Sail Along the Seine

The Real Deal: Round-trip airfare, a seven-night cruise, seven shore excursions, and all meals from $1,998 per person--$500 off the typical rate.

When: Depart Mar. 24, 31, Apr. 7, 14, 21, 2007; add $250 for departures in May, June, July and Aug.

Gateways: New York City; add $100 for Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.; $200 for Houston; $300 for Los Angeles; additional cities available.

Details: Airport/port transfers, meals, and onboard lectures are included. Additional airport taxes and fuel surcharges are about $335 per person, and port charges are $84 per person. Based on double occupancy; single supplement is a whopping $2,143. For general guidelines on evaluating deals, click here.

Book By: Jan. 31, 2007; afterwards the price jumps to $2,498 per person.

Contact: Uniworld, 800/733-7820, uniworld.com.

The package includes round-trip airfare to Paris on a major carrier and seven nights in an outside-facing cabin with a private bathroom aboard the lovely, nimble River Baroness. The trip begins with two nights docked in Paris, where you'll take a city tour, with stops including the Luxembourg Gardens, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Eiffel Tower, go on a boat ride along the Seine, and enjoy a welcome dinner.

On the third day, the ship departs for the village of Conflans and nearby Auvers sur Oise, where Van Gogh lived for years and painted masterpieces such as Wheat Fields. Next comes the medieval city of Rouen and a guided tour of its Romanesque cathedral, Renaissance clock tower, and the Vieux Marche, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in the 15th century.

You'll spend the following day exploring the beaches at Normandy, famous for the Allies' D-Day invasion, and sites such as the Pegasus Bridge and the American Cemetery at Colleville. The final stops are the fishing town of Honfleur, with a walking tour, and Giverny, where you'll visit Monet's former home with gardens filled with water lilies. A captain's farewell dinner concludes the trip.

Before you go, check the weather forecast, exchange rate, and local time at BudgetTravelOnline.com.

What Makes This a Deal? You'll save $500 per person off the regular rate if you book by Jan. 31, and you'll have the convenience of one-stop shopping. More generally, it's tough to price out the elements of the package because river cruises such as this one almost always need to be booked through the tour operator. (In contrast, ocean cruises on, say, Carnival or Royal Caribbean can be booked independently through sites such as kayak.com.) Consider that the $1,998 rate breaks down to about $285 per person per day for lodging aboard the cruise, all meals, seven sightseeing excursions, lectures, airfare, and transfers.

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