Gate1 offers economical escorted tours and independent travel packages. One of its many winter tours is "Affordable Greece with Istanbul," which visits the classical sites of Athens, the UNESCO World Heritage site at Meteora, Delphi and the Turkish city of Istanbul. The "8 Day Affordable Spain" tour starts in Madrid and travels south to see the Alhambra Palace and Gothic cathedral in Seville and the cities of Granada and Cordoba. Irish weather is always rainy, but winter is not too cold; the "8 Day Affordable Ireland" tour visits Dublin, Killarney, Waterford and Galway.
Gate1 Travel
455 Maryland Drive
Ft. Washington, PA 19034
800-682-3333
gate1travel.com
For travelers who want to experience many countries, Cosmos offers a 10-day "Six Countries Venice and Paris" tour all year long. It starts in England and then visits Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland before ending in France. The 10-day "Taste of Europe" trip starts in London and visits Amsterdam, the German Rhineland, Lake Lucerne and Paris. One winter-only tour is the two-week "Costa del Sol" vacation, based in the resort of Torremolinos with excursions throughout southern Spain. The company has many other winter season single- or multi country tours around Europe.
Cosmos
5301 South Federal Circle
Littleton, CO 80123
cosmos.com
800-276-1241
Winter is the only time of year to visit the Christmas Markets of Central Europe. The cold weather gives visitors a reason to purchase roasted chestnuts, grilled sausages, freshly baked breads, mulled wines and holiday decorations and toys. Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Germany all have large Christmas Markets open from late November through just after New Year's. Some tours are land-only, but the most popular tours are Rhine River market cruises, and all last approximately one week.
Christmas Market Tours
c/o Atlas Cruises & Tours
9091 North Military Trail, Suite 14
Palm Beach Gardens, Fl. 33410
800-942-3301
christmasmarkettours.com
Collette Vacations' "Winter Escapes" tours feature some of Europe's warmest winter destinations. The two-week "Exploring Greece and Its Islands" tour visits Mykonos and Santorini, where whitewashed architecture and archaeological treasures can be seen any time of year. Collette has several Winter Escape tours that visit the Italian island of Sicily. The "Southern Italy and Sicily" tour also visits Rome and the Amalfi Coast during its 11-day journey.
Collette Vacations
162 Middle Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860
800.340.5158
collettevacations.com
Winter is ski season in the Alps. Contiki specializes in travel for young adults, ages 18 to 35, and has ski tours based out of the resort town of Hopfgarten, Austria. The Austrian ski tour includes other winter sports, sleigh rides and day trips to surrounding cultural sites. Ski Europe organizes trips for all ages and can arrange ski tours to popular resorts like Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy), Chamonix (France), St. Moritz (Switzerland), Bansko (Bulgaria) and Andorra.
Contiki
866-266-8454
contiki.com
Ski Europe
2636 Yorktown #321
Houston, TX 77056
800-333-5533
ski-europe.com
