Christmas holiday in the Old World

EXPERIENCE the Old World enchantment of traditional Christmas markets on a seven-night tour of Germany and Austria.

The Dec. 5 tour includes two nights in Regensburg, Germany, three nights in Steyr, Austria, and two nights in Vienna.

The outdoor markets have a long tradition that includes concerts and other festivities, seasonal sweets, sausages, Christmas decorations and crafts, said tour representative Sharon Leary. “It really is the sights and smells of the holiday [that] you remember from your childhood,” she said.

Besides the markets, the group will visit sites of architectural and historical interest, such as a 12th century stone bridge still used to cross the Danube River in Regensburg and an 11th century Baroque abbey in Melk, Austria.

Participants travel through the countryside to the Christmas market in Linz on the way to Steyr for a concert and a tour. They then go Vienna to tour the city and visit its 700-year-old Christmas market.

Cost: $1,795 per person, double occupancy ($325 single surcharge), including hotels, most meals, ground transportation, sightseeing and admissions. International airfare to Munich, Germany, is not included.

Contact: Gerhard’s Odysseys, Portland, Ore.; (800) 966-2402, www.christmastrips.com.

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TURKEY

Ancient sites, including Troy

TRAVEL to legendary Troy on two-week tours to Turkey.

The tours, Nov. 4 and 18 and five other departures through March 29, visit Istanbul, Ankara, the Cappadocia area, Antalya on the Turquoise Coast, Pamukkale (Hierapolis), the island of Kusadasi and Canakkale.

State-licensed guides will escort the group to ruins including Ephesus, the ruins of Hierapolis in Pamukkale and Aphrodisias.

Participants will tour the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara and ancient sites such as the tunnels in Cappadocia.

Cost: $1,599 per person, double occupancy ($350 single surcharge), including round-trip airfare from Los Angeles to Istanbul, hotels, most meals, ground transportation, sightseeing, entrance fees and airport transfers.

Contact: Troy Tours Inc., Los Angeles; (310) 417-3460, www.troytours.com.

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CHANNEL ISLANDS

Float along with marine plankton

LAUNCH a learning adventure on the high seas with the staff of the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.

The Oct. 15 afternoon and evening tour will focus on plankton, said marine biologist Mike Schaadt.

Plankton includes anything that can’t swim against the current, including jellyfish and bioluminescent creatures. “They are just kind of floating through life,” he said.

The trip will start with an orientation at 4 p.m. at the museum in San Pedro. Participants then board a research vessel for an evening spent observing the habits of deep-water plankton animals, returning at 10 p.m.

The cruise is open to ages 12 and older.

Cost: $37 per person, including boat trip and instruction.

Contact: Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, San Pedro; (310) 548-7562, www.cabrilloaq.org.

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CALIFORNIA

Gardens and wine: Swirl, sniff and sip

SMELL the roses and swirl the rose on a five-night gourmet’s tour of gardens from Napa to Cambria.

The tour, which begins Sept. 29, visits San Francisco, Palo Alto and Cambria. Participants will visit Filoli Center, a 654-acre private estate and garden 30 miles south of San Francisco, and Hearst Castle at San Simeon, which they will tour with Victoria Kastner, the author of “Hearst Castle: The Biography of a Country House.”

Participants also visit San Francisco for two nights, where they will go sightseeing and visit Napa to tour private gardens and Trefethen Vineyards.

Cost: $1,594 per person, double occupancy ($598 single surcharge), including hotels, most meals, ground transportation and admissions. Airfare to San Jose and return airfare from Oakland is not included.

Contact: Sterling Tours, San Diego; (619) 299-3010.

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The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. Send information to Tours & Cruises, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., CA 90012; e-mail travel@latimes.com.