International Travel News

Travel Briefs

July 2009 issue | Appears on page 78

Chartres Pass

The French city of Chartres has temporarily reduced the price of its Chartres Pass. Admission to the city’s cathedral, the Fine Arts Museum, the International Stained-Glass Centre and two other attractions are included, with an admission discount at five more sites.

The pass costs €15 ($19) until Dec. 31, 2009, after which it will cost €24.50 ($32). Chartres Convention & Visitors Bureau (Place de la Cathédrale, BP 50289, 28000 Chartres, France; phone 02 37 18 26 26, fax 02 37 21...

July 2009 issue | Appears on page 78

Darwin in Italy

The exhibition “Darwin 1809-2009,” celebrating the 200th anniversary of the naturalist’s birth, is being hosted through Oct. 25 in Milan at the museum Rotonda della Besana (Via Besana Enrico, 15-20122, Milan, Italy; phone 199 199 111 02 4335 3522, www.darwin2009.it/eng/Milan).

Among exhibits are original letters, maps and drawings from Charles Darwin’s 5-year voyage on HMS Beagle to South America and the South Pacific. Fossils and mounted animals Darwin sent back to England are...

July 2009 issue | Appears on page 78

Homecoming Scotland

There are hundreds of free attractions during “Homecoming Scotland 2009” (www.homecomingscotland2009.com or www.cometoscotland.com).

• Hundreds of buildings that are rarely, if ever, open to the public may be visited for free every weekend this September during “Doors Open Days” with the Scottish Civic Trust (The Tobacco Merchants House, 42 Miller St., Glasgow G1 1DT, U.K.; phone 0141 221 1466, www.doorsopendays.org.uk).

Among the offerings — Vennel (in Irvine, Ayrshire), where...

July 2009 issue | Appears on page 79

Vienna New Year’s

Austrian Airlines Vacation Center (800/790-4682, www.austrianair-vacations.com) is offering a 6-day/5-night “New Year’s in Vienna” package, Dec. 28, 2009-Jan. 3, 2010.

At $3,999 per person, double occupancy, it includes tickets to the preview of the New Year’s Day Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic and a performance of Strauss’ opera “Die Fledermaus,” tickets to Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony” at the Konzerthaus, dinner at Hotel Sacher and a half-day tour in Vienna.

It also...

July 2009 issue | Appears on page 79

Rentalo’s guarantee

The free online booking service Rentalo.com (www.rentalo.com) lists more than 120,000 rental properties in nearly 15,000 destinations worldwide — B&Bs, hotels, villas, condos and vacation homes.

The website provides a photo slide show and complete description of each property plus a map, contact information and an availability calendar. You can search for the area you wish to stay in and compare properties, then book one on the website or e-mail the property owner or manager...

July 2009 issue | Appears on page 79

Book online for Zürich

Travelers using the Zürich Tourism website, www.zuerich.com, now can book city tours and day excursions through its Web Shop section. Bike, bus, cruise and Segway tours are available. Day tours that depart from Zürich for other areas of Switzerland also can be booked, such as a 2½-hour visit to the 150-meter-wide Rhine Falls that includes a stop at the Zürich airport on the return trip (CHF46, or near $40).

July 2009 issue | Appears on page 79

Free in Switzerland

Free sightseeing and free activities are among suggestions from Switzerland Tourism (New York, NY; 212/757-5944, www.myswitzerland.com).

• When purchasing an adult Swiss Pass, Swiss Card or Swiss Transfer Ticket, you can ask for a free Swiss Family Card, which allows children under 16 to travel for free when accompanied by at least one parent. The pass allows travel throughout the rail, bus and boat Swiss Travel System network as well as on trams and buses in 37 cities.

• For a...

July 2009 issue | Appears on page 80

Luxury steam train

The Keighley & Worth Valley Steam Railway (West Yorkshire, England; phone 01535 645214, www.kwvr.co.uk) is offering a “Super Luxury All Day Guided Tour” from Keighley through Brontë Country for £350 (near $509) per person for up to 12 people.

The trip on the historic steam engine No. 957, which dates from 1887 (and was used in the film The Railway Children), includes an expert guide; a gourmet lunch with wine; a tour of the engine shed, restorations, etc., and a reception in the...