Brewing Up a Trip to Bavaria, Czech Republic

Savor traditional beers and meet the brewers of Central Europe on a trip in the Czech Republic and Bavaria from Sept. 15 to 24. The trip begins in Prague, Czech Republic, a city filled with centuries-old brew pubs and cafes. Day trips out of Prague will include Plzen, the source of Pilsener Urquell.

Participants will spend two nights in Bamberg, a medieval German town, and sample its famous Rauchbier (smoke beer). Once in Munich, the tour’s final destination, the highlight will be Oktoberfest, the world’s biggest beer festival. There will also be tours to several Bavarian specialty breweries.

Cost: $1,750 per person, based on double occupancy, including hotels, entrance fees, ground transportation and some meals. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Mike Saxton, Travel 100 Group, telephone (312) 876-6866, Ext. 376, Internet https://www.beertrips.com.

Ecuador: Biking

With hands firmly gripped on handlebars, mountain bikers can see the “real” Ecuador while biking the trails of volcanoes. Trips are available Sept. 8 to 23 or Dec. 22 to Jan. 6. Mountain cyclists will bike a mix of dirt tracks and old cobbled roads, with a fair amount of ascent and descent.

Daily distances will average 24 miles in high altitudes and variable terrain. Participants will traverse the “Valley of the Volcanoes,” close to Quito, the capital. They will visit craft markets in Indian villages. The culmination of the trip is a bike ride up to (and descent from) Chimborazo and Cotopaxi, the highest peaks in Ecuador.

With full-time vehicle support and guides, guests will be camping part of the trip but will also spend several nights in hostels and historic haciendas.

Cost: $2,665 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, all meals, guides and airport transfers. Air fare to Quito is extra.

Contact: KE Adventure Travel; tel. (800) 497-9675, Internet https://www.keadventure.com.

Mediterranean: Cruise

A positioning voyage on the Wind Surf will cruise the ports of the Mediterranean beginning Nov. 11. The trip departs from Nice, France, and visits Palma de Mallorca, Valencia and Malaga, Spain; Tangier, Morocco; and Lisbon.

Cost: $2,263 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from New York, eight-day cruise, port charges and taxes.

Contact: Windstar Cruises; tel. (800) 258-7245, Internet https://www.windstarcruises.com.

Mexico: Holidays

Two tours to Mexico will help you get out of doing the holiday dishes. The first is Nov. 18 to 30 to Guadalajara, Lake Chapala, Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende for three nights.

The second trip, “A Mexican Christmas Posada,” runs Dec. 18 to 28. Four nights are spent in Puebla and six in Oaxaca. Guests will attend many holiday activities in both cities.

Cost: $1,095 per person, double occupancy, for the November trip and $1,245 per person, double occupancy, for the December trip, including hotels, two meals daily, guided tours and ground transportation. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Global Adventures, 350 N. El Camino Real, No. 36, Encinitas, CA 92024; tel. (800) 347-9468.

England: Walking

English Lakeland Ramblers know their way around England’s Lake District. Seven- and eight-day hiking and walking tours are available weekly through October. Besides tours in the Lake District, there are tours of the Cotswolds and the Scottish Highlands. An eight-day itinerary in the northern Highlands of Scotland includes three days on the Isle of Skye.

In the Lake District, tours originate from a single, family-run hotel from the 17th century. Participants are driven daily to hiking trails or can sign up for the inn-to-inn tours.

Tour sites include Neolithic stone circles, a Roman fort, a Gothic church, an Elizabethan mansion and William Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage. Rides on a narrow-gauge steam railway and a Victorian lake yacht are also included.

The itineraries’ primary focus is the scenery. The hiking pace and distance of the walks range from easy to moderate. They are designed for those in average physical condition; no hiking experience is necessary.

Cost: from $1,890 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, all meals, entrance fees and guides. Air fare to London is extra.

Contact: Seth Steiner at English Lakeland Ramblers, 18 Stuyvesant Oval No. 1A, New York, NY 10009; tel. (800) 724-8801, Internet https://www.ramblers.com.

Italy: Sicily

Discover the sights, sounds and flavors of Sicily with Amelia International Tours. Departing Dec. 23 for 11 days, the “Just Sicily” itinerary includes the ancient sites of Palermo, Agrigento, Siracusa and Taormina.

Guests will have the opportunity to participate in some of Sicily’s festive Christmas traditions and sample culinary delights, such as fish prepared with lemons and oranges, and cookies and honey cakes.

Four nights are spent in Palermo exploring the Norman Palace and the Church of St. John the Hermit, with its exotic gardens. A traditional Sicilian Christmas Eve feast will be served.

From Palermo, there’s an excursion to the medieval village of Erice, perched high above the western coastline. Walking along the cobblestone streets, the tour visits the Norman castle and a local pastry shop where fresh-made Christmas sweets await.

Cefalu is next, with its scenic fishing harbor and cathedral. The tour continues to Selinunte to see Greek ruins. New Year’s Eve revelers will be treated to an evening of dinner and music. New Year’s Day is spent ascending Mt. Etna and visiting Taormina’s Greco-Roman theater, with plenty of free time to relax in town.

Cost: $3,200 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, breakfast daily, most dinners, New Year’s Eve gala, deluxe motor coach, tour escort, round-trip airport transfers, taxes, service charges and entrance fees. Air fare is additional.

Contact: Amelia International; tel. (800) 742-4591, Internet https://www.ameliainternational.com.

Europe: Alps

A 12-day journey through Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy is available on various dates through October. Guests will visit Zurich’s Fraumunster, famous for its stained-glass windows by artist Marc Chagall; the Rhine Falls; “Mad” King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria; Vienna’s Schonbrunn Palace; and the ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the heart of the Italian Dolomites.

Cost: from $1,950 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from New York, hotels, some meals and entrance fees.

Contact: Insight Vacations, 745 Atlantic Ave., Suite 720, Boston, MA 02111; tel. (800) 582-8380, Internet https://www.insightvacations.com.

D.C.: Gala Event

The San Diego Natural History Museum will sponsor a trip to Washington, D.C., from Sept. 12 to 17 to celebrate the premiere of “Ocean Oasis,” a film for IMAX.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History will host a black-tie party including live music and dignitaries and politicians.

Trip participants will take a behind-the-scenes tour with the executive director of Explorer’s Hall, the National Geographic Society’s headquarters and museum, which contains thousands of objects collected on Geographic expeditions.

One evening will be spent with a local naturalist aboard a privately chartered 85-foot motor yacht for a deluxe dinner cruise focused on the ecosystems of the Upper Potomac and Anacostia rivers and the Washington Channel. Returning after sunset, participants will view the lighted national monuments.

Cost: $1,795 per person, double occupancy, including an invitation to the film premiere and black-tie reception, accommodations, daily breakfast, some meals, entrance fees, gratuities and guides. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Spectrum Tours, P.O. Box 50608, Santa Barbara, CA 93150; tel. (800) 974-7132.

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