Q & A
Train to the Redwoods
Q. I have never seen the redwoods of northern California and am eager to do so, on a cross-country rail trip. My friend and I are 75 and 80, respectively, and would really enjoy seeing the United States this way.
-- J. C. Lieberman, Clifton, Va.
A. It is indeed possible to get within striking distance of the magnificent redwoods by train, although it is a trek, with several hours' wait for connections in Chicago and Sacramento.
Cliff Black, Amtrak's director of special projects, recommends a route to Klamath Falls, Ore., three and a half hours from Crescent City near the California border, a departure point for the state and national coastal redwood parks.
For the four-day trip from Washington, D.C., the Capitol Limited from Union Station to Chicago leaves daily at 4:05 p.m., arriving at 9:35 a.m. For the next leg, through the spectacular Colorado Rockies and Sierra Nevada, you switch to the California Zephyr, departing Chicago at 3:35 p.m. and arriving at 4 p.m. two days later in Sacramento; there you would board the Coast Starlight, which leaves at 11:59 p.m. and arrives at 7:55 a.m. in Klamath Falls, where you could pick up a rental car. (An agreement with Hertz enables you to reserve your car there through Amtrak, and to be picked up at the station free.)
Prices depend on availability and date, but one thing you can count on is a 15 percent discount for those age 62 or over. Your best bet is the Explore America fare, at $429 each round trip ($499 between June 15 and Aug. 20 and Dec. 15 to Jan. 2), with an additional $563 to $842 one way for a shared sleeper; all meals included. That means your total round trip on coach, with the discount, comes to  $843.20 a person with the least expensive shared sleeper.
If you'd prefer to fly back, Amtrak has an agreement with United, which means you'd avoid paying the premium one-way fare (you'd also get United's 10 percent senior discount);  the one-way train trip can cost from $250 to $450, without accommodations. In any case, for the lowest train fares, reserve several months ahead; call Amtrak at (800) 872-7245.
Sailing in Greece and Turkey
Q. I'm thinking about renting a sailboat for two or three couples for a three-week cruise in the Greek Islands and off the Turkish coast. Can you help? -- R. E. MacDonald, North Kingstown, R.I.
A. There are many options for chartering a yacht to sail in the Greek Islands and along the coast of Turkey. Grace Firogenis, a spokeswoman at the Greek National Tourist Organization in New York, and a skipper herself, says that spring and fall are the best times for sailing, with May and September the best months of all. (In summer, prices are higher, there may be no wind and it may be very hot; winter, of course, can be cold, with rough seas.)
But combining Greece and Turkey on a single chartered yacht is problematic, as exit and entrance papers are required when crossing into Turkish waters, as well as inspections and a fee of about $600, and papers are required for the reverse course into Greek waters as well.
One American company that specializes in charters in both countries and handles air transportation, transfers, land tours and hotels is Albatross Yacht Charters, Box 250, Moorestown, N.J. 08057; (800) 377-8877, fax (856) 778-7555; www  .albatrosscharters.com. Founded in 1982, the company has a fleet of more than 200 boats and can offer one-way charters, so you don't have to take a circular route.
A sailboat for two to eight people is typically 30 to 61 feet, and can be chartered with an English-speaking skipper and cook ($135 and $100 a day respectively) or with no crew, that is, 'bareboat.' (To charter a boat without a local skipper, a resume showing experience sailing a similar-size boat in open water is required.) Bareboat charters cost $1,000 to $5,000 a week, depending on the size of the boat.
For a three-week sail combining Greece and Turkey, in order to avoid the delay and expense of crossing into the other country's waters, Tim  Monsul, the president, suggests sailing to Rhodes after two weeks in the islands and taking the ferry from  Mandraki to the Turkish port of Marmaris, where you can pick up a Turkish-flagged boat.
More than 50 Greek brokers are listed with the Hellenic Yacht Brokers Association (Box 3093, Athens 10033, and on the Web at www  .biznet.com.gr/sail/brokers), which means they are licensed to charter yachts by the National Greek Tourist Organization. Closer to home, the Greek National Tourist Organization, at 645 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022, (212) 421-5777, fax (212) 826-6940, has a list of 10 U.S. companies that offer such charters. Prices for boats large enough for six range widely, from $1,000 and up a week for a boat without crew to $7,000 to $12,000 and up for one with crew.
While a spokeswoman at the Turkish Tourist Office in New York said it could not make specific recommendations, it does have a list of charter companies; call (212) 687-2194.
Hiking in Switzerland
Q. My husband and I would like to take a group walking tour in the Swiss Alps next summer, with our baggage being delivered to each evening's lodging destination. Do you know of such tours? -- Susan J. Trammell, New York, N.Y.
A. Wanderweg Holidays, based in  Cherry Hill, N.J., (800) 270-2577, fax (856) 321-1040, Web site www .wanderwegholidays.com, offers two 'hiking without luggage' packages in Switzerland. The 'self-guided' hikes consist of groups as large as 18, said Phil Scheidt, Wanderweg's president, who began organizing Alpine hikes in 1980.
The seven-day Three Resort Walk is through the Grisons (Graubunden), a region of Alpine lakes, that includes Davos, Arosa and Lenzerheide. The hikes are moderate; to avoid very steep climbs, hikers take the cable car from Davos to Strela Pass, at 7,200 feet, then walk a gradual ascent to Arosa, about five and a half hours, where their bags are waiting at the hotel. The tour includes a full day in and around Arosa, followed by a four-hour hike to Lenzerheide, beginning with a gondola ride. This trip is offered from mid-July to October, and this year cost $769 to $910 a person, double occupancy, without air fare, depending on your choice of a three-star or four-star hotel; meals and cable car rides included.
The Five Resort Walk begins and ends in Sierre, in the Valais region to the south, and costs $769 for 6 nights, $1,189 for 10, without air fare.
FLORENCE STICKNEY