August 26, 2004 -- We've reported on an avalanche of bargain vacations to Europe over the Thanksgiving holiday, so we won't belabor the point. Suffice it to say that fall and winter can be exhilarating across the continent: the crowds are gone, so you feel like you have the place to yourself; peak-season prices have vanished, so you'll feel less of a pinch in the ol' wallet; and the weather will be assuredly turning crisper, putting a little nip in your cheeks. Today we look at three new air and hotel combos to the City of Light.
Picasso Tours (800/995-7997 8-5:30 PST, M-F; www.picassotours.com) has a sweet package that starts from $399 per person that runs from November 1, 2004 through March 31, 2005. Included in that base-price are your roundtrip airfare out of New York City, four nights at a three-star hotel, and daily breakfast. Prices for children 12 and under staying with their parents in the same room begin at $299. Your hotel is three-star Novotel Porte de Bagnolet, but you can upgrade to other places, including the Ibis Paris Berthier Porte de Clichy or the Sofitel Paris Porte de Sevres. You have to book the deal by August 31, 2004. Travel must be on Wednesdays or Thursdays or you pay an additional airfare fee.
If you're flying out of:
- Boston or Philadelphia, add $50
- Atlanta or Washington, D.C., add $80
- Chicago, add $125
- Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles or Miami, add $150
- San Francisco, Phoenix or Seattle $175
Prices do not include taxes or security fees and are per person based on double occupancy. Blackout dates include the period from December 15, 2004 through January 3, 2005.
Off Peak Traveler (www.offpeaktraveler.com) offers three fall or winter nights in Paris at prices starting from $399 per person (based on double occupancy) between September 1, 2004 and March 31, 2005. In September and October, flights are direct on Air India; from November through March, flights to Paris are on British Airways via London. During September and October your $399 will put you up at the Damremont Hotel or a similar tourist class hotel. You can upgrade to swankier digs for an additional $20 to $180 per person, dependent on your lodgings selection. There are several options available for tours including Versailles, Mont-Saint-Michel, Fontainebleau and the Loire castles as well.
We've published Turkey day deals from Gate1 (800/682-3333; www.gate1travel.com) already, but they have dozens more to Paris, each one featuring a different hotel. One of the least expensive, starting from our favorite number in this column -- $399, is for four nights and six days at the Comfort Davout Nation hotel with airfare out of New York and morning meals. Other gateways are available at extra charge, of course. The Comfort Davout is two-star, 65-room property are right in the heart of the fashionable Marais district. Many optional tours are available in and around the city, including the Illuminated Paris tour with a river cruise.