LAST- MINUTE DEAL: Holiday Week in Paris from $1,269 with Air

Plunk your money (or credit card) down by August 28 and you can spend Thanksgiving or Christmas in Paris starting at $1,269 from New York or $1,377 from Chicago. This phenomenal deal includes round-trip air fare to Paris, 6 nights accommodation in the 3-star Comfort Hotel Mouffetard, and daily breakfast. Departures are every day from November 1 to December 27, but the package must be booked and paid in full by August 28.

Now that you can get an authentic turkey dinner in many Paris restaurants, Thanksgiving is a great time to enjoy the city. You can zoom to the top of the Eiffel Tower, see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, visit the Palace of Versailles, or even relish a cup of the world’s best hot chocolate at Angelina on the rue de Rivoli—all without the summer crowds. (TourCrafters offers optional tours of many Paris attractions.)

Christmastime, when the City of Light lives up to its name, is magical. There are Christmas illuminations on the Champs-Elysées and Place Vendôme, window displays at Printemps and other department stores, Christmas markets and ice skating rinks in several squares and wonderfully festive meals in many hotels and restaurants. Most impressive of all, there are Christmas services in the beautiful Gothic Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris.

The cozy, contemporary Comfort Hotel Mouffetard is on one of the most interesting old streets in Paris, close to the Latin Quarter, the famous Mouffetard Market and a metro stop, and surrounded by charming little shops, cafés and restaurants. Those who want something grander can upgrade to a 4-star hotel in Montparnasse, from $1,607.

TourCrafters has a similar last-minute deal to Vienna and Prague that includes some extras. The price starts at $1,539 from New York, $1,595 from Chicago.

All prices are per person, double occupancy, and are subject to availability. Fuel charges are included, but are subject to change by the airline. Airport taxes of $109 per person are not included and must be paid prior to departure. A supplement will be charged for weekend departures.

For more information, visit www.tourcrafters.com, click “Special Offers” and then “Deal of the Week.” For reservations, call 800-482-5995.

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China Spree Offers Air-Inclusive 9-Day Trip to Beijing, Shanghai for $999

China Spree has put together an air-inclusive 9-day trip to China’s two greatest cities—Beijing and Shanghai—for just $999 in January (the price is a bit higher at other times).

The really good news is that the $999 includes roundtrip flights from San Francisco or Los Angeles, all transfers and transportation in China, deluxe hotels, daily American buffet breakfast, three lunches, escorted sightseeing in both cities, professional guides in both cities, and baggage handling throughout.

Beijing, full of imperial treasures, has been China’s capital since the 15^th century, while cosmopolitan Shanghai, once called the “Paris of the East,” is China’s cultural and financial center.

In Beijing the tour visits Tiananmen Square; the Forbidden City, a 9,999-room palace where 24 emperors ruled; the Temple of Heaven; the idyllic Summer Palace imperial garden and Marble Boat; the Sacred Way of Ming Tombs; and China’s most famous monument, the Great Wall. There’s also an optional excursion offered: a rickshaw ride through Old Beijing’s hutongs, or traditional alleys, with lunch in a family’s courtyard home, a tour of Beihai Park and its lovely lake, and a special Peking Duck dinner.

Then it’s on to Shanghai, China’s most sophisticated and dynamic city, to see the colonial-era riverside Bund; the futuristic Pudong area and the view from the Oriental Pearl Tower; and the Shanghai Municipal Wax Museum to learn the history of this magnificent city. Here there are three optional tours: dinner and the Shanghai Acrobatics Show; a day-long excursion to Suzhou, known for its traditional gardens and ancient canals, and the charming little water town of Tongli; and a day tour of Shanghai sites such as the Yu Garden Bazaar and the Shanghai Museum, with dinner and an evening cruise on the Huangpu River.

The hotels China Spree has chosen for this budget package are amazing. The Traders Hotel Beijing by Shangri-La—a stunning hotel with quality amenities, two restaurants, a bar, and fitness center—is adjacent to the China World Trade Center with an upscale shopping mall and a metro station. The Crowne Plaza Shanghai, located in the famous French Concession, has spacious rooms with luxurious bedding, WiFi, satellite TV and 24-hour room service.

All prices are cash-only, are per person double occupancy, and are subject to availability. The price from Houston is $50 higher, from New York $100 higher, and add-on air fares are available from many other cities.

For more detailed information about “A Tale of China’s Two Great Cities, Beijing & Shanghai,” log onto www.chinaspree.com and click “China Tours,” then “Specials.” China Spree’s toll-free telephone number is 1-866-652-5656.

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Spend Holidays in Italy with Tourcrafters’ 6-Night Holiday Package for $1265 with Airfare from NY

The Vatican in Rome at night. Tourcrafters has 6-night holiday package in Italy for the holidays for $1265 including air fare from New York. © 2014 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Why not have a vacation over the holidays and spend Thanksgiving or Christmas in Italy? TourCrafters has put together a very affordable week-long Roman Holiday package that starts at only $1,265 and includes round-trip air fare from New York to Rome, six nights’ accommodation at the Hotel Rome Garden, daily buffet breakfast and fuel surcharge.

Rome is a delight any time with attractions like the Coliseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Vatican Museums, and restaurants and cafés galore, but it is especially appealing over the holidays. On Thanksgiving, which is not an official holiday in Italy, everything—stores, museums and restaurants—is open and some restaurants even serve tacchino (that’s Italian for “turkey.”)

At Christmastime the city is dressed up in holiday splendor. Piazza Navona offers a Christmas market complete with carousel, the smart shopping street Via Condotti is aglow with lights, there’s an enormous Christmas tree in Piazza Venezia and St. Peter’s Square displays a famous nativity scene and another huge lighted tree. TourCrafters can arrange an optional tour of St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums (Sistine Chapel) or even an optional excursion to Naples (pizza’s hometown) and the ancient ruins of Pompeii.

The 3-star Hotel Rome Garden is special, too. It’s an elegant 19^th-century villa located in a residential neighborhood that is close to a choice of good restaurants.

TourCrafters also has a 9-day/7-night Holiday Package to Rome and Florence that costs from $1,339 and includes airfare from New York to Rome returning from Florence, four nights at the 3-star Hotel Rome Garden, SMART class train from Rome to Florence, three nights at the 3-star Hotel Meridiana in Florence, daily buffet breakfast and fuel surcharge. (TourCrafters can provide add-on air fares from many other U.S. cities.)

Both packages offer daily departures from November 1 to December 28 but the packages must be booked and paid in full by August 28. The prices stated are per person, double occupancy, and are subject to availability. They do not include airport taxes of $109, city taxes (which must be paid in euros directly to the hotel) or the weekend supplement. The fuel surcharge is included but is subject to change by the airline.

For more information about the Rome and Rome & Florence holiday packages, visit www.tourcrafters.com, click “Special Offers” and then “Deal of the Week” For reservations, call 800-482-5995.

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Virgin Vacations Offers London Theatre Package From $1,499 for 6 Days, with Air

Virgin Vacations is offering theater lovers a one-week London-based vacation package beginning at $1,499 per person, including air fare from New York.  Round trip air fare is also available from a variety of gateways throughout the U.S. via Virgin Atlantic and Delta Airlines, beginning at $59 additional for Boston.

Designed for independent travelers, the packages are part of Virgin Vacations’ UK Collection, with prices ranging from budget to luxury.

From Budget to Luxury: Virgin’s London, Culture & Theatre Tour, 6 days from $1,499

Highlights of this package include a London Theatre Passport, exchangeable for one best-available ticket to participating musicals and plays.  Also featured is a full day excursion to Bath, Windsor, and Stonehenge, plus a half-day Vintage Open Bus sightseeing tour of London.  Travelers stay 4 nights at the Ambassadors Hotel in Kensington, with breakfast daily and transfers to and from Heathrow Airport.  Price includes round trip air fare from New York on Virgin Atlantic. Depending on departure date, price begins at $1,499 per person.

In addition to the 6-day package, a longer version, Virgin’s 8-day London Theatre Experience,
features 6 nights accommodations with breakfast, round trip air on Virgin Atlantic from New York,  Heathrow transfers, the theatre pass, London sightseeing tour, full-day excursion to Bath, Windsor, and Stonehenge, plus an additional all-day tour to Oxford, Stratford, Warwick, and the Cotswolds.  Depending on departure date, price begins at $1,759 per person.

Virgin Vacations participants can upgrade hotel accommodations beginning at $30 and ranging to $610 per person, depending on the hotel; as well as select from optional arrangements such as a ride on The London Eye, beginning at $30. Both packages are available until late October.

Sample add-on fares from other gateways:
Atlanta + $214
Boston + $59
Dallas/Fort Worth + $229
Los Angeles + $192
Miami + $127
Minneapolis/St. Paul + $ 231
San Francisco + $ 235
Washington, D.C. + $26

Airfare is available from other cities nationwide.  With the new Delta Airlines-Virgin Atlantic code share, Virgin Vacations guests can now fly from 45 U.S. cities to London.

All prices are per person, and based on twin occupancy. Airline taxes and fuel charges are included. For more information and to book a UK Collection vacation, visit www.virginvacations.com, phone 1-877-740-4302, or see your travel agent.

Virgin Vacations offers a wide selection of escorted tours, river and sea cruises, and independent packages worldwide, available with or without air fare on Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia and Virgin America, as well as other international airline partners.  Virgin Vacations travelers can enroll in Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club or Virgin America’s Elevate frequent flyer programs, and earn points.

For information on other worldwide destinations available through Virgin Vacations, visit www.virginvacations.com.  As a member of the U.S. Tour Operators Association, Virgin Vacations protects travelers’ payments up to $1 Million through the USTOA Travelers Assistance Program.

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