A Look at Vietnam and Its Artists

A 15-day art tour of Vietnam to visit studios and galleries of emerging artists whose work reflects the French colonial period leaves May 26 and is guided by a Vietnamese art expert. Participants will also visit master craftsmen at a lacquerware workshop. Stops are made at the ancient imperial city of Hue, where the dynasty of the Nguyen emperors began; the Cu Chi tunnels; the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, and a boat cruise in Ha Long, with its limestone islands and grottoes. Cost: $3,999 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, ground transportation, hotels, meals and entrance fees. Other tour dates are available. Contact: VivaUSA International Tours, 1840 W. 17th St., Santa Ana, CA 92706; telephone (800) 360-8482.

The Reich’s Furor

A 12-day “Ruins of the Reich” tour Oct. 10 travels through Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. Passengers will see the most important remains of the German Third Reich. Itinerary includes a city tour of Berlin; the Nazi Party Day Grounds in Nurnberg; Berchtesgaden, where Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest home is; visits to the infamous concentration camps at Mauthausen (Austria) and Dachau (Germany); the city of Prague; the memorial at Lidice (Czech Republic), and in-depth visits in Munich (Germany), the former capital of the Nazi movement. Cost: $2,995 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip transatlantic air fare, all travel within Europe by air-conditioned motor coach, hotels, museum admission fees and all meals except lunches and two evening meals. Contact: Josephine Cowdery, Northstar Tours, Box 810, Lakeville, MN 55044-0810; tel. (612) 469-4398.

Git Along Lil’ Doggies

Heritage Tours is offering a cattle-drive experience to outdoor enthusiasts May 16-21. This is a six-day adventure to a working ranch under the big skies of Montana. Cowboy wanna-bes will ride on a 40,000-acre open range in a real branding roundup and cattle drive next to pink sandstone cliffs near the site of Custer’s Last Stand. The group will be entertained around the campfire and eat meals from an authentic horse-drawn chuck wagon. Cost: $1,285 per person, including all meals, orientation, tents, horse and tack. Contact: Heritage Tours and Travel, 1948 W. Ben Holt Drive, Stockton, CA 95207; tel. (209) 957-1948.

Aviation and Heritage

Explore the castles, cottages and cathedrals, and participate in V-E Day celebrations on a trip to England April 30 for 13 days. Travelers will visit Winchester, Stonehenge, Bath, Stratford upon Avon and Oxford, before attending the Duxford air show, the largest World War II aircraft show in England. A day is also spent at the Shuttleworth Collection’s V-E Day Air Celebration show, a grass airfield in Bedfordshire where pre-WWII aircraft are flown. The last two days of the trip are spent exploring London. Cost: $2,099 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Los Angeles, breakfasts and dinners (except in London), hotels, admissions and guides. Similar trips, May 5 and June 5, are available. Contact: Jerren Auble Travel Service, 2 Hidalgo, Irvine, CA 92714; tel. (714) 731-8020.

Holland in Michigan

The annual Tulip Festival in Holland, Mich., where residents of Dutch descent wear native costumes, provide special entertainment and parades, is part of the 10-day “Springtime in Michigan” tour departing May 10. Other stops on the tour include a stay in Dearborn to visit Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum, Grand Rapids to visit the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum, a stop at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park, an overnight stay at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, a boat ride through the locks at Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and an overnight stay in the Bavarian-style town of Frankenmuth. Cost: $1,389 per person, double occupancy, including all hotels, taxes, admissions to all attractions, 15 meals, baggage handling and tour director. Not included: air fare to Michigan. Contact: Corliss Tours, 436 W. Foothill Blvd., Monrovia, CA 91016; tel. (800) 456-5717.

Talking Turkey

A 15-day historic journey through the landscapes, architecture and traditions of Turkey will leave May 25. Turkey boasts more ancient Roman cities than Italy, more Greek ruins than Greece, many of which are seen along with Istanbul and Aegean resorts. The tour is led by Frank Tysen and Barbara Rubin. Cost: $2,775 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from LAX, air fare within Turkey, hotels, breakfast and dinner daily, all transfers, sightseeing, guides, and airport and hotel porterage. Contact: Fun & Fantasy Tours, 15012 Del Gado Drive, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403; tel. (818) 501-4100.

Mayan Ruins

A cruise to Honduras, Belize and Cozumel to explore the historic ruins of the Mayan civilization departs from Gulfport, Miss., May 21 for eight days. Sponsored by the Ukrainian Art Center of Los Angeles, guests can take in Ukrainian language lessons and learn songs, eat Ukrainian culinary specialties and be entertained by Ukrainian musicians, dancers and singers aboard the Gurzia cruise ship. Participants will take excursions to the archeological ruins of Copan, Altun Ha and the shrine of the Mayan Moon Goddess of Fertility. Cost: from $595 per person, double occupancy, including cabins, meals, sightseeing and activities. Not included: air fare to Mississippi. Contact: Ukrainian Art Center, 4315 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90029; tel. (213) 668-0172.

Italian Lakes

An 11-day exploration of Italy’s northern lakes and the islands of Venice will leave May 18. With a food and wine theme, travelers will be introduced to owners of lakeside villas and dine on foods of the area. Stops are made at Lago Maggiore, known for its mild climate and villas surrounded by formal gardens; a boat ride to the Borromeo villa of Isola Bella, a 17th-Century baroque estate; Lake Como, the most popular haunt of Europe’s rich and famous; Bellagio, a small town of artisans; Verona, home of Romeo and Juliet, and Lago di Garda, located on the border between the Veneto and Lombardia regions. In Venice, participants visit ancient Byzantine buildings and take a gondola ride. Cost: $3,195, including air travel from Los Angeles, hotels, some meals, motor-coach transportation and guides. Not included: most entrance fees. Contact: La Cucina Culinary Adventures, 1401 Foothill Blvd., La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011; tel. (800) 776-4825.

House That Italy Built

An 18-day trip to Italy with a focus on art and architecture will depart Los Angeles on June 25 and return July 12. Titled “From Palladio to Pompeii: The Classic Art and Architecture of Italy,” participants will visit the major attractions, museums and architectural sites in Vicenza, Venice, Florence, Siena, Rome and Sorrento, with day trips to Ravenna, San Gimignano, Todi, Paestum, Capri and Pompeii. Sponsored by the Office of Continuing Education and the Department of Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona, the trip will be led by history professor Art Hacke. Pre-trip materials, guided tours and on-site lectures will be provided by faculty and Italian architects and scholars. Cost: $2,894, per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, accommodations with private bath, all breakfasts, many dinners, motor-coach transportation, admissions to museums and architectural sites, airport transfers and luggage handling. Contact: Art Hacker, Department of Architecture, Building 7-207, 3801 W. Temple, Pomona, CA 91768; tel. (909) 869-2676; or write to the Office of Continuing Education, California State Polytechnic University Pomona, 3801 West Temple Ave., Pomona, CA 91768.

The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. These should be confirmed with cruise lines, travel agents or tour operators.