TOURS & CRUISES

ITALY

Winter specials mean thrifty packages to Rome and Florence

TOSS three coins in the Trevi Fountain in Rome, then hop a train to Florence and stand before Michelangelo’s “David” in the Galleria dell’Accademia.

All for just a bit more than $100 a day, including round-trip air fare from LAX on Lufthansa, first-class hotels, daily buffet breakfasts, a first-class express train ticket from Rome to Florence, taxes, service charges and a couple of bottles of wine.

The eight-day, $859 package is being sold by TourCrafters, an Illinois-based company that specializes in travel to Italy.

“There are winter specials every year, but they’re not as inexpensive as this one,” said TourCrafters representative Barbara Gilliam. “It’s because Lufthansa is in the picture this year. Their air fares are really low; they need the business.”

The seven-night package, which must include a Saturday night stay, is available through Dec. 14, and from Jan. 6 to Jan. 31.

Four nights are spent in Rome. Hotels included in the package are in the historic city center, including the Hotel Gallia near Santa Maria Maggiore; Hotel Genio, near Piazza Navona; and Hotel Pace Helvezia, overlooking Piazza Venezia. Three nights are spent in Florence at the Hotel Carolus, on the edge of the historic city center.

Reservations for the package must be made at least 21 days before departure. All prices are per person, double occupancy.

Contact: TourCrafters; (800) 482-5995, www.tourcrafters.com.

FIJI

A Blue Lagoon hideaway for privacy seekers

LET gentle trade winds lull you to sleep as you swing lazily in a beachside hammock at Turtle Island, a private hideaway in Fiji that can be reached only by seaplane.

If a siesta isn’t to your liking, stroll along a deserted beach, snorkel in the turquoise waters of Blue Lagoon or order a romantic picnic of lobster and champagne.

But keep your wallet handy. The tariff is $1,090 per night, double occupancy, with a six-night minimum. And it doesn’t include air fare from LAX to Fiji. But if you stay a seventh night, you’ll get air fare free.

Turtle Island is a 500-acre luxury playground that hosts only 14 couples at a time. Visitors stay in beachfront Fijian bures, two-room thatched cottages with 21-foot vaulted ceilings, a king-size four-poster bed and a private veranda with views of the surrounding lagoon.

Meals, beverages and activities are included in the price. The seaplane trip to Turtle Island from Nadi, Fiji, where international flights land and depart, is an additional $760 per couple.

Contact: Island Destinations; (877) 902-2525, www.islanddestinations.com.

CALIFORNIA

Kayaking, camping and wildlife on the Colorado River

Paddle a sea kayak through Imperial National Wildlife Refuge on the Colorado River next weekend, spotting Canadian snow geese and other birds in their winter home.

The wildlife refuge, which protects 30 miles of habitat on the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California, is home to bighorn sheep, mule deer and more than 200 varieties of birds.

The adults-only trip, Friday to Nov. 24, will involve kayaking and camping along the river and is designed for novices, said organizer Ken McKeon. “By day we explore a calm, flat-water section of the river; by night we relax by a campfire under a blanket of stars.”

The group leaves San Diego Friday morning and camps along the river two nights, returning to San Diego late Sunday night.

Cost: $269 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip transportation from San Diego to the Colorado River, six meals, including a Thanksgiving camp meal on Friday, all kayaking and camping equipment except a sleeping bag, and introductory kayaking instruction.

Contact: San Diego-based Outback Adventures; (619) 696-5282.

SWITZERLAND

Yodel down the slopes on six- and nine-night trips

Schuss or snowboard down some of Europe’s famous slopes this winter on packages to the Swiss Alps.

Among the trips available are a six-night package from Europe Express that includes round-trip air fare from LAX to Zurich, one night in Zurich and five nights in Interlaken, Lucerne or Zermatt. This trip, available Jan. 7 to March 25, costs $974.

A nine-night package, from Carlucci Tours, includes seven nights in Zermatt, two nights on Lake Geneva and a group ski trek into Italy. This package, which also includes air fare, is $1,699 and is available Jan. 30 to Feb. 9.

Both packages include transportation on Swiss International Air Lines, hotels and daily breakfast.

Contact: For the six-night package, contact Europe Express, (800) 927-3876, www.europeexpress.com. For the nine-night package, contact Carlucci Tours, (928) 854-3081.

FRANCE

For sweethearts, a Valentine’s Day mini-tour in Paris

IF you love Paris every moment of the year, you’ll love a Valentine’s Day special that will whisk you and your sweetheart to the City of Light for a four-night stay for $649 per person, double occupancy.

Visit the Eiffel Tower, stroll along the Left Bank, barge down the Seine or visit some of the world’s finest museums: the Louvre, the d’Orsay, the Picasso.

The Paris mini-tour will depart each Tuesday, returning each Sunday, from Feb. 1 to March 15. It includes round-trip air fare from LAX on Corsair, transfers, hotel accommodations, daily breakfast, a Paris-by-night tour, a Seine River cruise, Paradis Latin Show and a Metro pass. Airport taxes are extra.

Contact: La Jolla-based Adventure Vacations; (800) 600-5587. Five- and seven-night packages are also available.

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