Artisans of Leisure - Luxury Travel Newsletter

LUXURY TRAVEL NEWSLETTER - May 2026

Plan Now for Summer Travel
Just Back: Japan
Favorite London Day Tours: Heritage Houses & Gardens
Our Favorite Shops in Paris
Artisans of Leisure in the Press
On Our Blog: Sri Lanka, Wales, China, Vienna & More
Rave Reviews from Our Travelers

Plan Now for Summer Travel

Now’s the time to finalize your summer travel plans. Many of our favorite destinations offer warm weather and long days—ideal conditions for touring iconic cultural sites, enjoying scenic walks, taking private boat cruises, learning to cook local dishes, relaxing by the pool and other memorable activities.

Here are some of our top picks for this summer:

Italy
France
Switzerland
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Norway
Denmark
Iceland
Ireland
Scotland
England
Japan
Bali
Netherlands
Austria
Malta
Greece

Contact an Artisans of Leisure travel expert to start planning.

Just Back: Japan

We regularly visit Japan to keep up on the best experiences in this endlessly fascinating country—one of the most popular tour destinations among our travelers. On our latest trip, we visited places that we recommend for repeat visitors, including Matsue, Nagoya and Okinawa, and also spent time in favorite destinations such as Tokyo, Hakone and Kyoto.

Among our favorite experiences on this trip were:

Seeing the new Gora Kadan Fuji onsen ryokan (hot springs inn) at the base of Mount Fuji
Touring cultural sites around Matsue, including Lafcadio Hearn’s Former Residence, Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine and the renowned gardens of Adachi Museum of Art
Learning to make wagashi (traditional sweets) with a master artisan
Visiting Ghibli Park outside Nagoya, a must for fans of Studio Ghibli animated films
Dining on sophisticated Japanese cuisine at top restaurants in Tokyo and Kyoto
Relaxing beachside at the new Rosewood Miyakojima in Okinawa

View our luxury Japan tours for inspiration.

Contact one of our Japan experts to plan a customized tour based on your interests.

Favorite London Day Tours: Heritage Houses & Gardens

London is always a highlight of our private England tours. Our travelers enjoy the incredible cultural attractions, excellent shopping, world-class performances and outstanding restaurants we can include in our customized itineraries.

For travelers with more time or for repeat visitors, we highly recommend day trips to one or more of the many heritage houses and gardens on the outskirts of the city. Contact us to discuss a private England tour that features some of our favorites, including Ham House & Garden, Strawberry Hill House, Chiswick House & Gardens, Syon House, Eltham Palace, Chartwell and Sissinghurst, among others.

View our private England tours.

England combines well with Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Our Favorite Shops in Paris

We love shopping in Paris. In addition to leading department stores such as Galeries Lafayette, Le Bon Marche and Samaritaine, the city has an exciting assortment of specialty boutiques and high-end fashion houses. Ask your Artisans of Leisure travel specialist about customizing your private Paris touring to include stops at favorite shops such as:

La Tuile a Loup: featuring ceramics that preserve regional French techniques
Marin Montagut: whimsical ceramics, glassware and stationery
A la Mere de Famille: the oldest chocolate shop in Paris, since 1761
Stohrer: the oldest pastry shop in Paris, since 1730
Debauve & Gallais: known for pistoles (thin chocolates) made for Marie-Antoinette
Laduree: the beautifully designed, original location of the bakery chain founded in 1862
E. Dehillerin: high-quality copper cookware shop with Julia Child connections
Charvet: bespoke shirts and ties
French fashion and jewelry houses: Louis Vuitton, Dior, Goyard, Chanel, Guerlain, Hermes, Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier and others

View our private France tours.

Artisans of Leisure in the Press

We are deeply honored to receive multiple accolades from major press outlets over recent months, including:

Men’s Journal named Artisans of Leisure the Best Luxury Tour Operator in 2026, noting, “Artisans of Leisure operates in rare air. Celebrated for an uncompromising focus on high-end experiences and platinum service, this elevated tour designer stands out for its completely private, tailor-made journeys built around the most exclusive access money can buy.”
Conde Nast Traveler has again named several Artisans of Leisure travel experts as Top Travel Specialists.
AFAR looked to us for expertise on where to travel off the beaten track. We recommended Malta, Royal Deeside in Scotland and Tohoku in Japan.
Robb Report again named Artisans of Leisure founder Ashley Ganz as one of the world’s top 25 travel specialists, which they call Travel Masters.
Virtuoso featured the sustainable aspects of our cultural tours in their Impact List 2026.

On Our Blog: Sri Lanka, Wales, China, Vienna & More

We update our blog and Instagram regularly with the latest intel on our favorite exclusive activities, insider experiences and luxury hotels around the world.

Recent blog articles include:

Tea Touring in Sri Lanka's Hill Country
Just Back Vienna: Culture, History, Design & Luxury
Just Back: The Best of Argentina
Bodysgallen Hall: A Manor House & Garden in Wales
The Iconic Landscapes of Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) in China
The Wallace Collection in London

View our tours and contact us to start planning a customized private tour.

Rave Reviews from Our Travelers

We love receiving feedback from our travelers!

"India was a fantastic trip, completed at the highest level with your Artisans of Leisure guidance, which made it both easy and exciting."
~ D.Y., Dallas, TX

"Our Greece trip was AMAZING!!!! We loved every hotel and tour. Our guide was unbelievable. He knew everything. We absolutely loved him."
~ C.S., Los Angeles CA

"We had a fantastic time in Morocco! An experience we will never forget and will never duplicate. It was truly one of the best if not the best trip we have ever taken."
~ J.G., Scottsdale, AZ

View our luxury tours and contact us to plan a private tour based on your schedule and interests.

Private touring. Only the best hotels. Our world of expertise.

Website: www.artisansofleisure.com
E-mail: info@artisansofleisure.com
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Tel: 1 (800) 214-8144 or +1 (212) 243-3239