Autumn and winter are ideal seasons for traveling in many of the destinations featured in Artisans of Leisure tours.

In Japan and China, the seasonal cuisine is arguably at its best, and golden leaves serve as backdrops to traditional gardens, temples and villages.

Southeast Asia and India are warm this time of year. Both are great escapes combining fascinating cultural touring and indulgent luxury hotels. Our new Essence of India tour is already a favorite with our travelers. It includes the classic highlights of India, plus a few days off the beaten track in Jaisalmer, a great sandcastle of a town bordering the desert in one of the most traditional parts of Rajasthan. Many of our travelers are also opting to extend their India tour with a private tour in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, which we now offer on a request basis.

Women in Rajasthan, India

In Australia and New Zealand, it's spring and summer—the perfect time for outdoor activities such as touring wine regions, sailing in clear waters and viewing wildlife on coastal islands.

Many parts of Europe, such as Provence, southern Spain, Italy and Turkey, sparkle this time of year. Essence of Provence takes in the best of southern France, including small hill towns, antique and food markets, and beautiful landscapes from the Mediterranean coast to the hills of the Luberon Valley.

It's also time to start looking ahead. If you're considering Japan during cherry blossom season (late March through mid-April) or Italy in the summer, book now if you wish to stay at the wonderful hotels we use in our tours. No matter where you travel with Artisans of Leisure in the coming months, you can be sure your tour includes private guides with unsurpassed insight into the local culture, unique experiences that showcase local culture and traditions, and an unparalleled level of luxury.

The ochre town of Roussillon Provence, France

The Rural Charms of China

Bedroom in Banyan Tree Ringha, Yunnan Province

Morning hilltribe markets seldom seen by tourists, ancient wooden houses on the picturesque backstreets of traditional towns, Tibetan monasteries, Buddhist frescoes—these are some of the places we feel best capture Yunnan's unique atmosphere. These are also some of the places we take travelers during private touring on Journey Through China, China Past and Present and other Artisans of Leisure tours that visit rural Yunnan. And as with all of our tours in China, you'll travel with an expert private guide and driver, with all touring customized to your interests.

Direct flights from Hong Kong and Bangkok make Yunnan easy to combine with other destinations in China as well as nearby Thailand.

Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts is opening two hotels in Yunnan, adding yet more reasons to visit the area. The Ringha Tibetan Village in the town of Zhongdian (China's official Shangri-La) just opened, and Banyan Tree Lijiang is slated to open in Spring 2006.

Returning from market, Yunnan Province

The Appeal of Morocco

Ksar Char-Bagh hotel in Marrakesh

Journey Through Morocco is our most popular Morocco tour, and includes in-depth cultural touring with Morocco's most experienced guides and drivers. Highlights include walking the labyrinthine souks of Fez and Marrakesh, driving through dramatic desert valleys where mud brick kasbahs watch over oasis towns, shopping at Berber markets in the Atlas Mountains, and riding camels through sand dunes in the Sahara Desert at sunrise.

Contemporary style echoes ancient traditions in the top luxury hotels and ryads included on this tour. Dar Ahlam, in the palm groves of Skoura, is an update of an ancient kasbah that sits on extensive gardens of flowers and olive trees. In Marrakesh, Ksar Char-Bagh is a Relais & Chateaux property complete with antique furniture and watercourses running through acres of gardens and orchards.

All of our luxury Morocco tours emphasize Moroccan architecture, design, history, religion (including Jewish heritage in Morocco), regional cuisine and artistic traditions.

Sand dunes in the Sahara Desert

A Memorable Meal in Vietnam

Our Vietnam tours that visit Hue now include a very special activity—a romantic private dinner in the garden of an exclusive royal villa. It's a wonderful, relaxing end to a day of touring in this historic city.

We discovered the royal villa on a recent visit to Hue. Its traditional wood pavilions, brick patios, fish ponds and tropical greenery provide the ideal atmosphere for dining on Hue's unique cuisine. The complex style of cooking features dishes such as rice cooked in lotus leaves, crispy spring rolls and fragrant soups.

Fragrant Vietnamese soup

Artisans of Leisure travelers have the garden to themselves. But as darkness descends, they're bound to see the villa's owner, a master calligrapher and descendant of the royal family, wander through lighting brick lanterns. The soft glow perfectly suits the memorable meal fit for a king.

Luxury Italian Style

Pool at Hotel Caruso in Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy

We've updated and expanded our Italy tours to reflect what we found. We added hotels such as the Hotel Caruso in Ravello (above), an Amalfi Coast legend with a spectacular location on cliffs high above the Mediterranean. Orient-Express recently took over the Caruso and thoroughly renovated it before its grand re-opening earlier this year. We also added La Posta Vecchia, an expansive 17th-century palace on the coast outside Rome. The estate, which once belonged to J. Paul Getty, is built atop the site of two ancient Roman villas (mosaics, ceramics and other excavated artifacts can be seen in the hotel's basement museum). Like all of the impressive hotels we use in Italy, these two offer a stunning setting, wonderful service, amazing cuisine, and design that showcases local history and aesthetics.

Artifacts at La Posta Vecchia

How can you enjoy la dolce vita if you're on someone else's schedule? That's one reason our Italy tours include private English-speaking drivers and expert guides. This high level of personalized service also allows total flexibility to cater to the touring interests and needs of each traveler, whether you're a foodie, fashionista, art lover or all of the above.

Our guides in Italy enlighten every step and can accommodate almost any whim. They untangle the backstreets of Venice, explain the city's unique architectural history, introduce insider favorites (shops, restaurants, markets, neighborhoods), and perhaps suggest a special bar for some quick cicchetti (snacks). In Rome, they take you to the "classics," such as the Colosseum, Forum and Vatican, as well as the less frequently visited sites such as ancient ruins along the Appian Way. They breeze you past lines at the museums of Florence, reveal the secrets of the city's Renaissance masterpieces and take you to food markets and trattorieto sample the local fare.

Similarly, our drivers whisk you through the steep, narrow streets of Tuscan hill towns, to noted vineyards for wine tasting, fashion outlets for shopping, or perhaps to dinner at Il Pellicano, a luxury resort on the coast of Tuscany—we had one of our favorite meals in Italy at its exquisite restaurant.

Insider's Tour of Shanghai

Shanghai buildings - old and new

More and more of our travelers are discovering this and other unique Shanghai legacies by booking one of our special interest tours with a noted local architectural historian.

Shanghai's Art Deco style

Today, Shanghai still aspires to be on China's creative cutting edge. One place you'll see that is in the city's burgeoning art galleries, another key feature of this tour.

For all travelers on our China tours that include Shanghai, we also recommend a half- or full-day excursion to a traditional water town such as Suzhou, Zhujiajiao or Xitang.

Water garden in Suzhou, near Shanghai

Local Flavors: Australian Pumpkin Soup

Travelers on our Australia tours sample a range of local food and drink—from simple to highly refined—whether it's a casual meal at a local pub, a gourmet lunch at a vineyard, or dinner at one of the most lauded restaurants in Australia.

Spring may be coming soon Down Under, but here in North America, pumpkins are just starting to appear at farmer's markets. To celebrate our imminent autumn, we offer one of our favorite Australian pumpkin soup recipes:

Australian Pumpkin Soup

2 Tbsp butter
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 lb frozen or fresh pumpkin, peeled and diced
¾ onion, finely chopped
3 ½ cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
Salt
Dash of black pepper
Dash of red pepper
Chopped chives

Heat butter in large saucepan and sauté onions until golden brown. Add potatoes, pumpkin, stock and milk. Cover, bring to boil, then simmer gently for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Puree in blender or with immersion blender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add cream and reheat gently. Serve garnished with chopped chives. Serves six.