are a small number of rooms which can be booked for single occupancy. The holidays with no single supplement include an instructional week in Courmayeur, Italy, a week in the chic Swiss resort of St Moritz and a testosterone-free girls’ weekend in Grindelwald, Switzerland.

For those keen to take advantage of the amazing early-season snow conditions there is still availability during Christmas week in La Plagne and a New Year off-piste week in Flaine.

Caroline Boileau, General Manager of Ski Freshtracks explained the secret to Ski Freshtracks’ success: “All our holidays are ideal for those who don’t necessarily have friends or family who ski at the same level as them, or maybe don’t even ski at all. Anyone can come on our trips and ski at the level that suits them, meaning their skiing nearly always improves and at the same time they make new friends.”

Ski Freshtracks offers 54 off-piste adventure and improvement courses as well as a large ski touring programme and heliskiing trips. Other trips on offer include Action holidays at varying levels of ski standard, weekend trips and a large ‘Peak Experience’ programme aimed at skiers over 50 years of age.

For more details and for booking visit www.skifreshtracks.co.uk  or call 0845 45 807 84

DK Eyewitness Travel has named its pick of the best cities to visit in 2009. The world’s bestselling city-guide publisher shows why Northern Europe and the Americas are going to be hot next year. So whether it’s new attractions, regenerated neighbourhoods, or more for your money, the travel experts at DK have 2009’s Top 10 cities all wrapped up…

Vilnius – European Capital of Culture in 2009, the Lithuanian capital is planning 120 art and culture projects, and over 900 cultural events. Highlights include the Vilnius Book Fair in February, Street Musician Day in May, Culture Night on Midsummer Night, and the LUX Festival of Lights in November which brings socially deprived groups into the ‘lighted’ city, using science, nature and art to ‘light’ Vilnius at its darkest period of the year.

Buenos Aires – The old port district of La Boca will feature a major exhibition of France’s surrealist master Marcel Duchamp at the recently revamped Fundación Proa art gallery in February. In June the Puerto Madero docklands district opens the first-ever Fosters & Partners (led by Sir Norman Foster) design project in Latin America. The uber-hip residential space will be the centrepiece of a new cultural district. The bicentenary of Argentina’s independence from Spain is in 2010 but next year offers the chance to go before the hordes do.

Gdansk – Reputed to be the new Krakow in 2009, Gdansk’s old town has been spruced up and the picturesque Bergher houses that line its streets are interspersed with an influx of new hotels, restaurants and shops. With direct flights from Liverpool, Stansted and Birmingham with Ryanair, Poland’s coastline could see a new influx of visitors to this part of the Baltic Sea.

Seattle, USA – With a new Four Seasons hotel just unveiled, a new Hyatt at Olive 8 opening in January 2009 from the Hyatt brand, and a large new “eco-friendly” hotel called “1” scheduled to open mid 2009, a good nights sleep in Seattle is scheduled for next year. Something you need in a city that can see you catching a rock show or taking in the sleek downtown area by kayak, all in one trip. A truly modern American city surrounded by acres of stately redwoods, misty coastline, and glacial caves makes for intriguing juxtaposition.

Bristol – Dita Von Teese recently opened a new Harvey Nichols store alongside a Cinema de Lux and a wealth of luxury apartments at Cabot Circus - a long awaited boost to the Broadmead shopping district. Not long after, Bristol’s robust eco-appeal got stronger as it was named the ‘most sustainable city in Britain’. Luxury consumerism and environmental sustainability look set to coexist in 2009.

Fes – With new direct flights from Gatwick starting in December 2008, with the low cost airline Atlas Blue, it won’t take long before the tourists turn east from Marrakech’s crowded souks, to explore Morocco’s spiritual and cultural hub. The narrow streets of Fes are alive with commerce, and all lanes lead to the Karaouiyne mosque, established in 859, one of the oldest and most illustrious mosques in the western Muslim world.

Washington DC – Fresh with reinvigorated patriotism, tour the Eastern Seaboard by train or bus, heading south from New York to the home of the founding fathers in Philadelphia, then on to the seat of American government. With the largest library in the world (Library of Congress), the National Museum of American History and Arlington National Cemetery, not to mention the White House, Washington DC is a vision of marble and light, with icons and monuments at every turn.

Copenhagen – With 12 Michelin stars awarded in 2008 (that’s more than Vienna, Rome, or Madrid) plus a clutch of new boutique hotels and minimalist designed budget hostels, Copenhagen has become the ultimate gourmet and style destination. Its green-credentials aren’t bad either, recently becoming the world’s first ‘Bike City’ with 36 percent of all Copenhageners cycling to work, school and university.

Cape Town – The hosting of the world cup in 2010 means that visitors in late 2009 will see an upgraded Cape Town Station and the arrival of the One&Only Cape Town luxury resort, complete with Africa’s first branch of Nobu. Cape Town looks set to raise its tourist game in 2009 as it gears up for the sporting events of the following year. Add this to the world famous vista, outdoor activities, and affordable prices due to the exchange rate, and it’s a good time to visit.

Vienna – Vienna’s festival calendar is a true ballroom blur, kicking off with the city’s glittering New Year balls and the annual splendour of the Vienna Opera Ball on 19 February 2009. Come mid-May the city’s greatest festival, the Wiener Festwochen, comes into play with operas, theatre, music and performing arts, and Mozart’s operas are performed in the beautiful Schönbrunn Park until late August.

Ski holidays on the upward climb despite pound’s downward slope.

Ski-mad Brits are refusing to sacrifice their winter holidays by turning their back on the recession and heading to the slopes.

Even the falling pound, which means a lack of extra spending money, isn’t putting ski-crazy Britons off scouring the net for the best bargains to bring down the cost of their winter break.

By booking lift passes and organising the kitty in the UK, powder monkeys are ensuring they stay on the piste but not out of pocket, says Wigadoo, the UK’s leading website for booking trips and events.

“We’ve seen an avalanche of groups booking last-second trips to the slopes to enjoy the best snow for decades,” says Andy Cockburn, CEO of www.Wigadoo.com.

“Some groups have even used the site to get all the money together for a ski trip, and then wait until the best deal comes up.”

“As anyone who’s ever been on a group ski holiday will know, it’s impossible to bag the cheapest deal because of the length of time it takes to get all the money together and book it.”

Looking for holiday companies which offer a discount on groups, such as half-price lift passes or one free place is just one of the bonuses of going with a large group of friends, says Cockburn.

And the beauty of Wigadoo is that you can get your friends to commit quickly and collect the money instantly, then use a virtual prepaid MasterCard to book everything securely at once.

It takes the hassle and pain out of planning and is perfect for complicated get-togethers like ski trips where you might need to book flights, accommodation and ski passes separately but for many people.

Clever ski bunnies have always found the cheapest deals by tailoring their own holidays to suit their needs, and with the Wigadoo MasterCard, they can avoid falling victim to the exchange rate by buying lift passes in advance from the UK.

“Normally as the organiser I would pay for the car rental, ski hire and lift passes out of my account and we would sort out the money when we were there,” says Olivia Gwynn. “However, I would always end up a bit out of pocket and this year that just wasn’t an option.”

Olivia suggested going on a ski trip while she was at work, inviting friends through the Wigadoo Facebook application. Two days later, she had collected all the money, booked a bargain deal and transferred the surplus cash into her own account to use as a kitty.

“Skiers are passionate about their hobby,” says Dan Fox, MD of SkiWeekends.com. “A poor exchange rate or even a recession is not enough to put powder monkeys off their annual pilgrimage to the slopes.”

“Using Wigadoo is just one of the things skiers and boarders can do to keep the costs of their trip down, along with seeking out the best exchange rate,” says Fox. “Because we buy currency in advance if you pre-book your passes with us it’s cheaper than buying them in resort and similar savings apply to ski hire.”

Wigadoo’s top 10 tips to save on a ski holiday

1. Book in groups – there are often great deals around, such as ‘10th person goes free’ or half price insurance for groups of over eight

2. Book ahead – buying lift passes on the internet from the UK is often cheaper than on the slopes

3. Be realistic – if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t get up till gone midday, buy half-day lift passes rather than a full week

4. Be flexible - Christmas, New Year, February half-term and two weeks in April are the most expensive times to ski so try and go in between these dates

5. Get organised – using Wigadoo to pay for everything up front, like a kitty for the chalet, car hire and petrol money means no-one is left out of pocket

6. Don’t settle – ski hire shops are often flexible and a little bit of bartering can go a long way

7. Buy in the UK – goggles, gloves and everything else ski-related practically doubles in price once you get on the slopes, so make sure you’re kitted out before you go

8. Look elsewhere – while the pound is weak against the euro, ski outside of the Eurozone in places like the Czech Republic

9. Be quick – last-second trips are often the cheapest, and many packages have been reduced by 50 per cent in the last few weeks

10. Get behind the wheel – with the recent drop in petrol prices, it may be cheaper to drive to the Alps rather than fly

Regent Holidays ( 0845 277 3317 www.regent-holidays.co.uk  is delighted to unveil its new 2009 brochure for The Baltics and Poland, meeting all holiday dreams and aspirations with its definitive collection of value-for-money city breaks, tours and itineraries tailored to suit your needs.

As a fully bonded tour operator with over 37 years of experience, Regent’s specialist team of well-travelled experts will bring your holiday dreams to life, providing the most personal of services.

A fantastic new addition to the 2009 brochure is Regent’s 7 day tour from £595 pp From Gdansk to Wroclaw, which includes plenty of time to explore the cobbled streets, historic harbour and medieval Old Town of Gdansk before cruising down the Elblag Canal, an astounding feat of hydro-engineering from the 19th century, as featured in Michael Palin’s book New Europe. Take the train to Torun, one of Poland’s most picturesque cities, whose Old Town is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 The tour also takes you to Wroclaw with its breathtaking cathedral, endless canals and bridges, its Old Market Square and magnificent burgher houses.

For those returning to the Baltic States or wishing to travel outside the main cities, Regent has introduced Vilnius & Druskininkai, a 7 day tour that gives you the chance to familiarise yourself with Lithuania’s capital city, Vilnius (European city of Culture 2009), before travelling to Druskininkai, a spa town close to the Belarusian boarder surrounded by natural springs, peat bogs and pine forests and home to Grutas Park, where toppled statues of Lenin and Stalin are gathered together in a form of Soviet theme park. From £460 per person, this tour offers the kind of value for money with which Regent has become synonymous.

The popular 9 day Cycling on Saaremaa Tour, explores this tranquil island by bicycle and spends each night in one of the island’s many cosy farmhouses. Alternatively, check into the luxurious Padaste Manor, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World with elegant bedrooms, exceptional restaurant choices, a renowned spa and stunning scenery on tap on the Tallinn & the Islands 6 day tour from £780 pp.

Back for 2009 are old favourites including Regent’s best-selling Classical Baltic Group Tours (from £775 per person for 8 days) and its Capital Cities Tours (from £635 per person for 10 days), which continue to be excellent value and offer an ideal introduction the delights of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

For those wishing to explore Poland for the first time, take your pick of Regent’s collection of tours, which include the 10 day Highlights of Poland tour from £795 per person, the Warsaw & Krakow 7 day tour from £495 per person and the 8 day Classical Poland Group Tour from £850 per person.

For 2009, Regent is delighted to offer three fly-drives, which remain an extremely popular holiday choice for those wanting flexibility as well as value for money. The fly-drive options are a 10 day Baltic Fly-drive from £880 per person, a Lithuanian Fly-drive from £715 per person for 10 days and an 11 day Coastal Baltic Fly-drive. From £890 per person, this unusual fly-drive itinerary starts in Vilnius from where you drive to Lithuania’s coastline, heading north via pretty fishing villages, the Curonian Spit, via ferry to the islands of Saaremaa and Muhu, before reaching Tallinn, your final destination.

Regent has added a selection of the region’s new hotels, including the 4* Mabre Residence Hotel, a former 17th century monastery on the edge of Vilnius’ Old Town and Hotel Shakespeare, a boutique hotel in the heart of Vilnius’ Old Town – many of its 31 rooms, all named after famous writers, overlook St Anne’s Church or Gedmino Castle while the hotel’s Sonnet restaraurant and its cosy lounge bar are a must.
The variety of the 2009 brochure perfectly reflects Regent’s deep-rooted understanding of The Baltics and Poland and its commitment to providing clients with endless possibilities for adventure in this increasingly popular part of Europe.

International star Leona Lewis is set to headline the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Krakow.

The Grammy-nominated star and former X-Factor winner will be performing alongside other female acts to welcome the New Year in the city’s Main Square.

New Year’s Eve parties in Krakow have brought together Poles and tourists for many years and they’re always quite a show. Thousands of revellers, a kaleidoscope of colours, an impressive firework display at midnight and a great atmosphere all make for a great party until the early hours.

Since winning the X-Factor, Leona has gone from strength to strength topping the charts across Europe and in America. Her hits include A Moment Like This and Bleeding Love.

Organisers of the New Year’s Eve party in Krakow hope there’ll be something for all tastes and other acts performing alongside Leona include Kate Ryan and Polish artists Tatiana Okupnik, Natalia Kukulska and Kasia Kowalska.

The acts will take to the stage on the eastern side of the Main Square, between the Sukiennice and St. Adalbert’s Church, while a big screen will ensure that everyone gets a good view.

Trafalgar launched its 2009 Religious Tours series with the release of a new brochure, Journeys of Faith and Spirituality, detailing five new itineraries visiting the most inspirational and holy sites in Israel, Italy, Greece, Turkey, France, Spain and Poland.

Each journey to these religiously significant destinations will be escorted by a professional tour director specially chosen for their knowledge and expertise in the religious, historic and cultural aspects of the areas being visited. The new itineraries include Missionary Journey of Paul, 11 days from $2,020, visiting Athens, Mykonos, Rhodes, Kusadasi, Thessaloniki and Meteora, departures May through September 2009; Land of the Bible, nine days from $1,975, visiting Tel Aviv, Caesarea, Haifa, Acre, Tiberias, Capernaum, Kibbutz Nof Ginosar, Kursi, Jordan Park, Nazareth, Jericho and Jerusalem, departures May through October 2009; Poland and Pope John Paul II, eight days from $1,225, visiting Krakow, Wadowice, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Auschwitz, Czestochowa and Warsaw, departures May through November 2009;

Catholic Portugal, Spain and France, 12 days from $2,225, visiting Lisbon, Santarem, Fatima, Santiago de Compostela, Burgos, Lourdes and Paris, departures June through October 2009; and A Journey through Christian Italy, 10 days from $1,995, visiting Rome, Assisi, Siena, Florence, Padua and Venice, departures June through October 2009. All prices listed are land-only, per person, based on double-room occupancy.

Sightseeing highlights include visits to the birthplace of Jesus and the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth; the Church of the Nativity, Wailing Wall and Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem; Auschwitz in Poland; the Basilica and the Grotto in Lourdes; the Vatican; and the spectacular 14th century monasteries perched high atop towering rocks in Meteora, Greece.

On a Trafalgar expertly designed travel experience all the organizational hassles are taken care of, so each passenger can truly relax and delight in the journey with friendly fellow travelers. Guests enjoy accommodations in first-class, well-located hotels; the services of a Trafalgar professional tour director and driver throughout; and fascinating sightseeing with expert local guides.

The Trafalgar experience is steeped in the history, customs and culture of each exciting destination, ensuring no one misses out on any of the hidden treasures. It really is a case of “Dream. Pack. And leave…the rest to us.” Trafalgar Tours was established in 1947 and has 61 years of experience providing exceptional worldwide vacations to Europe, Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South America and China.

Trafalgar at 800-854-0103. For more information, visit www.trafalgartours.com