Each year we offer a different selection of highly personalized tours for small groups. 

Small Group Tours for 2008

A unique, hands-on journey through beautiful and enchanting Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam that welcome visitors to take pleasure in a glorious past and a stirring renaissance. An exciting adventure of discovery awaits you!

Angkor was once the capital of the powerful Khmer Empire, whose astonishing patrimony we'll enjoy during a 4-day visit among Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and hundreds of other temples and monuments, where Cambodians still carry on their daily lives of work, family and prayer.

And Viet Nam, a place like nowhere else you may have   imagined – with miles of unspoiled dramatic coastline, vast upland forests, and fertile lowlands typified by vividly green rice fields dotted with water buffalo and clusters of women in distinctive conical hats

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Long sunny days and mild evenings enable a leisurely pace, with time to explore artisans' shops and markets overflowing with colorful fresh fruits and vegetables, dinners "al fresco", and off-the-beaten-path excursions to some of Sicily's most evocative places--hidden "secrets" definitely not included on other tours! 

At least two nights or more in recently refurbished first-class hotels in Palermo, Agrigento, Siracusa and Taormina.   And, while the intense heat of summer is yet to come, it's warm enough to swim and relax by the pool after mornings of dazzling sightseeing with top-notch guides, focussed on some of Europe's most beautiful Greek, Roman, Arab and Norman (Romanesque) art and architecture. Top it all with great food, fine wine and a special evening in an aristocratic Sicilian home, and Ecco! (Voilà!): a perfect vacation!

From just one hotel, discover the “capital of Northern Italy” ~ Milano ~ a veritable cornucopia of Italian architecture from the Romans and the Romanesque to the present. Join us on a carefully planned series of off-the-beaten-path and behind-the-scenes tours, on foot, by streetcar and private motor coach, and discover the hidden treasures of the city of St. Ambrose, the Visconti and Sforza dukes, and home for lengthy periods to Bramante, Leonardo da Vinci and Giuseppe Verdi.

By 1300 the Duchy of Milan, ruled by the Visconti and the first of Italy’s “Princely Courts”, included all of the modern region of Lombardia as well as most of northern and central Italy and led the rest of Europe in technology, housing and public health, enabling the city to survive the devastating mid-14th century plague and to flourish during the Renaissance under their successors, the Sforza, who brought artists like Bramante and Leonardo to their court. The enlightened Austrian Empress Maria Theresia further transformed the “Ambrosian” city in the 18th century and during its period as capital of Napoleon’s Kingdom of Italy, Milan’s cultural institutions were, once again, at the cutting edge.

Today, while Milano is known throughout the world for its opera house and leadership in sophisticated design, few visitors are aware of the breadth and depth of Milan’s artistic and architectural heritage. Here is your chance to experience it--from an insider’s point of view! We’ll take you behind locked doors and show you hidden treasures that would be difficult for you to discover on your own.

Stay an extra day and visit Lake Como, too!

There will be an optional excursion to Lago di Como on Monday, June 2 (with departure, in this case, on June 3). 

We’ll “cap” our unique journey with a private, unrushed, after hours visit to Saint Mark’s Basilica in Venice, with illumination of the mosaics and plenty of time to enjoy the exquisite cloisonné Pala d’Oro – an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime experience!

This is the northern Italy of everyone's dreams! Even if you have visited northern Italy before, we guarantee that this tour will exceed your expectations and provide you with an entirely new level of experience—not to be missed!

Looking ahead to 2009

Experience Turkey’s glorious past and energetic, forward-looking present first hand, starting in Istanbul, one of the world’s oldest cities, where Europe and Asia converge on the shores of the Bosphorus. This singular journey will provide experienced travelers with a comprehensive introduction to Turkey, both in the interior at Cappadocia, and at the seaside, and will take in UNESCO World Heritage Sites, “must sees” such as Ephesus, and several lesser-known “gems”. It also includes a four/five day private gulet cruise along the fabled “Turquoise Coast”, where larger boats dare not venture.

Mt. Blanc/Monte Bianco! ...Les Grandes Jorasses! ...Gran Paradiso! ...Imagine waking up in a vast nature reserve under the most stunning mountains of the snow-capped Italian-French Alps and being able to spend the day on easy-moderate walks along crystal clear streams and among lush, spacious pastures, pristine woodlands and dramatic cascades, all the while with some of the most spectacular Alpine scenery constantly in view.

Other highlights of our end-of-summer itinerary in the French-speaking, high altitude former hunting preserve of the House of Savoy will include a spectacular cable car ride over the immense Mt. Blanc glacier, strolling and fine dining in Courmayeur, impressive Roman bridges and ruins, including a visit to Aosta, the ancient town - Augusta Praetoria -  with a southern French character after which the valley is named.

At the end of each glorious day, charming hotels in each of the villages of Entrèves and Cogne will pamper us with their comforts and delicious cuisine.  Don't miss this unusual opportunity for an invigorating, relaxing and absolutely unique "European-style" holiday!  Note:  For more images of our Europe's Alpine Crown tour, please click on "Why Travel Designs".

The following "Past Favorites" are also under consideration for 2009 and future seasons:

Hill Towns of Umbria and Tuscany
October

From small hotels in Orvieto, Gubbio, and Siena (with at least two nights at each), carefully chosen to spend less time in the coach and more in the hill towns themselves, our unrushed "back roads" journey will take in the "must-sees", like Assisi, Perugia, and San Gimignano, but will focus on many smaller towns as well, such as Todi, in Umbria  and Pienza, in Tuscany--and much more!

For many northern Italians, central Italy begins in Romagna.  Our unusual itinerary will focus on two of this region's great art cities: Bologna and Ravenna, a charming town famous worldwide for magnificent late Roman and Byzantine mosaics-and our hotel could not be better located among them!

From well-appointed hotels opposite the Ducal Palace in Urbino, home of one of Italy's great Renaissance courts, and in fascinating Ancona, overlooking the sea, we'll also take in Pesaro, Ascoli Piceno, Loreto and the dramatic Conero coastline.

We'll marvel at treasures brought back from exotic outposts of the Empire and displayed in public squares that rival opera sets, discover hidden masterpieces, and wonder at the architectural splendor of this great Renaissance and Baroque city.  With many restorations just completed in the last few years, Rome is more gorgeous than ever.

Our sojourn in the “Eternal City” promises to delight and enrich the lives of both first-time visitors and those who already have fallen in love with Lord Byron’s “city of the soul”.

There will be ample free time as well to pursue individual interests, take in special exhibitions or museums, explore local markets, wander serendipitously through medieval streets interrupted by ancient columns, parts of arches, or pieces of antique sculpture, join the afternoon passeggiata, or just relax, soak up the atmosphere and "people watch" from a neighborhood café in an engaging piazza.

From here, we'll take a boat for a day-long excursion to Capri, and we'll enjoy the very special atmosphere of charming ~ and rather elite ~ Positano, where our residence will be in the heart of town in a delightful hotel that does not usually accept groups.  If a visit to the Amalfi Coast and the vibrant city of Naples ~ de rigueur on the aristocratic European "Grand Tour" ~ has always been your dream, then this special journey is not to be missed!

Liguria encompasses the full sweep of Italy's northwestern coast from La Spezia (near Tuscany's Carrara) through the Riviera to France.  Its rocky, terraced and often precipitous shore is punctuated by a succession of pastel-colored fishing villages, including the five tiny, isolated ports of the Cinque Terre and world-famous Portofino, where weathered trawlers vie for space with the yachts of millionaires.  Behind it all is the mountainous interior with perched villages, leafy vales, and nature reserves-a land of vines, olive trees, and wild herbs that is rarely seen by foreign visitors.  comfort and

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Dividing the Ligurian Riviera is mighty Genova (Genoa), home of Christopher Columbus, Andrea Doria, and Paganini, and for more than 500 years a prosperous maritime republic contending on equal terms with Venice.  Famous for centuries for banking and trade, Genova today is Italy's most important commercial port and its historic center is one of Europe's "hidden jewels".  Genova is loaded with magnificent places, elaborately decorated with tromp-l'oeil, and is famous among Italians for its love of comfort and good food.

Vineyards turning red, bleached limestone cliffs and gnarled olive trees provide an unforgettable autumn setting for Provence's legendary Roman antiquities,  including the arena in Arles, the best-preserved   ancient theatre at Orange, and the awesome Pont-du-Gard…

time-worn villages like Séguret and Gigondas, and the tranquil lanes and tiny squares of those "little places in the country" revealed in recent years by many writers.

From our first-class hotels in Villeneuve-les-Avignon and Aix-en-Provence, we'll venture forth to savor the  glories of Provence's Romanesque architecture at  Sénanque, the vast Palais des Papes in Avignon, Van Gogh's haven in St-Rémy, Cézanne's Mont St-Victoire, the delightful towns of the Vaucluse and the Luberon,

…and, along the regally blue Mediterranean shore, the harbors, coves, sandy beaches and pastel-colored villages around Cap Canaille. There will be time to savor the atmosphere of Provence … markets with bright arrays of autumn fruit and vegetables … wine that's too good to export … renowned Provençal cuisine … and, perhaps, you'll even want to pause on  a café terrace in the pleasant autumn air to watch a  game of pétanque!

In Jefferson's Footsteps:  A Journey through the Heart of France
October

This unique itinerary traces Thomas Jefferson's historic 1787 journey through some of the loveliest countryside in France.  Traveling south through Burgundy and the Rhône Valley to Western Provence, Jefferson's enthusiasm for fine wines, rich farmland, and Roman ruins is palpable all along the way.  From distinguished hotels in Beaune, Vienne and Avignon--with two-five nights at each--savor also masterpieces of Renaissance art, medieval towns, colorful markets, fine cuisine and visit the only château in which Jefferson stayed--still privately owned and not open to the public!