History

13 days/11 nights through October 2008.

Travelers to Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel in the Azores, can explore the city and the surrounding area by trolley and see historic and natural sites. Riders can choose any of five tours: Historical, Heritage, Gardens, Outskirt and Beach. All include an English narration.

The trolley departs from Lagarta’s quisque (kiosk) on Avenida Infante D. Henrique and runs 9 a.m.-7 p.m. in winter and 9-11 in summer. Tickets, €4 ($6). Contact Lagarta (phone 296 629 446, www.lagarta.net/en/index.html).

In England during WWII, Eden Camp housed prisoners of war. Today, the camp’s 33 huts comprise Eden Camp Modern History Theme Museum (Malton, North Yorkshire, YO17 6RT, U.K.; phone +44 1653 697 777, fax 698 243, www.edencamp.co.uk), presenting reconstructed scenes of Britain in the war years, complete with lighting, sounds and scents.

Among displays subjects are “The U-Boat Menace,” “Women at War,” “The Blitz” and “Civil Defense.”

The Swiss National Museum in Zürich on Aug. 1 opened a new permanent exhibition, Geschichte Schweiz, on the history and development of Switzerland. Themes include “migration and settlement,” “religious and intellectual history,” “Swiss political history” and “economic development.” 

CHF10 ($9.30). Contact Zürich Tourism (P.O. Box CH-8021, Zurich, Switzerland; phone 41 44 215 40 00, www.zuerich.com).

Helpful to those on self-drive itineraries, English Heritage (phone +44 0 870 333 1181) offers travelers with GPS units a downloadable overlay which shows the locations of the organization’s 400-plus properties and cultural sites on the map relative to one’s position. It is available for Garmin and TomTom GPS units at www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.20913.

Japan’s 400-year-old Himeji Castle is undergoing its first major renovation in 45 years, to effect repair and cleaning of the white-plaster exterior walls, replacement of roofing tiles, and seismic evaluation and protection.

15-day/14-night tour of CZECH REPUBLIC, SLOVAKIA and POLAND, June 7-21, 2010. Highlights: Prague’s 12th-century Strahov Monastery, Astronomical Clock/Jicín, “City of Fairy Tales”/skansen folk architecture in Roznov/in Slovakia, 12th-century Spissky Castle/Kraków, Poland, city tour. Land only, $4,995. Single supp., $875. ElderTreks (597 Markham St., Toronto, ON M6G 2L7, Canada; 800/741-7956, www.eldertreks.com).

The Cadw Explorer Pass allows free admission to historic properties in Wales operated by the Welsh government conservation organization Cadw (Plas Carew, Unit 5/7, Cefn Coed, Parc Nantgarw, Cardiff, CF15 7QQ, U.K.; phone 01443 33 6000, fax 6001, www.cadw.wales.gov.uk). These include the 14th-century Caernarfon Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Plas Mawr, a 16th-century Elizabethan townhouse.

9 days/8 nights, June 18-26 & Aug. 20-28, 2009. Highlights: In Munich, GERMANY, city tour and BMW plant/in Bavaria, visit Neuschwanstein and Linderhof castles/Oberammergau, home to the Passion Play/in Salzburg, VIENNA, walking tour includes Mozart’s birthplace, Mirabell Castle, “Sound of Music” locations/Bad Ischl and Hallstatt in the Lake District/in Vienna, Stephansdom, Hofburg Palace, Spanish Riding School, Hapsburg treasures, Schönbrunn Palace. Land only, $7,950 (June departure) or $8,200 (August). Single supplement, $2,750.