August 22, 2003 -- Americans are trickling back to Europe, not in droves, mind you, but enough to keep hope alive in tourism industry breasts from Ireland to Austria, Portugal to Germany and France to Greece. The deals continue to pour into our office, making the tasking of winnowing them to down the absolute best more difficult, but rewarding nonetheless.
Virgin Vacations wants you to visit Vienna, which many believe to be the "capital" of western music, at least the classical part of it. It's also the capital of cozy coffee houses (Paris is the capital of chic ones, Seattle of the trendy) and buckets of baroque architecture. Virgin has a Vienna Winter Special from just $499, including roundtrip airfare from New York (or Boston, Newark or Philadelphia), six nights' hotel lodging, daily continental breakfast, hotel taxes and service charges, and a guide brochure (the latter while supplies last). You must reserve by August 29.
Add-on airfares aren't high, a total package from Atlanta or Washington starting from $579; from Chicago, Detroit or Pittsburgh $599; from Cleveland, Denver, Dallas or Nashville $649; from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle or Portland OR $679; from Austin and San Antonio $699; and from Billings, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City $759. You can have superior hotels at higher prices, of course, from any destination. Weekend surcharges apply and airport taxes and fees are not included. Travel must take place between November 1 and December 14, 2003, the height of Christmas-shopping season. Contact Virgin Vacations at 888/YES VIRGIN (same as 888/937-8474) or visit www.virginvacations.com.
Europe Express and its sister company, Go-Today.com, have some of the best deals, as usual. If you purchase by August 29, Europe Express has winter packages from as little as $429, including airfare, for seven-day (six-night) deals in Europe. That's for the London Winter Supersaver, which is good throughout the winter, except for a blackout period from December 6, 2003 through January 11, 2004. You stay at the Central Park Hotel, a tourist-class place, with continental breakfast daily, hotel taxes and service charges paid, and get a discount card called "London for Less." Superior class hotels require superior prices, naturally. Contact them at www.europeexpress.com or phone 800/927-3876.
Go-Today.com, ambitious as ever, continues selling its fall deals, which we have reported, and now has a London January-February Supersale for as little as $379, if you purchase by August 29. It includes roundtrip air, six nights at the Terstan or Westbury hotels in London, daily continental breakfast, hotel taxes and service charges. Travel dates are from January 12 to February 23, 2004. Contact them at www.gotoday.com ($20 charge if you book by phone at 425/487-9632).
France Vacations has a long list of six-day (five-night) deals, with a booking deadline of August 31, 2003. Some to Paris are as low as $539 out of New York or Boston, $659 out of Los Angeles or San Francisco, $659 from Seattle or Phoenix. Packages to London start at $589 out of New York or Boston, $759 from Los Angeles or San Francisco, $779 from Portland OR or Seattle.
To Rome, the packages out of New York start at $839, from Los Angeles $949, from San Francisco $999. All prices are per person based on double occupancy for midweek departures. Airport and security fees not included. For reservations and more information, phone 800/332-5332 or visit www.francevacations.net.
Finally, Internet-only packager OffPeakTraveler.com has a slew of one- and two-city winter packages to a variety of European destinations including Barcelona, Budapest, London, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Riga, Rome, St. Petersburg and Vienna. Two-city combos always include London as one of the cities, but word has it that soon Paris will be an additonal second-city option. As opposed to some of the other packages mentioned here, there are no booking deadlines to get the low prices these deals are going for: from $378 for 4 nights in Paris out of the eastcoast; from $681 for a 6-night two-city package including Barcelona and London; or the 6-night "Baltic Express" starting from $899. Most packages are available from October 1 through March 2004 with some exceptions. To book, go to www.offpeaktraveler.com.