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Bargain trips to Europe abound

By Richard P. Carpenter, Globe Staff, 12/15/02

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From Dublin to Moscow, bargain trips to Europe this winter and spring are as ubiquitous as the euro. Here are just a few of those deals. (All prices are from Boston unless otherwise noted, and you can figure on adding another $70-$100 in airport fees and taxes.)

How's this for a Valentine gift: four days and three nights in London, starting at $469 per person. Book online before Jan. 13 and you get an additional $25 off.

Virgin Atlantic's Valentine Weekend Special departs on Wednesday, Feb. 13, and returns on Sunday, Feb. 17. The package includes round-trip economy air, "Meet & Greet" service upon arrival, round-trip transportation between the airport and your hotel, hotel taxes and service charges, breakfast daily, and a variety of other amenities, including .Virgin's London City Guide anddiscount dining coupons.

Visit at www.virginvacations.com or call 800-253-8649.

Sceptre Ireland has a four-night, $499 Sights and Sounds Pub Tour, which visits Ireland's most popular sites by day and its fabled pubs by night. Round-trip air fare is included, as is lodging in Galway and Dublin for two nights each, a full Irish breakfast daily, two dinners, touring and transportation, taxes and service charges, and tips, except those for the driver and guide. Departure dates are Jan. 31, Feb. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 21, 23, and 25.

(The fine print: The $499 price is per person, double occupancy, and must be booked online.)

Visit www.sceptreireland.com and click on Weekly Specials. Phone reservations at 800-221-0924 will cost you $30 extra for bookings of up to four guests.

Petrabax Vacations is offering one-week holidays to Portugal, starting at $569 for a week in Lisbon, that include air fare and six nights at a first-class hotel. Specials for other regions of Portugal are also available.

(The fine print: The price, which is for travel from Boston, is valid through February but not during the Christmas-New Year's holidays. Hotel taxes and breakfast are not included.)

Call 800-634-1188 or visit www.petrabaxusa.com.

A perennial favorite is the 15-day Costa Del Sol extended vacation in Torremolinos, Spain, from Grand Circle Travel, which specializes in trips for people 50 and older. The starting price of $1,145 gets you air; 13 nights at the Bajondillo Apartments near the beach where, Grand Circle says, you "live like a local"; 21 meals, including seven dinners; two sightseeing tours; and other amenities. Here's a rarity: There is no single supplement, subject to availability.

Call 800-221-2610 or visit www.gct.com.

If you've got the stamina, the price is right for a five-day, three-night winter visit to Moscow. The package, beginning at $699, features round-trip flights from New York on Finnair, transfers, three nights' hotel, daily breakfast, a half-day city tour, and a half-day Kremlin tour. That's a $450 saving over high season. Other tours, at extra cost, are also available.

(The fine print: There may be air and hotel surcharges Dec. 16-Jan. 6.)

Call 800-995-7997 or visit www.nordiquetours.com.