This week's smart deal is one that's just too good to pass up. European Destinations (tel. 877/267-2247; www.europeandestinations.com), which offers some pretty customizable trips (many of them including rail and/or airfare), has a special for quick wintertime getaways to ten cities in Europe starting from a shockingly low $389. That low price reflects travel to Prague for mid-January getaways, including airfare from New York City and five nights of accommodations. Choose from London from $409, Budapest from $409, Athens from $449, Paris from $455, Rome from $499 -- all of those prices are based on New York City departures and five nights' accommodations. Other departure cities, such as Chicago, Houston, Miami, and Los Angeles are also possible for additional fees. Vienna's least expensive U.S. departure city is Houston, priced from $559; Houston to Vienna is priced from $559 and Houston- Madrid, $595. Barcelona, from Chicago, is the lowest price for that destination--$629 for airfare and five nights.
It's important to note that the taxes and fees are not included in the prices. Still, when you consider the fact that the lowest advertised price, New York to Prague, goes up to $609 total with taxes and fees included, it's still a noteworthy savings. The prices calculated reflect mid-week travel and can fluctuate depending on the day you want to travel and when you book the trip. But European Destinations offers you the opportunity to choose among a fairly extensive selection of hotels (deluxe, superior, moderate and tourist classes) in the city of your choice, so if you want to upgrade, it's possible, or if you want to cut your price back by positioning yourself on the outskirts of city centers but close to public transit, that's generally possible, too. Many of the hotels will include breakfast or other amenities, but that will vary. Finally, while there is not an expiration date per se associated with this promotion, we recommended acting quickly because the prices won't stay this low forever.
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