A Capital Idea for Journey Through Scandinavia

The capitals of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland are the focus of a 17-day tour sponsored by Maupintour, 1515 St. Andrews Drive, Lawrence, Kan. 66046.

Highlights are three days each in Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen, plus two days in Oslo. Features include trips to Norwegian fiords, a Baltic Sea cruise, the royal palaces of North Zealand, Tivoli Gardens, a ferry ride, the Sibelius monument, cathedrals, castles, palaces, Vigeland Sculpture Park, a train ride and the Knute Rockne monument.

Cost of the trip, which is being offered five times in August and three times in September, is $3,059 to $3,098, including cruise and land portions but excluding air fare. Participants depart from New York City and fly to Helsinki, where the tour begins. Included in the price is a tour manager, sightseeing, accommodations, most meals, entertainment and special events, plus tipping, luggage handling and transfers. For more information, call Maupintour at (913) 843-1211.

Trip for Handicapped

A National Parklands tour for the disabled beginning in Spokane, Wash., and ending in Billings, Mont., takes place Sept. 2-16 under the guidance of Whole Person Tours. Travelers will be escorted across Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota. Highlights of the tour are Yellowstone National Park; Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Butte, Mont.; Casper, Wyo.; Ft. Laramie National Historic Site; Mt. Rushmore; Devil’s Tower, Wyo., and Custer Battlefield National Monument.

Highlights include 14 breakfasts and dinners, a motor coach with lift and wheelchair anchors, a guide, admissions to parks and attractions and porterage at hotels. Cost is $2,595 per person, double occupancy, excluding air fare to Spokane and return from Billings. For more information, contact Whole Person Tours at P.O. Box 1084, Bayonne, N.J. 07002-1084, toll-free (800) 462-2237.

Mediterranean Tastes

A 13-day cruise in the Mediterranean Sea, highlighted by visits to restaurants in ports of call, will take place Sept. 16-28 beginning in Lisbon. The cruise, featuring restaurant critic Paul Wallach, is on the Dawn Princess, formerly the Fair Wind.

Stops on the itinerary are Lisbon, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Nice, Florence, Venice, Naples and Dubrovnik. The shore excursions to the restaurants are optional. Cost of the cruise, depending on deck and cabin, is $3,055 to $4,175, including air fare from Los Angeles. For more information, contact Cruise Consultants, 18034 Ventura Blvd., Encino 91316, (818) 996-6717.

Passage to India

The Union of Rajasthan in India and its Pushkar Camel Fair is the focus of a 14-day trip sponsored by Odyssey Tours, 1821 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica 90403. Beginning in Delhi, the tour travels to Agra and Jaipur before visiting the Pushkar fairgrounds for three nights. Accommodations are in a tented camp. Also on the itinerary is a visit to the lake city of Udaipur.

Purpose of the tour is to take pictures of the colorful Rajasthani people, their cities, villages and religious festivals. The trip, scheduled for Nov. 3-16, costs $2,857, including air fare from the West Coast. Participants also can take an optional trip to Jaisalmer and a three-day camel safari to temple ruins and abandoned villages for $638 per person from Nov. 15-20. For more information, call Odyssey Tours toll-free at (800) 654-7975 or (213) 453-1042.

Along the Coast

Nine days in the Pacific Northwest and California has been planned by Collette Tours, 124 Broad St., Pawtucket, R.I. 02860. The tour visits Seattle, the Columbia River, Redwoods National Park, Portland, Coos Bay, Eureka, the California wine country and San Francisco.

Included on the itinerary are the Space Needle and the Kingdome, Seattle; Tillicum Island, Puget Sound; Old Town and the American International Test Gardens, Portland; Columbia River Gorge and Bonneville Dam; Sea Lion Caves and Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area; Mendocino and Sonoma wineries and the Japanese tea gardens, Seal Rocks, Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco.

Cost is $999 per person, excluding air fare. Motor coach, accommodations, sightseeing admissions, guides, luggage handling, service charges and taxes are included. Tours take place August through September. For more information, call Collette at (401) 728-3805.

Prices and schedules should be confirmed with airlines, cruise lines, tour operators or travel agents.