August 20, 2004 -- We've rounded up the early offerings for December trips to Paris, Rome, London, Prague, Munich and more. Visit between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve to tour holiday markets across the continent for traditional gifts. Or you can take the big day itself to create a new family tradition.
It's only August, but those enterprising people at Go-Today have just come out with their Christmas specials for Europe. Each of the three trips is for six nights and seven days with a choice of hotels from budget to superior class, roundtrip airfare, continental breakfast daily, and hotel taxes and service charges. If you pick London, you depart on December 21. If it's Rome or Paris for you, depart on December 22. The purchase deadline has been extended to September 30, 2004, but seats go quickly.
London fares begin from:
- $579 for Washington, D.C.
- $629 for New York
- $659 for Chicago
- $679 for San Francisco
Paris starts from:
- $599 for Boston
- $649 for Atlanta
- $674 for Chicago, Newark and New York
- $699 for Los Angeles and D.C.
- $749 for Houston
- $949 for San Francisco
Rome fares start from:
- $699 for New York
- $724 for Boston
- $749 for Washington, D.C.
- $824 for San Francisco
- $849 for Houston
Additional gateways are available with certain packages. To see complete details for all of Go-Today's holiday packages (including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's) go to To book on line, go to www.gotoday.com/HolidayDeals.asp.
Reliable Gate 1 Travel has specials featuring visits to Europe's famous Christmas markets, including a dilly for six days in Munich, priced from just $539 out of New York City. Included at this price are your roundtrip airfare departing on December 15, four nights at the Best Western K&K Hotel am Harras hotels, and daily breakfasts. Departures on November 24 and December 1 & 8 are priced from $569. You can upgrade to the Le Meridien hotel starting from $699 for any departure dates. Optional tours are available to nearby Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Oberammergau, but you may want to spend all your time shopping. For all of Gate 1's Christmas market trips, visit their listings page at www.gate1travel.com/p/christmasmarkets/default.htm or phone 800/682-3333.
Through Christmas Market Tours' website, you can locate dozens of packages (some for Christmas markets, others for travel at Christmas time) offered by a wide variety of travel providers. You can enjoy the "Christmastime in Munich & Eastern Europe" tour, a ten-day/eight-night sojourn that takes in Munich, Prague, Bratislava, Budapest and Vienna. You can opt for either land-only (prices range from $999 to $1,199) or air-inclusive ($1,562 to $1,835) versions of this five-nation trip. Eight buffet breakfasts and four three-course dinners are included, as well as services of a professional tour director, hotel taxes, baggage handling, and more. There are eight departures in December, 2004, including three for Christmas Day. Contact them at www.christmasmarkettours.com or phone 800/942-3301.
