July 2007

Auto Europe offers rentals of Vespas and other scooters in Paris and Rome. It can take as little as 25 minutes to cross Paris on a scooter, and travelers can visit areas closed to regular traffic. Also, Vespas get around 90 mpg, and no special license is required.

Including unlimited miles, VAT and insurance, rates start at $120 per day, with discounts for longer rentals. Rentals should be prearranged to allow for the best rates; call 888/233-5555 or visit www.autoeurope.com.

Rail Europe’s websites now offer an easy-to-use Pass Finder function. Type in the name of the country or countries you’re planning to visit and specify the number of days you want to use the train and the number of days you’ll be in each country, and you will be presented with both first- and second-class options. Visit www.raileurope.com (U.S.) or www.raileurope.ca (Canada).

Orientarsi offers a 7-day/6-night course on wine appreciation in Italy and another on cooking, both in the Piemonte region bordering France. Each provides five days’ instruction for three hours a day; a gala dinner in Acqui, and free admission to a spa.

Each course costs €480 (near $637) per person, double, with a single supplement of €48 and an extra lunch at €24. Contact Orientarsi (T.O. Via Bari 17/a, Turin, Italy; phone +39 011 19508393).

The 170-passenger easyCruiseOne is visiting 11 Greek islands on 3- to 14-night itineraries in 2007. Travelers can choose anything from a weekend break to a 2-week vacation by combining itineraries. A 3-night cruise is £35 (near $70) per person, and a 14-night cruise is £224 ($440) per person, double occupancy. Contact easyCruise (The Rotunda, 42/43 Gloucester Crescent, London, NW1 7DL, U.K.; phone +30 211 211 6211).

MS Deutschland features a golf theme in 2007. Among others, the 11-night “Britannica Golf” cruise offers rounds of golf at the 18-hole course at St. Andrew’s in Scotland and rounds at five other courses in Ireland. On a 20-night sailing from Phuket, Thailand, to Hong Kong, another cruise wraps up with golf at Mission Hills in Hong Kong, the largest golf facility in the world.

• The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra will play nightly on select 2007 “Big Band and Ballroom Dance” theme cruises aboard the Crystal Serenity. There also will be afternoon dances, swing lessons and talks on big band history. Prices for a 10-day cruise from Lisbon to Miami, Nov. 9-19, 2007, start at $2,995 per person.

• On two Panama Canal cruises, children 11 and under can cruise for free when sharing a room with two adults. The Serenity sails from Miami to Caldera, Costa Rica, Nov. 19-30, for from $3,380 to $18,675. The Symphony sails Caldera-Miami, $2,195-$14,545.

Norwegian Cruise Line has followed Princess Cruises in converting to all-electronic cruise documents. Passengers receive e-mail messages directing them to the website for access to the documents.

Built in the 1820s, the Royal Mews at London’s Buckingham Palace is not only one of the finest working stables in the world, it is the department responsible for all road travel by Queen Elizabeth II and members of the Royal Family, whether by historic carriage or modern car. Throughout the day, guided tours are conducted by wardens in scarlet and navy livery.

“Breaking the Chains,” an exhibition about Britain and the slave trade, opened in Bristol in April 2007 and will run for two years. It occupies one floor of the city’s British Empire & Commonwealth Museum.

Naypyidaw, the new capital city of Myanmar that was built at the behest of the military ruling party, was opened to journalists for an Armed Forces Day parade in March.