A little travel culture

AMSTERDAM might mean sleaze to some given the notoriety of a certain district of the city, but it’s a lot more that — one of the most popular short-breaks destination for other reasons, one of which is art.

O'Mara travel has come up with a dedicated travel brochure: Cultural Tours for Art and Music Lovers, with emphasis on Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid, Nice, Paris, Prague, Vienna and Bruges among other destinations.

The packages don't come that cheap. A six-day trip to Amsterdam will cost in excess of €1,100, per person sharing.

But for some, the real art lovers, this guided tour may well be worth the effort and the cost. One of the highlights will be a tour of the Van Gogh Museum.

(And on the subject of art, Damaris Lysaght, who has studied in Florence after an initial education in Ireland, is exhibiting at the Joan Clancy Gallery, Mullinahorna, Ring, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford until April 29.)

Paris, Prague and Vienna are more for those with an interest in music opera in particular, and the packages range from under €400 to €700.

An additional attraction in the programme is a seven-day self-drive trip to South Africa or, more specifically, a wine trip to the Cape Town area.

Between April and October the prices are fixed at €775 and it goes up to €1,200 in the peak summer season between October 17 and March 2004.

AER LINGUS has added Palma to a list of seven direct routes from Ireland to Spain and Portugal. The service will operate from June 3 good news for those who prefer to roam beyond the normal range package deals offer.

The service will operate three times weekly and will compliment the airlines' existing services to Malaga, Madrid, Alicante and Barcelona.

The added benefit is that the flights are not scheduled for ungodly hours of the morning and prices begin from €99 one way including all taxes and charges.

Aer Lingus Chief Operations Officer, Seamus Kearney said: "I am delighted to announce this new route to Palma, the 14th new route introduced by Aer Lingus since January 2002. All our routes to the popular sun destinations are performing extremely well.

DIRECT Holidays has recently launched a villa programme on the Irish market. The popularity of staying in villas has increased in recent years as more people option for the greater freedom and privacy they allow.

Holidaymakers can now choose from a huge selection of hand-picked villas that offer between two and five bedrooms.

In total, the company is providing villas in 17 different resorts throughout the Algarve, Majorca and Menorca.

Prices for seven nights start from just over €330 for adults and €142 for children and include free car hire and a welcome pack.