Q & A
I plan to take a tour of Italy, France or Greece with my granddaughter next summer. Do you know of any intergenerational programs similar to that of Interhostel, which is being discontinued? -- Arnold R. Adler, Tucson
Elderhostel, which has been arranging programs for those over 55 for 30 years (it has recently added a program for adults 21 and over), might offer the closest thing to the Interhostel programs. It has a range of all-inclusive trips to Europe next summer, but note that these trips are best suited to certain age groups.
A 15-night trip to Greece, for example, is designed for children ages 13 to 15, though Elderhostel has accepted children older than the top age bracket on their trips. It is a fairly active hands-on history trip, focusing on Plato, Aristotle, archaeology, mythology and Greek culture, says Adam Hurtubise, director of public and media relations at Elderhostel. The program includes tours of Athens; Kastraki and its cliffside Byzantine monasteries, where activities include kayaking, hiking, rappelling and biking; Salonika, with an optional hike up Mount Olympus; and a cruise on 30-to-40-foot sailboats through the Sporades Islands, with instruction in sailing. The trip is scheduled for July 1 to 16; from $3,256 per adult and $3,106 per child, with most meals but not air fare.
Elderhostel also offers a 13-night program to Italy next July 1, geared to ages 9 to 11, focusing on Rome, with lectures and walking tours (including a treasure hunt), Sorrento, Naples and Pompeii, with an optional hike up Mount Vesuvius; more departure dates may be added; prices are not yet set. Both this trip and the ones to France described below will be on the Web site, www.elderhostel.com, later this month; you can reserve now by calling (877) 426-8056.
A 12-night program to southwest France combines language and cooking classes, home visits and games, with 2 nights in Bordeaux and 10 nights in the village of Villeneuve-sur-Lot; departures on July 2 (ages 10 to 13) and July 30 (ages 13 to 15). The trip includes excursions to castles and nearby villages and a boat trip in the Arcachon Basin to see the highest sand dunes in Europe.
A somewhat higher-end organization with trips specifically for grandchildren aged 7 to 17 and grandparents is Grandtravel,  founded in 1986 by Helena Koenig and recently acquired by Academic Travel Abroad, which
has been designing educational tours for 50 years. This summer an 11-day trip exploring Rome, Florence and Venice included a train trip through Tuscany; a Venetian mask workshop; visits to Murano's glass blowers and Burano; a day in Siena; a cooking lesson with a Tuscan chef; and a day spent hiking, biking and riding on a 16th-century farm. Next year's program will be similar, said Ms. Koenig, with departures July 5 and 11; the cost will be $7,690 a person, double occupancy; $7,390 triple, with most meals, but not air fare.
If you are flexible in terms of dates, Grandtravel offers a spring-break trip to Greece next year, April 8 to 16, and if you'd like a more urban experience, a London and Paris trip is scheduled for July 1 to 10, July 22 to 31, and Aug. 19 to 28. Information: (800) 247-7651; www.grandtrvl.com.
This autumn we plan to fly into Rome on a Saturday and take the train to Florence the same day. Because of possible flight delays, we are reluctant to make train reservations. We wonder if space on the Rome-Florence trains fills in advance. -- David L. Raasch, Waukesha, Wis.
You should have no problem making a train connection in Rome, but it would be best to reserve ahead. Trains from the Leonardo da Vinci (Termini) Station leave for Florence just about every half hour until 8:30 p.m. daily. George Tobias of Linden Travel in New York, who specializes in train travel abroad, suggests that, to be safe, you make a reservation on a train scheduled to depart three or four hours after your flight arrival time. The best way from the airport to the station is by express train (the Leonardo Express), he says, which takes half an hour and leaves about every half hour.
If your plane is late, you should have no trouble getting on a later train, says Mr. Tobias, especially if you have first-class tickets, about $67; you can simply take the next train (the trip takes 90 minutes). You can order tickets, adding the Leonardo Express ticket (about $5), at www.raileurope.com or (800)847-7245 or through a travel agent.  FLORENCE STICKNEY
Q & A
Correction:  October 23, 2005, Sunday  An answer in the Q&A column on Aug. 14 about train travel from Rome to Florence misstated the fare for the Leonardo Express from the Fiumicino airport to the Termini station in Rome. It is $11.75, not $5.