Cycling Through History in the Czech Republic

Historical Cycling International is offering a walking and cycling Jewish heritage trip through the Czech Republic from June 24 to July 2. The rendezvous site is Prague to visit the city and to explore Prague’s 1,000-year-old Jewish cultural history. In Southern Bohemia, guests will pedal for five days along the Vltava River on country roads past the beer-brewing towns of southern Bohemia to Cesky Krumlov, one of the Czech Republic’s most beautiful and best preserved medieval towns.

Cost: $2,850 per person, double occupancy, including luxury accommodations, most meals, services of two experienced HCI guides and local guides, selected events, a 21-speed hybrid bicycle, route instructions, van support and baggage transfers. Air fare to Prague is not included.

Contact: Historical Cycling International; telephone (949) 499-0342, Internet https://www.historical-cycling.com.

Turkey: St. Paul’s Steps

Follow the footsteps of St. Paul on a 17-day tour to Turkey that begins May 14. Travelers will go from Antioch, Tarsus, Perge and Sardis to the seven churches of Asia Minor. Sightseeing includes Ankara, Istanbul and the ancient monuments at Ephesus. Transportation is via an air-conditioned motor coach with restrooms.

Cost: $2,295 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from LAX, first-class hotels, all meals and entrance fees.

Contact: Don and Frieda’s Selective Tours; tel. (818) 848-8141.

Turkey: Marching Band

Join USC band supporters on May 16 for their “Spirit of Troy” trip to Turkey. The group will fly to Istanbul and, in addition to seeing the usual sights, will attend a performance of what’s billed as the world’s oldest military marching ensemble playing their traditional instruments.

The group will visit Ankara, Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Aphrodisias, Ephesus and the legendary city of Troy. The group will return to Istanbul via ferry across the Dardanelles to Gallipoli. The flight home will be on Friday, May 28, 1999.

Cost: $2,593 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Los Angeles, all internal transportation, all breakfasts and dinners, admission to events and attractions, and gratuities.

Contact: Barbara Schartzer at A Bit of Travel, 869 Grand Ave., Carlsbad, CA 92008; tel. (800) 732-3864.

Africa: Film Fest

Join Gallery ASHA and Henderson Travel on a tour to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, West Africa, to attend the Pan-African Film and Television Festival. The tour is Feb. 24 to March 9. Participants will watch features and short films and have an opportunity to meet African filmmakers. There is also time scheduled for sightseeing, shopping at local markets and day trips.

Cost: $1,899 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from New York, first-class hotel, daily breakfast, English-speaking guides and festival tickets.

Contact: Julie Ward at Gallery ASHA; tel. (310) 726-9230 or (310) 670-0135.

Scotland: Golf

Diverse scenery, castles and lots of golf are on the itinerary for a trip to Scotland that leaves July 12 and returns July 22. The Scottish Highlands and the capital city of Edinburgh are visited. Guests will play on the St. Andrews course and on the links of Royal Dornoch. Then they will stay in Dalhousie Castle for three nights and attend the final two days of the British Open.

Cost: $3,895 per person (less for non-golfers), double occupancy, including hotels, ground transportation, most meals, four rounds of golf, tickets to the British Open and sightseeing. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Kathleen Dutton, tour organizer; tel. (800) 465-8132.

Italy: Skiing

Carlucci’s Italy is offering a ski trip to the Dolomites in Italy from March 20 to 28. Guests will land in Venice, then transfer to Moena to start their skiing vacation. Each day a motor coach will take guests to a different ski area. The areas include the Alpe di Lusia, San Pellegrino, Falcade, Pampeago, Catinaccio and Sella Ronda. Side trips for nonskiers include a day trip to Trento to see the Buonconsiglio Castle, wine tasting, a snowshoe trek, snow rafting and walks around Moena. The last evening will be spent at Cima Uomo, a mountain hut, for dinner and a torchlight ski descent down the mountain.

Cost: $1,349 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare to Italy on Alitalia, airport transfers, seven nights’ lodging, daily breakfast and dinner, ski passes and tour hosts.

Contact: Carlucci’s Italy; tel. (949) 707-5824, Internet https:// www.orange-county.net/Carlucci-Tours.

Italy: Walking

Visit the wine region of Tuscany with Spanish Steps and Roman Roads, a walking tour company based in Aspen, Colo. Two seven-day treks are scheduled for April that offer trails with history, scenery and gourmet food and wines from the local eateries.

The lodging will be a restored B&B; about eight miles from the small medieval city of Siena.

Cost: $1,995 per person, double occupancy, including lodging, guide service, breakfast and dinner, and ground transportation in Tuscany from Siena. Air fare to Italy is extra.

Contact: Judy Colaneri at Spanish Steps and Roman Roads; tel. (970) 923-6859.

Spain: Guggenheim

A tour of the new Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, is the highlight of a nine-day, two-city tour March 21 to 29 offered by the Newark Museum in New Jersey.

The theme of the tour is 20th century Spanish art and architecture. Visiting Barcelona first, participants will see the Picasso Museum, Fundacio Joan Miro and Antonio Gaudi’s unfinished Church of the Sagrada Familia. A day trip to the Costa Brava includes the Salvador Dali Museum. In Bilbao, the group will stay in nearby San Sebastian, a fishing village turned resort in the mid-19th century. Other venues on the itinerary include Bilbao’s Fine Arts Museum and a day trip to Fuenterrabia and Zumaya.

Cost: $2,495 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from New York, first-class hotels, full breakfast daily plus two lunches and two dinners, ground transportation throughout by private motor coach, air fare from Barcelona to Bilbao, taxes, porterage and an English-speaking guide.

Tour members may extend their trip in Madrid. This three-day option includes city sightseeing and the Prado Museum, and a day trip to Toledo. Price is $595, double occupancy.

Contact: Newark Museum; tel. (973) 596-6643, or the tour operator, B.F. Tours; tel. (800) 966-7269.

Switzerland: By Rail

From April 29 to May 12, train fans can tour Switzerland with rail author-guide George Drury. Passengers will ride several trains, including the 60cm-gauge Schinznacher Baumschulbahn steamer, the Zurich Dinner Tram and the Bernina and Glacier expresses. Guests will tour the Swiss Transport Museum and see the tiny Trogen Railway.

Cost: $2,699 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, train tickets, sightseeing and some meals. Air fare is extra.

Contact: The Society of International Railway Travelers, 1810 Sils Ave., No. 306B, Louisville, KY 40205; tel. (800) IRT-4881.

Yellowstone: New Year’s

Family Adventure Tours will host a family ski trip to Yosemite National Park Dec. 29 to Jan. 2. The trip includes cross-country ski lessons and tours of the park, a New Year’s Eve party, brunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel and four nights at Cedar Lodge.

Cost: $250 for adults and $100 for children.

Contact: Family Adventure Tours, 1164 Alvira St., Los Angeles, CA 90035; tel. (213) 939-2819.

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