When Autumn Nears, Prices for Travel to Europe Fall

Wait three weeks, and you’ll save; wait three months, and you’ll save spectacularly. That’s the capsule version of our advice to would-be tourists to Europe this fall. Prices drop a bit after Labor Day but plummet dramatically after October.

Paris: France Vacations, telephone (800) 720-6716 or (310) 645-3070, has dropped the rate for its five-night air-and-hotel package to Paris to a remarkable $429 from New York between Oct. 16 and Dec. 11. The price is $589 from Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and other West Coast cities. The carrier is Continental Airlines; the hotel is the modest, two-star Jardin de Paris Montparnasse.

London: Internet tour operator Go-today (https://www.go-today .com) requires that you transact the purchase electronically, without speaking to a human being. But what a bargain! Between Nov. 1 and Dec. 13, $449 buys round-trip air fare from New York to London, six hotel nights, continental breakfasts and airport transfers. Add $160 from Los Angeles or San Francisco. And the buzz in the travel business is that this cyberspace tour operator will drop the rate by another $50 for the same package per person in January and February.

Istanbul: Starting Nov. 1, a time of still-mild weather in Turkey, the long-established Pacha Tours, tel. (800) 722-4288, will give you six nights in Istanbul, a half-day orientation tour and a free flight to another city within Turkey for $595 from New York, $870 from Los Angeles. The ability to visit another Turkish location in the course of your stay makes this a breathtaking value.

Prague: Fly from Los Angeles to this gorgeous city during its quiet season, Nov. 1 through mid-December, with Paul Laifer Tours, tel. (800) 346-6314, for $898. That buys you round-trip air fare, six nights at the Ibis Karlin Hotel, buffet breakfasts and a half-day sightseeing tour.

St. Petersburg and Moscow: After Oct. 1, the Russian-owned tour operator Morris Travel Group, tel. (212) 683-8930, will offer its long-popular, one-week air-and-land package for $599 from New York on Finnair. The tour goes to St. Petersburg for three nights, then to Moscow on an overnight sleeper train. This package includes an evening performance, such as the ballet or the circus, in each city.