Shopping for Bargains in Korea and Hong Kong

Clothes, fabrics and folk handicrafts are some of the deals that can be found on a shopping trip to South Korea and Hong Kong from May 8 to 16. Guests will begin in Seoul with a tour of the Kyongbob Palace and the South Gate Market, a one-acre wholesale market with 1,250 shops.

In Hong Kong, shoppers will begin with sightseeing at Victoria Peak, Repulse Bay, the Bird Market, the Flower Market and the fishing village of Aberdeen. Then it’s on to the shops at Stanley Market to find brand-name designer clothes, jewelry and crafts.

Cost: $1,995 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, escorted tours in both cities, some meals and baggage handling.

Contact: Frances Reps of Sailair Travel; telephone (949) 458-1967.

Yellowstone: Solo Hikers

Traveling by yourself? The World Outside (formerly Roads Less Traveled) is offering a hiking trip for solo travelers to Yellowstone National Park from July 2 to 7. The five-night inn-to-inn trip includes a half-day of horseback riding, with hiking that is easy to moderate; more challenging options are also available.

Deluxe accommodations include the Old Faithful Inn, Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, Canyon Hotel and Lake Yellowstone Hotel. The trip begins and ends in Jackson, Wyo. Hikers will explore Yellowstone’s wilderness, canyons, waterfalls, rugged peaks, hidden hot springs and thermal features. Sights will include fumaroles, geysers, mud pots and wildlife.

Cost: $1,545 per person, including lodging in double rooms, most meals and guides. Air fare and hotel stays in Jackson before and after the trip are not included. This trip is also available June 18 to 23 and Aug. 27 to Sept. 1 for those who aren’t single.

Contact: The World Outside, 2840 Wilderness Place, Suite F, Boulder, CO 80301; tel. (800) 488- 8483, Internet https://www.TheWorldOutside.com.

France: It’s the Food

Cook, eat and taste wine in Provence, France, from May 20 to June 3. Five cooking classes will be given in a stone villa built in the 1700s. Students will eat outdoors overlooking a valley. The rest of the trip will be spent visiting villages and wineries in Avignon, Ni^mes, Toulon and Marseille.

Cost: $3,275 per person, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, classes with a local chef, accommodations in an apartment/ hotel or a home stay in Aix-en-Provence, all breakfasts, some meals, emergency medical insurance and excursions.

Contact: Gayle at Cultural Homestay International; tel. (800) 395-2726.

Europe: Passion Play

Germany’s village of Oberammergau and its Passion Play is the focus of a tour of Europe to be led by the Rev. Robert Bock of North Hollywood’s First Christian Church, Aug. 12 to 29. The itinerary includes London; Amsterdam; Heidelberg and Munich, Germany; Paris; and Lucerne and Zermatt, Switzerland.

Cost: $4,235 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, hotels, transfers, ground transportation by private motor coach, baggage handling, gratuities, breakfasts and some meals.

Contact: Pastor Robert Bock; tel. (818) 763-8218.

Thailand: Highlights

InnovAsian Travel is offering a 13-day tour of Thailand that begins with three nights in Bangkok at the deluxe Dusit Thani Hotel, making visits to the floating market at Lak Ha, the Vimarnmek Teak Palace and the Grand Palace. The program continues north to Chiang Mai, where stops are made at Borsang, the handicraft capital of Thailand, and Wat Phra That at the peak of Doi Suthep, a mountain outside town.

Continuing north, clients will spend the night in the Lisu Lodge, which is close to the Lisu tribe. The next day will include an elephant safari before continuing by road to Chiang Rai and two nights at the Dusit Island Resort. Sights here will include Mae Sai and the Mekong River, with views of Myanmar and Laos.

The tour ends with four nights on Phuket Island. Phuket’s highlight will be traveling on the June Bahtra as it sails into Phangnga Bay to see limestone cliffs.

Cost: $2,395 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles to Bangkok, domestic Thailand air fare, hotels, sightseeing, some meals, entrance fees and hotel taxes.

Tours are offered through Oct. 31, and travelers can depart any day.

Contact: InnovAsian Travel, 40 Edgewood Road, Hartsdale, NY 10530; tel. (800) 553-4665, Internet https://www.InnovAsian.com.

Norway: Coastline

A tour from Norwegian Coastal Voyages that will go along the 1,250-mile west coast of Norway is the centerpiece of six air/sea tours lasting 11 to 16 days. Itineraries include Finland and Iceland, with port stops between Bergen in the south and Kirkenes in the north. Passengers will also see the Geiranger fiord and its surrounding countryside.

Also included is a train journey from Oslo to Bergen through the heart of fiord country, one night in Bergen and a flight from Kirkenes to Oslo.

Cruises are offered from April through October.

Cost: from $2,090 per person, double occupancy, including cabin and all meals. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Bergen Line, 405 Park Ave., New York, NY 10022; tel. (800) 323-7436, Internet https:// coastalvoyage.com.

Greece: Archeology

Classical sites of Athens, Delphi, Olympia, Epidaurus and Corinth are the focus of two 16-day art and archeology tours of Greece.

The spring tour, departing April 30, also includes visits to Mistras, Thessaloniki, Verghina and Mani.

The fall tour, departing Sept. 28, includes the monasteries of Meteora and an in-depth visit to the island of Crete.

Both tours offer optional add-on Aegean Isles cruises.

Cost: from $3,720 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air from New York, most meals, baggage handling, first-class or better hotels, gratuities and all sightseeing.

Contact: OPA Tours Greece, 9345 Glory Ave., Tujunga, CA 91042; tel. (800) OPA-7155.

Iran: Ancient Cultures

An art history, archeological and cultural tour of Iran touching upon the various civilizations and empires of that land is being hosted by San Diego State University and the Classical Alliance of the Western States. The itinerary, April 13 to 26, includes Tehran, Shiraz, Persepolis, Pasargadae, Kerman, Yazd, Kashan and Isfahan.

Cost: $3,289 per person, double occupancy, including air fares to and within Iran, private motor coach, first-class and deluxe hotel accommodations, entrance fees to all sites, three meals daily, accompanying Iranian guide and an SDSU professor to give lectures. Academic credit is available.

Contact: Charles Smith of the Classical Alliance; tel. (800) 862- 6220.

Virginia: History

Head back into American history on a tour to Virginia that includes Williamsburg, Charlottesville, Richmond and Fredericksburg. Guests will stay in luxury inns on the eight-night trip, which starts May 4.

The itinerary includes the Confederate White House, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Pamplin Park Civil War site, Monticello and the Dome room at the University of Virginia.

Cost: $2,295 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, daily breakfasts, farewell dinner and ground transportation. Air fare to Norfolk, Va., is extra.

Contact: The Gurnham Group of South Carolina; tel. (800) 475-0004.

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