Getting an Insider’s View of India and Sri Lanka

An India-born university professor will lead tourists to India and Sri Lanka from Jan. 8 to 29. The trip starts with a city tour of Singapore, where the group stops for a night on the way to India. In India participants will visit New Delhi, Agra and the Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Udaipur, Bombay, Goa, Cochin and Madras. In Sri Lanka, stops will be made at Colombo and Kandy.

Cost: $4,900 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, airport transfers, ground transportation, hotels, all meals, entrance fees and lectures. Sita World Travel is booking the tour.

Contact: Simon George; telephone (562) 985-4848.

Tunisia: Cruise

Experience the rich heritage of Tunisia on a 10-day journey that combines a land stay in Tunis with a cruise along the country’s coast and islands. Departures for “Tunisia: Land of Many Faces” are on various dates in October and November. Guests will spend the first four days exploring the great ancient cities of inner Tunisia. Among the stops will be the cities of Carthage, Dougga and Bulla Regia. Each city is known for ancient Roman ruins, including remnants of temples, baths and theaters.

Guests will continue to the port of Sousse to board a Classical Cruises yacht. Passengers will cruise to Gabes, where guests explore the village of Matmata, setting of underground dwellings carved directly out of the landscape; Djerba, the legendary island of the lotus eaters; the relaxing beaches and quaint fishing villages of the Kerkennah Islands; Sfax, with its fantastic medina; and finally the port of Mahdia, a charming village with cobbled streets and relaxing cafes, for an excursion to nearby El Djem, a Roman amphitheater that rivals Rome’s Colosseum. From the Halcyon’s home port of Sousse, passengers will also travel to Kairouan, the religious and cultural center of Tunisia, founded in 671; and Monastir, a medieval walled coastal town.

A three-night post-cruise excursion to Tozeur on the edge of the Sahara Desert is also available. Guests will explore this historic town, as well as the oasis towns of Nefta and Douz. A trip is also planned to the Ofra Sand Dune, accessible only by camel.

Cost: from $3,695 per person, double occupancy, including three nights at the Hilton Hotel in Tunis, most meals, all tours and shore excursions, baggage handling and tips. Rates for the optional three-night post-cruise trip are $575 per person, double occupancy.

Contact: Classical Cruises, 132 E. 70th St., New York, NY 10021; tel. (800) 252-7745.

Italy: North Region

A 15-day tour of Northern Italy departs Sept. 30. Museums, palaces, churches and opera houses of Florence, Venice, Milan, Pisa, Padua and Verona will be visited. Also on the itinerary are the best villas and gardens of Lake Como, Lake Garda, Lake Maggiore, Portofino and the River Brenta. Other highlights include motorboat rides to Isola Bella and Isola dei Pescatori, Bellagio, Portofino and a walking tour of Venice from the Jewish Ghetto to St. Mark’s Square. Alberto Benzi will escort the tour and lecture on the historical, cultural and artistic significance of each place.

Cost: $3,195 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, first-class hotels, daily buffet breakfast and dinner, deluxe motor coach, motorboat rides, entrance fees, luggage handling and tips.

Contact: Professor Benzi Culture Tours; tel. (619) 454-1434.

D.C.: Capital Sites

Corliss Tours of Huntington Beach is offering two departures of an eight-day “Washington, D.C., Stay-Put Tour.” The dates are July 3 and Oct. 10. Guests stay in the same centrally located hotel for a week and take day trips from there. Sites include the Capitol, Supreme Court Building, Library of Congress, Ford’s Theater, Kennedy Center, Embassy Row, Georgetown, Arlington National Cemetery and George Washington’s home at Mt. Vernon.

Members will also visit Fredericksburg, site of many Civil War battles; Gettysburg, for a tour of the National Military Park; and Baltimore and Annapolis, with visits to Ft. McHenry and the United States Naval Academy.

Cost: $1,369 per person, double occupancy, including hotel accommodations, admissions to attractions, private chartered motor coach, baggage handling, 12 meals and guide services. Air fare to Washington is not included.

Contact: Corliss Tours, P.O. Box 4042, Huntington Beach, CA 92605; tel. (800) 482-4597.

Italy: Jewish History

Traces . . . Italian Journeys Into the Jewish Past invites travelers to explore the more than 2000-year history of the Jewish people in Italy. The Jewish presence can be found in every region, from the ancient Roman catacombs to the world’s oldest ghetto in Venice to the medieval and more modern synagogues of Umbria and Tuscany. Three 12-day trips begin Sept. 23, Oct. 7 and Oct. 28 and explore the Jewish legacy as well as the present-day communities. Each is designed for a small group.

Cost: $3,400 per person, double occupancy, including ground transportation, daily breakfast, four lunches and dinners. Air fare is not included.

Contact: Traces . . . Italian Journeys Into the Jewish Past, (415) 643-1661.

Scotland: Festivals

Theatreworks of Colorado will take travelers to the Edinburgh Festival Aug. 13 to 21. The nine-day tour features four arts festivals, including the Edinburgh Tattoo, which takes place on the Castle Esplanade. Guests will have tickets to festival events, but there is also time for city tours and day trips.

Cost: $2,988 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Los Angeles, first-class hotel accommodations, daily breakfasts, entrance fees, professional lectures, performances at the International Festival, and the Tattoo (including fireworks display).

Contact: Drew Martorella, University of Colorado; tel. (719) 262-3275.

France: Cycling

Cyclevents is offering a “Best of France” cycling tour from the wine country of St. Emilion to Provence’s Roman ruins. En route guests will visit the feudal cities of the Dordogne River, the fabled towns of Rocamadour and Conques, plus the medieval fortresses of the deep Tarn Gorge. Fine regional cuisine is featured at dinners in small cafes, and riders bed down in country inns and historic hotels after a full day of pedaling. The tour is also offered as a camping trip.

One day on the route features a time off from bicycling, with a chance to challenge the white water of the Tarn River in canoes. The final leg takes the guests over the Corniche des Cevennes with its high panoramas, then down into Provence, with explorations of the Pont du Gard and the castles of Tarascon and Beaucaire.

Hotel-stay departures are scheduled for June 6 and Sept. 22 and are priced at $1,600 per person, double occupancy. The camping-based departures are scheduled for June 20 and Aug. 22 and are priced at $950 per person. Both versions are 11 days and follow the same route. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Cyclevents, P.O. Box 7491, Jackson Hole, WY 83002- 7491, tel. (888) 733-9615, Internet https://www.cyclevents.com.

Austria: Alpine Village

The Austrian village of Lech, known mostly as an Alpine ski resort, is also the site of summer hiking holidays on various dates between June 20 and Sept. 25. Wanderweg Holidays is offering one-week stays at the Hotel Gotthard, which is in the heart of town. Participants meet for daily guided hikes with a local English-speaking hiking expert. Also included is free use of cable cars and lifts; a bus for trips to nearby villages, transporting hikers and visits to the two mountain lakes; indoor/outdoor tennis; and mini-golf.

Cost: $699 per person, double occupancy, including hotel, daily breakfast and dinner, and guided hikes. Air fare to Austria and transfers are not included.

Contact: Wanderweg Holidays, 519 Kings Croft, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034; tel. (800) 270-ALPS.

The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. These should be confirmed with travel agents or tour operators.