A Guide to Prices & PIaces

FROM speedy new quadrupod jets and slower prop planes, from fast liners and converted wartime Victory ships, 500,000 Americans will land in Europe this summer in the greatest tourist invasion in history. With curiosity and half a billion in cash, they will wander from the all-night-sun Lapland, north of the Arctic Circle, to the stoned isles of the Aegean. Some will tramp through cathedrals, others will look for the high life, and many will exhaust themselves trying to combine some of both. But Americans in Europe in 1960 are in for some surprises.

The natives are on the move too. In many places the demand for hotel rooms will outrun facilities; 1960 is the year of the big squeeze, and traveling will often prove hard work. At the height of the season, which begins this month and runs through September, tourists must be prepared to scramble for unreserved hotel rooms, cadge for scarce festival tickets, and moan their way through traffic tie-ups that rival rush hours in Manhattan. But customs red tape has been minimized, and except for the Iron Curtain countries and Yugoslavia, visas are burdens of the past, and so is the black market for currency.

Prices & Budgets. Prices have risen sharply, along with Europe's standard of living, are up 5% to 10% this year above 1959. Minimum budget: $10 per person per day, plus round-trip fare. The most expensive countries are Britain, France, Sweden, Switzerland and Belgium.

Still cheap are Spain, Austria and Ireland. Biggest travel bargain in 1960, after the initial expense of getting there: Greece, where accommodations are improving, though rarely luxurious, and prices are low: $10 per day for deluxe double room, $2.50 to $3.50 for the best dinner available.

Air, Ocean & Rail. Air fares are 8% higher than last year for first class ($900 New York to London round trip); up also are economy flights ($486 New York-London round trip). Planes are virtually booked solid until July 15. Cheapest scheduled flights are on Icelandic Airlines DC-45 and -6s between New York and London ($405.20 round trip). Other bargains: round-trip tickets that allow unlimited stops en route. With a jet flight from New York to Rome on a round-trip economy ticket ($620.30), a tourist can choose stops in 24 cities in eleven countries. Charter flights that require a minimum of 69 people from an organized group (e.g., women's clubs, country clubs, lodges) cost as little as $250 per round trip.

Travel by sea costs 5% to 8% more than last year in all classes (about $604 to $864 for first class, $420 to $467 tourist class round trip). Ship space is almost entirely filled through July 15, but there are some first-class bookings available. On the Continent, a joint 13-nation Eurailpass offers unlimited rail travel, plus rides on ferry boats and steamers on the Rhine, Danube and Swiss lakes, with a single $125 ticket valid for two months. Rail bargains are being offered by Britain and Ireland: a 1,000-mile tourist ticket for $34 first class and nine-day unlimited-mileage tickets for $39. Switzerland's weekend rail trips offer a return fare almost free, and in the Scandinavian countries tourists are being offered fare cuts of 25%.

Cars & Roads. More than 250,000 Americans will buy and rent cars to see Europe, pay $50 per day for chauffeur-driven Cadillacs and $16 per day for Volkswagen buses. Cars can be rented through the American Automobile Association and from Hertz and Avis in advance, or from firms on the Continent, which have rates about $1 per day cheaper-- $2.50 per day for a Volkswagen, plus 5-c- per kilometer (.6 of a mile) and gas. Roads are good except in Spain, Portugal, Yugoslavia, and behind the Iron Curtain. European gas prices are still exorbitant by U.S. standards, average 55-c- per U.S. gal., run as high as 84-c- per gal. in France and Italy. But special cut-rate government coupons provide a 21% discount in France, 30% in Italy.

Guided Tours. Conducted tours run as low as $587 for an eight-day, seven-country trip. There are special tours for bachelors (lots of nightclubs), theater buffs (1960 is the year for the Oberammergau Passion Play), stamp collectors (London's International Exhibition in July), golfers (following the tournaments and playing the best courses in the British Isles). For James Joyce fans, it is even possible to be conducted on a lurch through Dublin in the steps of Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom, taking two hours or two days, depending on how many "balls of malt" (Irish whisky) are downed en route. Touring cost for two: $6 in a horse-drawn Dublin cab. For $2.50 from West Berlin there is a guaranteed-safe-return tour, including bleak Communist East Berlin.

Where to Stay. All European first-class hotels in major cities will be jammed, have few rooms and small hellos for travelers without reservations. Paris' top triumvirate (Ritz, George V and the Crillon) are already booked well into August. Cost: upwards of $20 per day for double rooms. Second-class hotels and pensions will be easier to get into. Biggest crush will be in Rome, where the 17-day Olympics start on Aug. 25. Olympics officials are planning to set up beds in monasteries and schools for the 100,000 foreigners per day expected to attend, promise that "nobody will be homeless."

New hotels are rising in the Scandinavian countries. Copenhagen's Royal Hotel (double rooms start at $9) will be ready in July. In Spain, hotel rates are government-controlled, and the best, such as Madrid's Ritz and Palace, start at $12 per night for two. (Old Spanish Traveler Ernest Hemingway always stays at the Casa de Suecia.) Accommodations in Greece are better this year. The King's Palace Hotel in Athens, which opened last November, is first class. The Aegean isles of Paros and Rhodes will have more facilities ($5 to $6 per double room), and the new highway between Larissa and Salonica has a new hotel in the shadow of Mount Olympus.

Where to Dine. The tradition of Paris' elegant restaurants is to be had at prices more elegant than ever (minimum: $8 per person) at Tour d'Argent (try the violet souffle), Maxim's (Roger Viard is Albert's successor as head waiter), Laperouse and Grand Vefour, where the specialty is ortolan, a European finch served under glass. Parisian diners-out, who shift their favor unpredictably, still rank Lassere's highly, which specializes in squab (about $18 for two), and for less fancy eating prefer Chez Les Anges (specialty: steak Aphrodite) or the Rotisserie de 1'Abbey, with its Renaissance decor and troubadours, or the Lucas-Carton, with its belle epoque atmosphere. For outdoor dining, the waters and woods of Paris' Bois de Boulogne form the background for the Pavilion Royal and the Pre Catelan (specialty: chicken in champagne).

In the provinces, knowing tourists thumb their Guide Michelin, which this year only gives its coveted three stars to seven restaurants outside Paris: at Le Baux-de-Provence (Bauma-niere), Noves (La Petite Auberge), Vienne (Pyramide), Talloires (Auberge du Pere Bise) and Avallon (Poste). Special inexpensive tourist menus are available at restaurants that bear the government tourist office's white and blue signs with a chef's head and one to four stars. A three-course meal costs $1 at a one-star restaurant, $4 at a four-star restaurant.

Flaming Meat Platters. In Vienna, where the eating is rich, there are flaming meat platters at the Csardasfuerstin and Alpine trout at the Rotisserie Coq d'Or. The Drei Husaren (Three Hussars), probably Vienna's best restaurant, concentrates on veal schnitzel and crepes filled with rich chocolate or strawberry cream. Anton Karas (The Third Man zither player) has his own wine bibbery.

Two of London's favorite restaurants this year are the expensive Mirabelle and the Guinea, a converted pub. Less expensive and more colorful are Ye Olde Cock Tavern, a Fleet Street favorite of newsmen since Charles Dickens' time, and Alexander's, a basement hideaway for visiting celebrities.

Favored in Scandinavia are: Copenhagen's Langelinie Pavilion, in a garden overlooking the harbor; Oslo's Viking, decorated by Gauguin's son Paul; and Stockholm's downtown Riche and outlying Stablemaster Lodge ($16 for two). Rome's "21" is the posh Hostaria dell'Orso, in the house where Dante once lived, and Da Giggetto has a lot of classic atmosphere for the price ($4-$6 for two). Florence's Sostanza serves Tuscan beef at long, crowded tables ($4 for two); Venice's Colombo, at San Luca. offers fish specialties served in an open courtyard.

In Germany, Munich favorites are Holzmuellers, which makes a tantalizing Salzburger Nockerl (fluffy cake of egg whites), and the excellent Walterspiel at the Vier Jahreszeiten (Four Seasons) Hotel. Also recommended: Zurich's chalet-style Velt-liner Keller combines rustic atmosphere with Swiss specialties; Brussels' Ancienne Barriere (specialty: oysters in champagne).

Fun After Dark. Although nearly every West European city except respectable Rome has its striptease shows, the bawdiest are in Paris, Hamburg and Brussels. Among the popular places: Brussels' Chez Paul au Gaity; Paris' flashy Lido, and the broader diversions of the famed Crazy Horse. Hamburg's Reeperbahn nightclub strip is Germany's gaudiest and roughest.

In Rome, where strip shows are forbidden, natives find the best show is to sit at a sidewalk cafe on the elegant Via Veneto and sip espresso while Italian beauties sway by. There are other forms of culture too: Carmen, Boheme and Aida, with live camels, horses and elephants, will be given on an outdoor stage in the Baths of Caracalla (July 2-Sept. 4).

In London, a Leicester Square theater has been turned into a large restaurant. The Talk of the Town, with a floor show for the entire family and plenty of floor space for dancing (about $6.75 per person). There is little night life in Sweden and Norway, where strip shows are forbidden, but some restaurants stay open until 4 a.m. with bands for dancing. Best jazz is at Vienna's Fatty's Saloon and the Adebar, Rome's Bricktop's on the Via Veneto, and Paris' Caveau de la Huchette. To end the evening, Paris has the traditional onion soup at Les Halles, Paris' great produce market. There is also Le Drug Store on the Champs Elysees, where the specialties de la maison are hamburgers.

Where & What to Buy. One of the finest shopping streets in Europe is Paris' Rue Faubourg St. Honore, home of such couturiers as Lanvin and Cardin as well as Hermes--a combination of Mark Cross and Abercrombie & Fitch--where expensive leather goods are made on the premises (e.g., an $80 copy of a handbag for Princess Grace of Monaco).

In France, tourists can save up to 20% in local taxes by paying in traveler's checks. In England, the local tax can be saved by showing a U.S. passport and having the goods shipped to the airport or ship, or directly to the U.S. In Switzerland, the tourist can cut about 15% off the list price of watches by some haggling (a reliable 17-jewel watch costs about $25, a self-winding watch about $40). In Belgium, best buys are handmade lace in Bruges (at Durein) or Brussels (at Diane Dirgent), hunting rifles from Bury Donckier in Liege and cut diamonds in Antwerp, where they sell for 30% to 50% less than in New York. Holland has antique auctions in Amsterdam and at Delft (from Aug. 24 to Sept. 14), specializing in porcelain, silver and paintings. In the Scandinavian countries there are savings of up to 60% on stainless-steel flatware and silver (e.g., Georg Jensen silver costs about 1 1/2 times more in New York). Impressive bargains are at shops of Shannon, a customs-free airport. An ounce of Jean Patou Joy perfume costs $20.50 v. $28.20 in Paris, $50 in New York.

Festivals & Village Fetes. In 1960 there will be more than 100 festivals to choose from in addition to those devoted to music (TIME, June 6). Spain's explosive Pamplona San Fermin bullfighting festival begins at sunrise on July 6 as a herd of bulls thunder through the streets on their way to the ring. At the Palio of Siena (July 2 and Aug. 16), daredevil jockeys race bareback around the medieval city square. Venice's Feast of the Redeemer (July 16) features a nightlong procession of lantern-filled gondolas in the Grand Canal. The walled village of Marostica (two hours' drive from Venice) puts on a live and lively chess match, with people dressed as chess pieces, in the town square (Sept. 3 and 4).

Germany's most famous festival is Munich's Oktoberfest (Sept. 24-Oct. 9), which concentrates on beer swilling. The Dublin Horse Show runs from Aug. 2 to 6. Czechoslovakia will feature the Straznice Folk Festival (July 16 and 17), where 2,000 dancers will compete in the courtyards of the Straznice Castle, near the Austrian border. Greece's best is the festival of Epidaurus, where classic tragedies and comedies are being performed in an ancient open-air theater 100 miles south of Athens during June and July. New this year: the Floriade in Rotterdam (through Sept. 25), the world's largest flower show.

Sightseeing by Water. River travel, in addition to the traditional trips down the Rhine ($6 from Cologne to Wiesbaden) and the 13-hour trip along the Danube from Passau in Germany to Vienna, is one way to beat the crowded highways. Best way to make the Danube run is to board the night before (deck cabin, plus one-way fare for two: $16), awaken as the trip begins. British waterway cruises now include boat trips up the Thames to Oxford as well as chartered cruises (from $37 per week for boats with two berths to $112 for six).

On Holland's 6,000 miles of inland waterways, motorboats that sleep four can be chartered from $50 to $150 a week. (Most are already reserved.) Sweden offers a pleasant, three-day cruise through the Gota Canal and Sweden's largest lakes ($126). A four-day tour of the Finnish Lake Saimaa district by bus and boat from Helsinki costs $52.50.

Off the Traveled Trail. Cheapest way to see the Continent is the way many Europeans (particularly Germans) do: camp out. Basic equipment (tent, air mattresses and sleeping bags, two-burner stove and utensils) costs about $100 in Europe. Camping sites with running water are available in all countries, cost, 75-c- per night for two people and a car. It sometimes requires great tolerance of one's fellow man and his debris. To see Ireland in a rut, the Cork Caravan Co. has a horse-drawn gypsy cart that sleeps four, costs $40 per week, including bottled gas for cooking, built-in lights and the horse.

For ancestor hunters, the British Travel and Holidays Association will recommend professional genealogists or will complete the title search in advance and arrange a visit to ancestral homes. More than 60 French chateaux have been converted to accommodate tourists in the formidable ducal splendor of the 1 3th and 15th centuries at prices ranging from $16-$40 per day for a double, including meals. For the ultimate in converted castles: the Sportsman's Club at Mittersill, Austria. Once-only guests are accepted at $40 to $50 per night for the privilege of trout fishing and hunting.

Behind the Iron Curtain. Visas to Russia and the satellite countries take from one to six weeks to obtain. Despite Khrushchev's unwelcoming noises, a record number of Americans (20,000) are expected to sign up for some 40 trips to 60 cities offered by Intourist, the official Soviet travel agency. The experience is dour but instructive. Prices: $10 to $30 per day. All satellite countries are offering special currency-exchange rates to tourists.

Warsaw is drab and still rubble-strewn, but memorable. The ancient capital of Cracow retains its medieval splendor. So does Prague, with its beautiful setting; on the Moldau, hotels are good (single: $11.75 per day with meals). Bureaucracy controls: the hotel costs must be paid before the tourist can use his visa. A four-day tour of Bohemian spas and castles costs $38.20 with meals.

Budapest has removed all the visible evidence of the 1956 revolution. The Gellert Hotel (just refurbished), the Duna and the Grand, the city's best, cost $20.50 per day for two, including meals. The evening includes gypsy violins, and a capitalist 15% service charge is added to the bill to help remind the tourist that Europe is Europe.

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