(From above): the Louvre by night; Da Vinci’s The Last Supper; the Mona Lisa

What’s the most dramatic scene from Dan Brown’s mega-blockbuster The Da Vinci Code? Is it the gory scene where a naked dead body is found in the Louvre? Or, is it when the Jesuit Silas flays himself after murdering an ageing nun in the magnificent Saint Sulpice Church?

The Louvre and Saint Sulpice have always been tourist hotspots. But now they are getting new hordes of tourists who want to soak in the atmosphere at the historic spots where The Da Vinci Code unfolds in chapter after chapter of breathless prose. So, the travel companies are quickly cashing in, and offering packages that will take Da Vinci fans to the key spots that are given a new historical twist in the book. For art enthusiasts, there’s even a tour that follows the painter and original Renaissance man. The book, as most people know, is about a code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci, which takes the two main characters Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu in search of the Holy Grail and ends up with the explosive conclusion that Christ’s descendents are still living (everyone knows the ending by now, so we aren’t giving away any secrets).

The mystery starts in Paris and works its way across France and finally heads to England. So, the travel companies are offering separate tours of Paris and England. As optional extras, you can also check out the usual tourist spots like the Palais de Versailles and the Eiffel Tower.

There’s the Travel Corporation of India (TCI), which gives the prospective traveller packages to choose from. You can take the seven-day Da Vinci Code tour package priced at ?700 ( Rs 60,550) per person and visit various sights in Paris and London with an option to extend your trip to Scotland. The tour starts from Paris and includes a guided tour of the Louvre where you can see the controversial Pyramid designed by I M Pei and the Denon Wing, which is home to the Mona Lisa where the mystery truly begins. Other stops include an optional visit to Saint Sulpice on the Left Bank of the Seine, the Palace of Versailles and tours in London ? Westminister Abbey, Saint James Park and so on.

TCI has another option of an eight-day ‘Breaking the Code’ tour, put together especially by Globus. This tour priced at $1699 (Rs 76,455) includes the key cities in the book ? Paris, London and Edinburgh. There’s also the option to customise your own Da Vinci Code Tour where you can choose between a day tour or a night tour of the Louvre in Paris priced at 37 euros (Rs 1,998). Next you can visit London via Eurostar.

Says Mehr Bhandara, GM-Corporate Communications, TCI, “We have designed the packages in such a way so that travellers opting for it can actually sample the places as it’s mentioned in the novel.” Though it’s too early to comment on the bookings as it has just been launched, she’s hopeful that the bookings will take off in the coming months. She says, “We have something for everyone in this package right from a day tour to walking tours. It’s up to you which one you want to avail.”

Cox & Kings too has packages like the Breaking The Code (nine days) Tour priced at Rs 29,999 + $1,699 per person on twin-sharing basis. The top spots include Saint Sulpice and the Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum in Paris followed by visits to London and Edinburgh. The package is on offer till September. The package includes accommodation, meals and sightseeing. But it excludes airfare to Paris and London.

At an entirely different level, the travel companies are also offering trips to familiarise tourists with Leonardo Da Vinci. The Secret of Da Vinci (14 Days) package by Cox & Kings includes a visit to the Castel Sant’ Angelo, St Peter’s Square and Basilica, the famed Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Barberini and Piazza Navona. Prices start at Rs 29,999 + $2,899 per person on twin-sharing basis and is again valid till September. Cox & Kings packages are inclusive of accommodation, meals and sightseeing. But it excludes airfare to Paris and London.

Thomas Cook also has a Da Vinci Code Decoder package (three nights in Paris and three nights in London), which includes accommodation in a three-star hotel, breakfast and sightseeing in the two cities. It also includes an Eurostar ticket from Paris to London. The package excludes airfares, lunch and dinner, travel insurance, transfers and surcharge on Eurostar ticket. The total cost is Rs 40,000 per person on twin-sharing basis.

Eurostar, which is the easiest way to travel between Paris and London has also smartly spotted the Da Vinci Code possibilities and tied up with the travel companies. This has helped to boost travel believes Gopi R Iyengar, area manager, India and South Asia for RailEurope. He adds, “The train is a must- do experience for a tourist connecting as it does the cities of London, Paris and Brussels.”

London and Paris are two cities that travellers see before they head off to more exotic parts of the world. But Dan Brown has come along and given a new twist to some very old tourist spots.

My favourite holiday

Pamela Singh Bhutoria, model

The most recent holiday that I took was in November last year. My best friend Ria and I had gone to Shankarpur, a peaceful seaside retreat a few hours from Calcutta. We were there for all of two days but managed to have the time of our lives.

While we were a bit apprehensive, being just two girls on our own, it was also quite a thrill. I remember catching the bus from Esplanade and once we reached Shankarpur, we booked into a small hotel on the beach called Bela Niwas.

What can I say about the beach? It’s absolutely breath-taking, fringed by casuarina trees and unspoiled by tourists. I was a bit scared about wading too far out, but the seawater was too good to resist. And at night, the sea was amazing too.

Now, Ria and I are planning a trip to Goa. After the peace and quiet of Shankarpur, we’re ready to have a fully-loaded, party-hearty trip!

Route map

• Ever heard of a holiday bazaar? Well, here’s one that you might like to try out courtesy Tourism Malaysia and Malaysian Airlines. And the best part is that it offers great value for money to destinations in Malaysia and beyond.

There are five packages going with a base price of Rs 13,333 per person for a 3-night and 4-day stay in either Kuala Lumpur, Penang or Langkawi. Packages to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu are a wee bit more expensive at Rs 17,499. The price includes airfare on Malaysian Airlines, accommodation on twin-sharing basis (plus breakfast) in a star category hotel, airport transfers and a half-day sightseeing jaunt. The holiday bazaar has extended its reach beyond Malaysia and at an additional payment you can also head off (via KL) for Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong or China (that will be an extra Rs 500, Rs 1,500, Rs 4,500 and Rs 8,500 respectively). However, this will not cover accommodation and other costs in these destinations.

Bookings — that can only be made through SOTC, Thomas Cook, TCI, Cox & Kings, JTB Travels and Raj Travels — close on July 3 and you must travel before September 30.