Luxury Travel Newsletter
November 2022
The Best of Sicily: An Interview with Ashley Isaacs Ganz
Valley of the Temples, Agrigento, Sicily
Sicily offers incredible food, wine, history, culture, landscapes and luxury hotels. Artisans of Leisure founder Ashley Isaacs Ganz recently visited Sicily with her family. Highlights of her trip included seeing ancient Roman ruins, visiting nature preserves, touring top wineries and staying at Sicily’s best luxury resorts.
Read more about some of Ashley’s favorite places and experiences in Sicily.
View our luxury Italy tours and contact one of our Italy travel experts to start planning an incredible Sicily tour.
Just Back: A Luxurious Family Tour of Scotland
Family fun in the Scottish Highlands
Scotland is a wonderful destination for anyone wanting incredible scenery, interesting cultural touring and luxurious hotels full of local character. It’s also a great destination for families, with a variety of private touring options, activities to suit all interests and luxurious, family-friendly hotels and resorts.
Artisans of Leisure travel specialist Claire Yearwood Munn recently returned from a luxurious family tour of Scotland that combined Edinburgh with the Scottish Highlands and Gleneagles in Perthshire.
Read more about her trip and her favorite places and experiences, any of which can be incorporated into an Artisans of Leisure private luxury Scotland tour.
We recommend planning ahead for Scotland tours that coincide with wonderful events such as the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which takes place every August.
Scotland combines well with nearby England and Ireland.
Contact one of our UK specialists to customize a private Scotland tour based on your interests.
News & Inspiration from Japan
Beautiful view from The Ritz Carlton, Nikko in Japan
We're incredibly excited that our travelers can once again visit Japan, one of our favorite destinations.
There have been so many new developments in Japan over the past two years, including beautiful new hotels and interesting new attractions in top destinations such as Tokyo, Kyoto and Hakone, as well as farther afield in Nikko, Hokkaido, Naoshima and Okinawa.
Read more about what's new in Japan.
Artisans of Leisure also has Japan news! We've recently updated and expanded our private Japan tours with many more tours, including classic and themed tours such as:
View our private Japan tours and contact one of our Japan travel experts for more information about traveling in this incredible destination.
Postcard from Our Travelers: Rave Reviews for Our Egypt Tours
Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan Hotel in Egypt
Egypt is always one of our most in-demand tour destinations. We love receiving rave reviews from our travelers about the experiences we arrange throughout Egypt, including seeing the Pyramids, exclusive access at ancient tombs and temples along the Nile River, and insider tours of Cairo and Alexandria.
Egypt combines perfectly with other countries, including Jordan, Israel, Dubai, Kenya and South Africa.
View our private Egypt tours and contact us to start planning.
"Our Egypt trip was PERFECTION!
Every detail of coordination, organization, and planning, and especially our guide’s extensive knowledge, passion, and care, made the trip SEAMLESS! Artisans of Leisure and its global network are FANTASTIC! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"
~ C.V., Greenwich, CT
"The Artisans team on the ground was phenomenal. They treated us like their own family. TOP NOTCH. Our Egyptologist guide was full of knowledge, bright, friendly and just went out of his way to assist us. Our driver had skill and confidence. The hotels were all spectacular. Some of our favorite sites were sites you included in our itinerary (from what I can tell, no one else knows to visit them!). We never would’ve have known about these sites if not for your recommendation. We can’t wait to do another international trip with Artisans of Leisure. The pre-planning, the execution, everything—this trip has been stress-free and exceptional. I can’t believe we’ve waited this long to take a trip like this!"
~ T.F., Houston, TX
"We are back from our trip to Egypt. It was absolutely wonderful in every way. Every representative along the way was fabulous – especially our Egyptologist guide. He has to be the best guide in all of Egypt. He taught us, kept us safe, and made sure we were comfortable every step along the way. We were treated like family by everyone and were taken care of in every way. The trip (which was not a vacation but rather an adventure of a lifetime) was the best of our lives."
~ N.R., Madison, AL
Spectacular Architecture, Interiors & Gardens in Lisbon and Sintra, Portugal
One of the many beautiful gardens in the Lisbon-Sintra region
Travelers interested in architecture, interiors and gardens will love the Lisbon-Sintra region in Portugal, which has an inspiring collection of fairy-tale palaces, extravagant country estates and exotic gardens.
Contact us to plan a customized, insider tour of favorite sites in the Lisbon-Sintra region, such as:
- National Palace of Sintra
- Quinta da Regaleira
- National Palace of Pena
- Monserrate Park and Palace
- Convent of the Capuchos
- Chalet Biester
- National Palace and Gardens of Queluz
- Fronteira Palace
View photos and read more about these beautiful gardens, gorgeous interiors and fascinating cultural sites.
Contact one of our travel experts to start planning!
View our private tours in Lisbon and the surrounding area.
Just Back: Beautiful Iceland & Norway
Fjords in Norway
Iceland and Norway offer so much for travelers who love the outdoors. Some of our favorite must-experience activities include:
- Seeing the Northern Lights
- Taking a boat ride through the fjords in Norway
- Taking beautiful scenic day tours along the coast and into the mountains in Iceland
- Exploring cities such as Oslo, Bergen and Reykjavik
- Taking tours inside ice caves, on glaciers and in extinct volcanoes
- Seeing icebergs, geysers and lava tunnels in Iceland
Read more about our recent visit to Iceland and Norway, which focused on active and adventure experiences including hiking, RIB (rigid inflatable boat) rides, horseback riding and more.
View our private tours in Iceland, Norway and other countries in the region, including Sweden, Denmark, Finland and the Baltic States.
Plan Now for 2023: Blockbuster Vermeer Exhibition in Amsterdam
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Book now to see the largest retrospective ever dedicated to the 17th-century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, which will be held at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam from February 10 to June 4, 2023. Featuring paintings loaned by leading international museums, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view 28 of the 35 or so known works by Vermeer, including the iconic Girl with a Pearl Earring, all in one place.
Contact us to start planning a customized private Amsterdam tour that includes what is sure to be an incredible exhibition.
We also recommend visiting the Netherlands in the spring, when the Keukenhof garden is in full bloom.
View our private tours in the Netherlands and consider combining Amsterdam with time in Belgium, Paris, Germany or London.
On Our Blog: A Truffle Meal in Italy, Machu Picchu & More
A memorable meal in Tuscany
For travel inspiration, be sure to check our blog regularly. Recent travel articles include:
The Latest in Design, Gardens & Style in Paris
Musee Nissim de Camondo in Paris, France
It's an exciting time to be in Paris. Many new museums, shops, luxury hotels and attractions have opened recently, and many more are coming soon. Our France travel specialists have been spending a lot of time in Paris over recent months and highly recommend anyone who loves the city to contact us to start planning a private tour that features the best of Paris, old and new.
One of our most exciting new France tours is our comprehensive Decorative Arts & Gardens Tour of Paris, which showcases the city’s finest art collections, gardens, neighborhoods, iconic sites and lesser-known treasures. Touring includes visits to museums such as the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, l'Orangerie, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Musee Jacquemart-Andre, Musee Nissim de Camondo, Rodin Museum, Bourse de Commerce — Pinault Collection and Hotel de la Marine. The tour also includes private excursions to palaces and gardens such as Versailles, Claude Monet’s house and gardens in Giverny and Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte. There’s also time for shopping in the new Dior complex, in the Samaritaine luxury shopping center, among the backstreets and boutiques of the Saint-Germain-des-Pres neighborhood, and at the city’s markets and top fashion houses.
Contact us to start planning a customized France tour that includes the best of Paris.
In the Press: The Wall Street Journal
Holiday market in Austria
'Tis the season! From late November through December, Europe turns into a magical world of holiday markets, seasonal lights, sparkling decorations, festive meals, mulled wine, Christmas carols and falling snow.
The Wall Street Journal recently featured our Christmas Markets of Europe tour, which includes some of our favorite Christmas markets in Austria and Germany. Other tours that make great, last-minute holiday trips and that can include visits to wonderful Christmas markets are:
Need a very special gift idea? The Wall Street Journal also featured Artisans of Leisure for the ultimate gift of travel: surprising a loved one or close friend with a luxury travel gift certificate or the gift of a custom tour. Contact us for more information.
Private touring. Only the best hotels. Our world of expertise.
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