EUROPE

BRISTOL. Lovers of the high seas and landlubbers ea- ger to learn seafaring lore should plot a speedy course for this old port city in southwest England. Next week's International Festival of the Sea, the first of its kind in Britain, promises to be a dazzling spectacle: moored in the harbor will be a flotilla of Tall Ships--schooners, square-riggers, barkentines and brigs--and a fleet of nearly 700 other classical and traditional ships from around the world. At the 36-hectare harborside site in central Bristol, all hands will want to be on deck for a diverting, daylong program, including demonstrations of fish smoking and kippering, and initiation into rope making, sail tanning, rigging and brass founding. At dockside workshops, visitors will find craftsmen working on anchors and wooden casks. Making their British premiere, the Dancing Fountains of Strasbourg will entertain nightly with a fantastic light-sound-and-water show. Also scheduled are a model-boat procession, waterside races and rescue demonstrations. May 24-27.

NORTH AMERICA

XOCHICALCO. A millennium ago, the ancient fortress-city of Xochicalco was the centerpiece of one of Mexico's great civilizations. Since archaeologists began excavating the site, 38 km southeast of present-day Cuernavaca, four years ago, the city has been revealed as a center of commerce, culture and religion. A remarkable cache of recovered pre-Hispanic artifacts is now on display in a newly opened museum. The relics speak eloquently of the ancient city's social and economic organization, scientific and artistic development and astrological beliefs. Showcased are statues, pottery and a replica of a typical Xochicalco house. At the city's ruins, adjacent to the museum, visitors can see the renowned Pyramid of the Plumed Serpent and two-story buildings (as tall as 7 m), unique at the time in Mesoamerica.

BOOKS. Getting summer off on the right note is the aim of the just published Music Festivals from Bach to Blues (Visible Ink Press) by Tom Clynes, a unique listener's guide to all genres of tuneful revelry across North America. Cross-indexed by location, date, festival name and musical style, the 500-page compendium covers 1,001 of the finest and most diverse jamborees in the U.S. and Canada--ranging from folk to funk, country to classical, bluegrass to blues, rock to reggae.

THE GLOBE

AIRPORTS. According to more than 45,000 airline passengers, Manchester in England, Changi in Singapore and Schiphol near Amsterdam are the world's most convenient airports. Polled by the Geneva-based International Air Transport Association, the respondents rated on-ground services of 43 airports, including transportation to and from the facilities, availability of connecting flights, speed of baggage delivery, efficiency of customs inspection and friendliness of personnel. Airports ranked last were Tokyo's Narita and Athens.