Oom-Pah-Pah, Beer and Fun at Oktoberfest

The Oktoberfest, Munich’s salute to beer and breweries that begins at the end of September and ends on the first Sunday of October, is a good time to sample German beers and see other parts of Central Europe on Ivanhoe Travel’s Oktoberfest Tour, which departs Sept. 21 and returns Oct. 1. It starts in Prague in the Czech Republic.

After sightseeing, it’s on to Pilsen (home to Pilsner beer); the cities of Regensburg, Passau, Salzburg (music capital of Austria), Innsbruck, Mittenwald; and the ski resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, all on the way to Munich (capital of Bavaria and home to the largest Oktoberfest celebration). Driving through Bavaria, the tour visits King Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein Castle and Oberammergau. Three nights are spent in Munich.

Cost: $2,900 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Los Angeles, daily buffet breakfast, seven dinners, sightseeing and Oktoberfest entrance. Contact: Ivanhoe Travel, 1012 Grand Ave., San Diego, CA 92109; telephone (800) 470-4428.

Texas Arts

Two tours to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to view the “Monet and the Mediterranean” exhibit at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth run June 13 to 15 and June 21 to 23. Included are a stay at the Mansion on Turtle Creek, lunch, a cocktail party and docent-led art tours of the Dallas Museum of Art and Fort Worth’s public outdoor sculptures.

Cost: $695 per person, double occupancy, including air fare, deluxe hotels, transfers, tours, admissions and some meals. Contact: Sharon Ryan at Uniglobe Exceptional Travel; tel. (800) 508-0444.

English Theater

A three-week study tour, British Theater: Then and Now, is offered by the Los Angeles Community Colleges from July 7 to 28. The first week of the tour begins at the University of Hull at Kingston upon Hull, where theater faculty will introduce England’s rich theater history; participants will also attend performances at local theaters and tour the countryside.

The program moves to the University of London for the next two weeks, with side trips to West End theaters, Stratford-upon-Avon and Brighton. There will be guided tours of the Shakespeare Festival Theatre, London’s Theatre Royal, the National Theatre, the British Theatre Museum and Library and Victoria and Albert museums, among others. Nightly theater performances will include the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Comedia Theatre, the Little Theatre and current London hits. Presentations are included with professional actors, directors, producers and stage managers.

Cost: $2,650 including lodging, round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, all breakfasts and dinners, excursions, transit passes and theater admissions. Not included: college enrollment fee of $39. For details, telephone Bill Thomas at (818) 884-2692

Classic Italy

“From Palladia to Pompeii: the Classic Art and Architecture of Italy” is the name of a 22-day trip to Italy for students of architecture, art and design, and for professionals in the design fields. The tour will depart Los Angeles June 15 and return July 6. Guests visit sites in Verona, Venice, Florence, Assisi, Rome and Sorrento. The hotels are close to major museums, gardens and architectural sites. The tour will spend two to five days in each city, taking day trips to Mantova, Lake Garda, Vicenza, Padua, Pisa and Lucca, San Gimignano, Urbino, Todi, Tivoli, Amalfi, Paestum and Pompeii.

Sponsored by the Department of Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona, the trip features three full-time professor-guides.

Cost: $3,510 per person, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, hotels, most meals and sightseeing. Contact: Art Hacker, Department of Architecture, Building 7-207, 3801 W. Temple, Pomona, CA 91768; tel. (909) 869-2676.

Banjos and Bluegrass

Swing to the beat of bluegrass music by night, and rock and roll through the rapids by day on a Yampa River rafting trip June 11, between Park City, Utah, and Steamboat Springs resort in Colorado. The five-day trip is designed for those who love bluegrass music, rafting the rapids at peak river flows and the wilderness canyons. During this trip, guests have opportunities to listen to and learn about bluegrass music as it is played in natural alcoves, amphitheaters and narrow side canyons.

There will be music each night and camping on sandy beaches. Special dry bags and extra care in packing are taken to ensure a safe voyage for musical instruments and guests. The Yampa provides more than 40 intermediate to advanced rapids. Between rapids there are plenty of opportunities to float and observe bighorn sheep and golden eagles, check out a waterfall or hike to 800-year-old Fremont Indian petroglyphs.

Cost: $649 per person, including local airport pickup in Vernal, Utah, shuttles, professional rafting guides and gear, a lively bluegrass band and all meals. Contact: Adrift Adventures, P.O. Box 192, Jensen, UT 84035; tel. (800) 824-0150.

China’s Ancient Sites

An art lovers’ tour of China, led by art museum docent Ellen Schwartz and He Ling Yun of China, will focus on Buddhist art along the Silk Route, as well as the museums of Beijing, Xian, Lanzhou and the new Shanghai Art Museum. The group will visit a variety of workshops and will see the Imperial Gardens and several gardens in Suzhou.

The 19-day tour leaves Los Angeles Sept. 8 and will include cruises on the Yellow River in northern China; the Li River, surrounded by steep rock-shaped hills depicted in southern Chinese landscape painting; a cruise on the Grand Canal, a main artery for commerce since the Han Dynasty; and a relaxing trip on Lake T’ai.

Cost: $3,589 per person, double occupancy, includes round-trip air from Los Angeles, hotels, all meals, sightseeing and guides. Contact UET Travel, 19355 Business Center Drive, Northridge, CA 91324; tel. (818) 886-0633.

Alpine Gardens

One of the highest gardens in Europe, the Schynige Platte at 7,000 feet in the Jungfrau range of the Swiss Alps, is part of a garden tour of Switzerland and the Italian Lake Region scheduled June 14 to 26, starting in Geneva and ending in Lugano. Guests will see many Alpine flowers found wild on mountain slopes, such as the blue and yellow gentians, as well as rarer varieties.

More formal gardens are visited on the shores of lakes Maggiore, Lugano and Como, where English gardeners practiced their skills in the 18th century.

The tour starts in Geneva and proceeds by motor coach to Lake Brienz, Lake Maggiore and Lake Como, spending three nights at each. Ferries and private boats are used to cross the lakes and to reach Isola Bella and other Borromean islands, and cog railways and cable cars take guests to picnic spots in the mountains. French, German and Italian and culinary specialties of each region are sampled.

Cost: $3,900 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, transfers from arrival and departure airports, touring, entrances, events and most meals. Not included: international air fare. Contact: Ingatours, 5 The Dell, Pinner, Middlesex HA5 3 EW, UK; tel. (800) 786-5311 (ask for Marilyn).

Biking Ireland

Discover Ireland’s best-kept secrets on two bicycling tours of Yeats country and the Donegal Coast July 24 to Aug. 2 and Sept. 19 to 28 in the counties of Sligo and Donegal, along Ireland’s northernmost coast.

The 10-day trip will begin in Sligo Town and follow the Atlantic coast north to the Fanad Peninsula. The route begins in the lush countryside of County Sligo, which inspired the poetry of William B. Yeats and the paintings of his brother Jack. Museums and interpretive centers along the cycling route offer glimpses into Irish history and culture. Guests visit Glenveigh National Park, where red-tailed deer still roam freely. Evening entertainment includes traditional music, dance and storytelling.

The cyclists will be lodged in bed and breakfast inns. Irish cuisine includes fresh salmon and rack of lamb--the reigning favorites. A support van will carry luggage and offer assistance.

Cost: $1,750 per person, double occupancy, including all accommodations, most meals, special events, and airport transfers. Air fare is not included. Bicycle rental is an additional $139. Contact: Easy Rider Tours, P.O. Box 228, Newburyport, MA 01950; tel. (800) 488-8332.

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