Fruitful Sightseeing Through the Big Apple

Central Park in spring and the best of Broadway are on tap on a trip to New York City April 4 to 10. Participants will have orchestra seats for three Broadway plays: “Titanic,� winner of four Tonys, including the best musical, “Chicago,� winner of best revival of a musical and five additional Tonys, and a third play to be announced. Guests will also attend a performance by the New York Philharmonic with guest conductor Andre Previn. Three days are spent on walking tours with New York guides, including tours of Ellis Island and NBC Studios. Accommodations are at the Edison Hotel.

Cost: $1,490 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, transfers, hotel accommodations, four cultural events, city guides, tours to Ellis Island and NBC Studios.

Contact: Mira Costa College Community Services Department, 1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside, CA 92056; telephone (760) 757-2121, Ext. 6820.

River Recitals

Classical concerts--on board and on land--highlight a May 30 to June 6 cruise aboard the River Cloud along the Main and Rhine rivers in Germany. Singers and pianists will include Michael and Zora Svetlev, Brian Hunter, Boris Martinovic and Max Barros. Shore events are a Mozart festival in Wurzburg, an organ recital in Amorbach, “Carmen� in Wiesbaden, a chamber concert at Schloss Engers and a ballet “Coppelia� in Cologne. There are also daily sightseeing tours.

Cost: from $4,125 per person, double occupancy, including cabin, meals, shore excursions, performances, fees and airport transfers. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Dailey-Thorp Travel, 330 W. 58th St., Suite 610, New York, NY 10019; tel. (212) 307-1555.

Italy’s Lakes

A trip to Italy is being offered by Historic Tours July 7 to 20. Participants will begin in Italy’s Lake District. At lakes Como, Maggiore and Garda guests will take boat rides and visit 16th century villas and botanical gardens. The canals of Venice and the sites of Bologna will be visited before the tour heads to Florence. The artworks of Ghiberti and Michelangelo, the gardens of the Medicis and historic villas will be visited. Tours of Siena and Rome are also scheduled.

Cost: $3,294 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from LAX, motor coach, first-class hotels, full breakfasts daily, welcome and farewell dinners, and porterage and entrance fees.

Contact: Don Eslinger, Historic Tours, 16142 Woodstock Lane, Huntington Beach, CA 92647; tel. (714) 846-9595.

Great Irish Houses

Ireland . . . Behind the Scenes is hosting a 14-night decorative arts tour Aug. 27 to Sept. 10. Accommodations, private lunches, dinners and receptions will be held in unique settings, such as Luttrellstown Castle, Glin Castle and Humewood Castle.

Owners of great Irish houses will welcome guests and provide insight on architecture, history and furniture. Guests will dine with Desmond Guinness, an authority on Irish houses, at Leixlip Castle and with Desmond FitzGerald, president of the Irish Georgian society, at his ancestral home, Glin Castle.

Participants also will have time to play golf.

Cost: $5,900 per person, double occupancy, including most meals, deluxe motor coach, Irish guide, baggage handling and private limousine transfer from Dublin. The tour begins in Dublin and departs from Shannon. Not included: air fare to Ireland and driver/guide gratuity.

Contact: Patsy Malone at Ireland . . . Behind the Scenes, Box 50812, Montecito, CA 93150; tel. (888) 610-6000.

Baja Bash

The “Two-Nation Vacation� combines San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico, in a three-night tour departing April 13.

In San Diego, the group will visit Old Town, staying at the Vacation Inn and visiting Bazaar Del Mundo with dinner at the Spaghetti Factory in the Gaslamp District. In Mexico, the group will spend two nights at the Estero Beach Resort, have a lobster lunch in Puerto Nuevo, and visit Ensenada’s Guadalupe Valley, including a tour, tasting and lunch at the Cetto winery, and a tour of the valley’s Russian Museum. A shopping spree on Avenida Revolucion in Tijuana and lunch at Tijuana’s Guadalajara Grill finish the tour.

Cost: $264 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip motor coach transportation to Ensenada, hotels and some meals.

Contact: Baja California Tours; tel. (619) 454-7166.

St. Patrick’s Day

Short on blarney? Replenish your supply by kissing the famous stone, and celebrating St. Paddy’s Day in Ireland during festive St. Patrick’s Week. All Roads of Travel is offering a tour March 12 to 20.

Participants will tour castles, cathedrals and landscapes in Killarney, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Connemara and Limerick.

Cost: $790 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations with private bathrooms, breakfast daily, some meals, entertainment in Dublin, motor coach transportation and all sightseeing fees. Air fare is not included.

Contact: Cassie Bacher, All Roads of Travel; tel. (916) 486-8786.

Tennis, Anyone?

The Tennis Players travel organization is planning a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, leaving LAX Feb. 13 and returning Feb. 17. Tennis enthusiasts will be staying at the Fiesta Americana Hotel on the beach in oceanfront accommodations and playing tennis at the John Newcombe Tennis Center.

Cost: $439 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, transportation to and from the airport, cocktail parties, dinner and tennis. Air fare is available for an additional $398 round trip.

Contact: The Tennis Players, 256 S. Robertson Blvd., No. 2380, Beverly Hills, CA 90211; tel. (310) 275-8415.

Gardens of Italy

Private and public gardens of the Italian Lake District are the focus of a tour led by garden designer and writer Jacqueline Murphy. The 15-day tour, departing April 27, also includes gardens in Tuscany and Lazio as well as visits to the cities of Verona, Venice, Florence and Rome.

Cost: $3,595 per person, double occupancy, including first-class hotels, daily breakfasts, most dinners, all sightseeing and entrance fees, private motor coach and professional guides. Air fare is not included.

Contact: Lucas & Randall; tel. (800) 505-2505.

Pre-Mardi Gras

Enjoy the preliminary parades, festivities and food and drink for which New Orleans is famous on a trip to Louisiana Feb. 18 to 23. Guests will visit Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World, watch the Babylon Parade in the French Quarter and spend half a day at the New Orleans School of Cooking. They will witness “The Running of Mardi Gras� in rural areas where locals on horseback gather ingredients for the traditional gumbo. At night, members can party at the Petroleum Club of Lafayette, attend the “Krewe of Bonaparte Parade,� followed by the Titon Ball, where the King and Queen of Lafayette arrive inside the Cajundome.

Cost: $1,425 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare between LAX and New Orleans, motor coach transportation, all attractions and some meals.

Contact: Main Street Tours, 1751 W. Torrance Blvd., Suite N., Torrance, CA 90501; tel. (800) 300-6246.

April in New Orleans

Get an introduction to the Louisiana swamps as you cruise the bayous on a trip to New Orleans that departs April 7 for five days. A French Quarter walking tour and tours of two antebellum plantations, Nottoway and Oak Alley, are scheduled. A guide in period costume will discuss the history of the old South while guests eat a Cajun lunch. A local chef will also teach guests about the art of Cajun cooking. Guests also can take an evening dinner cruise aboard the steamboat Natchez.

Cost: $1,149 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, luggage handling, motor coach transportation, accommodations, continental breakfast each morning, two lunches, two dinners, tours and a dinner cruise.

Contact: Friendly Excursions; tel. (800) 775-5018.

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