Editors' Travel Deal Review

European Winter Bargain Vacations from $90

Get free air credit, save $200 off, or snag low hotel rates

By ShermansTravel Staff

March 31, 2009 03:22 pm EDT

Book By: ASAP

Travel By: Spring 2009

The Deal

With the economic crises now hitting Europe hard and the dollar gaining strength overseas, a trip across the pond isn’t such a stretch these days, especially when we’ve found ways to stretch your dollar. To compensate for poor bookings (hotel occupancy across Europe has fallen by 6% since last year), European hotels are offering lower rates and incentives, like air credits and euro-to-dollar price matching. Plus, winter airfare rates are as attractive as ever – it is the low season after all. Our editors dug up bargain deals running the gamut from $500 flight credits, $100 Amex card, free AirFrance stopovers, hotel rates from $90/night, and multi-city air-and-hotel combo packages from $635. 

Park Inn Berlin-Alexanderplatz, Berlin, from $90/night
Centrally located in Berlin’s Mitte district next to the landmark 368-meter TV Tower, the recently-renovated Park Inn Berlin-Alexanderplatz offers deluxe accommodations at value rates. A former communist-era high-rise, the hotel now offers a full range of amenities and services, including a rooftop bar, sundeck, casino, and several onsite bars and restaurants. Rates for a business-class room for two, with private marble bathroom, start at just $90/night.

$500 air credit: Luxury hotels in Vienna, Prague & London from $337/night
The crème de la crème of luxury hotels, we’re talking Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental, are offering a great deal available through Classic Vacations. Now, travelers who book a five-night stay at participating European luxury hotels will receive a $500 air credit towards the cost of their flight and a $100 American Express Gift Card. Our favorites include London’s posh Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park from $607/night and the classy Four Seasons Prague from $374/night. It’s hard to beat Vienna’s decadent Hotel Bristol for just $337/night.

Rome, Florence & Venice 6-night vacation with flight from $635 
Spend a week exploring Italy this winter or spring from just $635, thanks to EuropeanDestinations.com. The six-night jaunt to Rome, Florence, and Venice, includes 2 nights' hotel in each city, airfare from the US, breakfast daily, and train transfers between cities. If you want to see even more of Italy, try the nine-night Highlights of Italy package from just $829 per person, a cost that covers airfare, rental car, and hotels throughout Florence, Milan, Verona and more.

Royal Caribbean 4-night Mediterranean cruise from $349 
For a classic Mediterranean cruise, try this 4-night spring voyage aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas. Embarking from Barcelona, this round-trip cruise docks for a day in Marseille and spends a weekend in Ibiza, for just $349 per person (oceanview cabins start at $529). Along the way, you’ll have opportunities to check out Barcelona’s renowned Las Ramblas promenade and Gaudi-designed churches, Marseille’s picturesque waterfront in the Vieux Port, and Ibiza’s trendy shops, historic Old Town, world-class cuisine, and famous nightlife.

Up to $200 off: European River Cruises with Globus
Discover Europe’s fascinating waterways and the cities that surround them with affordable river cruise tours on offer from Globus. Save $200 off the air-inclusive price on any 2009 Globus or Avalon Europe river cruise. Or, receive $100 off the cruise-only price. Just be sure to book by February 28. We’d recommend the 12-day air-inclusive Black Sea Discovery cruise from $2,849, or the 12-day Legendary Danube cruise sailing from Prague to Budapest for the low price of $2,399, flight included.

Free Paris stopovers on AirFrance: Round-trip flights, with Paris, from $564
Fly to any Air France destination in Europe, the Middle East, India, or Africa, and enjoy a free stopover in Paris on your way there, your way back, or both. Use this offer to climb the Eiffel tower, explore the Louvre’s remarkable collections, simply grab a baguette and some wine for a picnic along the Seine. At the time of writing, we found round-trip flights to London, with a free stopover in the city of lights, for $564.

Backpackers Secret: The Eurail Pass
Don’t neglect train travel when overseas. It’s a great way to get around on the cheap while enjoying the scenery. Plus, the new and improved Eurail Pass offers a series of options for convenient train travel between countries. A consecutive-day pass offers unlimited rail travel for a particular length of time, while other flexible options include a pass available for a specific number of travel days scattered over a longer time period. The Eurail Select Pass is a great bargain; it affords unlimited travel on the national rail networks of 3 to 5 bordering countries, and starts from about $419.

The Dollars

Taxes and fees are additional.

The Catch

After your romantic European getaway, it's right back to your same old rountine.

Booking Details

For the Park Inn Berlin-Alexanderplatz, visit www.parkinn-berlin.de or call +49-30-2389-0.
 
For the Classic Vacations luxury hotel offer, visit www.classicvacations.com or call 1-800-221-3949.

For the Royal Caribbean Mediterranean sail, visit www.travelocity.com or call 1-877-815-5446.

For Eurail Passes, visit www.raileurope.com or 1-800-622-8600.

For the AirFrance free Paris stopover offer, visit www.airfrance.us or call 1-800-992-3932.

For the Rome, Florence and Venice vacation, visit www.europeandestinations.com or call 1-877-267-2247.

For the European river cruise offer, visit www.globusjourneys.com or call 1-866-755-8581.





Terms and Conditions

Check for the best rates on hotels anywhere across the globe with QuickSearch. All prices, dates, and booking details listed above were valid at the time of publication. Some information may have changed since that time.


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