September 28, 2004 -- You'll want to strike up the band over these impressive offers for German escapes including air and hotel packages, discount hotels and castle stays. Oom pah pah indeed.
The German capital is offering a beer barrel of seasonal travel deals good for when snow might fall and temperatures drop. A "Berlin Classic" deal offers two hotel overnights with breakfast, a Welcome Card transportation pass, shopping vouchers and free admission to the old-fashioned Christmas market on Gendarmenmarkt. Offers start at €99 ($122) for person, double occupancy.
A "Berlin Hip" deal aimed at the younger partier goes for €115 ($142) per person, featuring two hotel nights including breakfast, the Welcome Card transport pass, a late breakfast for night owls, shopping vouchers, and free admission to six of Berlin's hottest nightclubs.
Next, there's a "Berlin Winter Magic Revue" program, featuring two hotel nights (with breakfast), the Welcome Card pass, shopping vouchers, and admission to the famous Friedrichstadt Revue Theater , as well as a coffee snack at the tourist info café on Alexanderplatz. All this for €135 ($167) per person.
There's also a "Berlin Culture" deal, from €115 ($142). This includes two hotel overnights with breakfast, shopping and transport vouchers, and a museum pass.
If you want just a hotel room, there are discounted rates from November 1, 2004 through January 6, 2005, for as little as €29 ($36) per night. The shopping discounts are given by 20 of the city's top retailers, include the famous KaDeWe department store, the largest in Europe. Participating restaurants in Winter Magic will be serving meals and drinks at half price on one day only, November 1, 2004.
All this can be had on www.wintermagicberlin.com or by phoning 011/49-30-25-0025.
Nordique Tours (800/995-7997, then press 2; www.nordiquetours.com/nt/ind/3/Detail.htm) has a whirlwind four-night getaway to any of four German cities starting from, appropriately enough, $444 (before taxes of around $160) for departures of NYC. You can choose to stay in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt or Munich from November 1, 2004 through February 28, 2005. The price includes roundtrip airfare, hotel and morning meals. Other German cities can be reached for an additional $75. Add $50 for flights out of Boston, Philly or D.C.; $100 from Atlanta, Chicago or Detroit; $150 from Dallas, Houston or Miami; and $175 from Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco or Seattle. Prices go up for travel between December 16-24.
It's not too late to book a special deal from Off Peak Traveler (www.offpeaktraveler.com) for a Berlin sojourn over Thanksgiving with departures November 22-26, 2004, starting at just $479 per person, double occupancy. The package includes roundtrip air between New York and Berlin, three nights at the Best Western Euro Hotel, and continental breakfast daily. You have the option to stopover in London for $200 per person double, with three nights at the Tria Hotel, continental breakfast daily, and hotel taxes and service charges. Add-ons range from $50 out of Atlanta or Boston to $150 from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix or Denver.
The same firm has a "Best Buy Berlin" package good from November 2004 through March 2005 costing just $649 per person, double occupancy. This includes roundtrip midweek flights from New York to Berlin via London on British Airways, six nights at the Best Western Europe Hotel, continental breakfast daily and hotel taxes and service charges. Extra $300 for departures December 16 to 24, 2004. Add-ons range from $50 to $200, depending on gateway city. For the same price, you can split your trip, staying a combined six nights in London and Berlin, using any combination of nights, three and three, for instance.
Finally, you can get medieval with Celtic Tours' $899 air and accommodations packages that pop you into your choice of either a castle or a manor for four nights. This price is specifically for roundtrip routes between NYC and Frankfurt for travel through December 10, 2004 and includes flight, four nights' stay, breakfast and five-day's rental car. Extend your stay for just $89 per night. Additional gateways in both the US and Germany are available, so be sure to ask for the price from your area to your dream castle when you call 800/833-4373. The details page for this offer can be found online at www.celtictours.com/specials/index.asp?specialid=24.
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