Save as much as 55% on current prices at hotels throughout Europe, including 4- and 5-star properties:

• Florence: Boscolo Hotel Astoria ... $110 (US$111) through March 5, incl. breakfast and upgrade (more than 50% off) -- This former Renaissance palazzo turned 4-star hotel is steps away from the Duomo. Get inspired in the same fresco-adorned rooms where John Milton penned "Paradise Lost."

• Paris: Hotel Plaza Etoile ... $128 (US$129) through March 24, Sun.-Thurs.; +$26 weekdays, incl. breakfast (50% off) -- Steps from the Champs-Elysees, this recently renovated hotel boasts an "exceptional location" as noted by U.S. News.

• Rome: Radisson Blu. es Hotel, Rome ... $135 (US$136) through February (35% off) -- Frommer’s describes this 5-star hotel, near the Colosseum and Fori Imperiali, as "dramatic, innovative and high-tech."

• Barcelona: Gallery Hotel ... $142 (US$143) through March 27, incl. breakfast and room upgrade (35% off) -- This chic 4-star hotel is a short distance from Passeig de Gracia, one of the city’s most renowned shopping areas, and the fountains and statues of Plaza Catalunya.

• London: Corus Hyde Park ... $158 (US$159) through Feb., incl. breakfast and room upgrade (45% off) -- This 4-star hotel overlooking Hyde Park is close to the upscale shops and entertainment of Oxford, Regent and Bond Street.

• Ireland: Lough Eske Castle ... $215 (US$217) select dates through April, incl. breakfast and $60 room credit (55% off) -- Conde Nast Traveler named this restored 17th century castle one of the World’s Top New Hotels 2012.

• Amsterdam: Hotel Pulitzer ... $217 (US$219) through March, includes breakfast (save 50%) -- Named a Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice in the Luxury category, the hotel is comprised of a series of converted 17th and 18th century canal houses. This 5-star hotel is about five minutes from the bustle of Dam Square.

• Munich: Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski München ... $259 (US$261) per night, Jan. 1 through April, incl. breakfast buffet and $65 credit per room (50% off) -- The Rolling Stones, Elizabeth Taylor and Winston Churchill are just a few of the big names that have stayed at this luxurious 5-star hotel. Carnivals featuring colorful parades and street parties take place January-February.