Europe for Visitors Blog

We seldom publicize tours, since our site focuses on independent travel, but every now and then we learn about an itinerary that's interesting enough (or amusing enough) to be worth featuring. In this post, we'll introduce you to Operation: Euro213, The Istanbul Venetian Affair, which Theme Park People have organized in cooperation with Globus Tours.

The 10-day tour begins in Istanbul on June 29, and it wraps on July 8 after a two-night stay in Venice. Along the way, participants will visit six cities in five countries, including locations from such films as Skyfall, From Russia With Love, The Bourne Identity, Casino Royale, The World Is Not Enough, For Your Eyes Only, Moonraker, The Living Daylights, Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, The Pink Panther, XXX, Mission Impossible, The Tourist, and The Third Man.

The tour isn't cheap (US $3,300, double occupancy), but let's face it: James Bond doesn't stay in hostels, and if you want to experience what it's like to be a secret agent on expenses, neither should you.

For more information, visit the Ultimate Secret Agent Tour Adventure page at ThemePartyPeople.com.

BELOW: Members of a previous Theme Party People tour pose for a group photo in Venice.

Images: Theme Party People.

Bern Tourismus is promoting a "Fondue Carriage Ride" this winter.

For a mere 190 Swiss francs, a couple can tour Switzerland's cozy capital in a pedicab or cycle rickshaw (dubbed a "Fonduekscha") while noshing on cheese fondue and white wine. (Singles pay 160 francs, so if you're traveling alone, you might as well save money by hooking up with a fellow fondue fan at your hotel or hostel.)

The 60- to 90-minute tours operate from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, with late-night departures available on request.

The video below, which is narrated in Bernese dialect, shows what to expect during your tour. For details, or to book a tour, visit the "Fondue Carriage Ride" page at Bern's English-language tourism site.

Video: JRZ.ch.

ABOVE: A summer hike in Italy's photogenic Dolomites.

Dolomite Mountains srl, a tour company based in Livinallongo del Col di Lana, Italy, is offering photo and video safari tours in the summer of 2011.

Photography and Creativity in the Italian Alps: An Artistic Journey into the Heart of the Dolomites is an 8-day/7-night itinerary that runs from June 27 to July 4.

After arriving at Venice Airport, the dozen participants will spend a week walking and working with fine-art photographer Randy Jay Braun and local legend Karin Pizzinini, a multilingual photographer, trail guide, and alpinist. A third instructor will be Julieanne Kost, Adobe's senior digital imaging expert for Lightroom and Photoshop.

Val Gardena, a working farm in the Ladino, high mountain villages, and chairlift rides to displays of alpine flowers are a few of many photo opportunities on the tour.

Dolomite Mountains srl informs us that "The active sunrise-to-sunset itinerary includes regional cuisine, comfortable accommodations, and roundtrip transfers from Venice’s Marco Polo International Airport. The nearly all-inclusive cost per person is €3,480, and guests can book an optional July 4-7 trip extension to Venice."

If you prefer moving pictures to stills, you may want to investigate Videography and Creativity in the Italian Alps: A Visual and Spiritual Journey in the Dolomite Mountains, June 13-23. The cost is €4,650 per person, double (single supplement €540).

About Dolomite Mountains srl

Dolomite Mountains is a 15-year-old company that offers both escorted and self-guided active trips, luxury tours, and gourmet adventures in the Dolomites of Northeastern Italy. The company has a Web site at www.dolomitemountains.com.

Photo: Dolomite Mountains srl.