Eggs on Face of an Art Show in San Francisco

Admirers of the legendary goldsmith and jeweler, Peter Carl Faberge, will get a chance to see more than 400 objets d’art on a four-day escorted tour that begins June 7 in San Francisco. The exhibit showcases an array of Faberge works from noted American collectors, including 16 of the famed imperial Easter eggs commissioned by the last Russian czars. Highlights of the tour include a private docent tour of the exhibit and a symposium with Faberge expert and exhibit curator Archduke Geza von Habsburg, and architectural historian Thomas Church. Admission to the Asian Art Museum, the California Academy of Sciences and the Japanese Tea Garden are included. Participants also tour the Filoli estate and themed gardens featured on the “Dynasty” TV series, and the grand Victorian-style Haas-Lilienthal House.

Cost: $795 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, transportation, entrance fees and welcome dinner. Not included: transportation to San Francisco. Contact: Gilded Age Tours, 2443 Fair Oaks Blvd., No. 287, Sacramento, CA 95825; telephone (800) 737-9854.

French Charm

Visit the South of France on a tour that begins June 5-20 and is led by Catherine Bicknell, a professor of art history and architecture in the Washington State University Honors Program.

The tour starts with four nights in Arles. Founded in the 6th century BC, this town has well-preserved Roman remains, including an arena, a theater, baths and a necropolis. Also visited is an 11th century cathedral, several historical and art museums, the Van Gogh cultural center and streets full of shops, restaurants and cafes. From Arles the group will take some short bus tours to visit Les Baux-de-Provence, the Cathedrals d’Images, the Roman remains at St. Remy and other nearby sites such as the Camargue nature preserve.

Three nights are spent in L’Isle-sur-la Sorgue, known historically as a thriving industrial center but now a quiet town with a popular marketplace. It will be a base to visit Avignon, Uzes, Lacoste, Bonnieux, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, the Abbey at Senanque and the Roman aqueduct, le Pont du Gard. A day is spent in the wine country visiting vineyards of Gigondas, Rasteau and Chateauneuf du Pape.

The next five nights are spent near Forcalquier at the Hostellerie le Colombier located in the hills of the Haute Provence. This converted country farm is the base for excursions to nearby Ganagobie, for walking tours in the countryside and visits to the surrounding villages.

The last two nights are spent in Aix-en-Provence, which is the birthplace of Paul Cezanne and is rich in history and fine architecture. The group will visit a tapestry museum, Cezanne’s studio and the Vasarely Foundation.

Cost: $3,200 per person, double occupancy, including air fare, ground transportation, most meals and entrance fees. Contact: Hermes and Friends, 710 9th St., E, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254; tel. (310) 798-7834.

More France

A 17-day art, music and culture travel/study tour of Paris is being offered by Orange Coast College Community Services and ACCENT. The tour begins June 6. Participants will stay in the heart of Paris’ Left Bank in a Latin Quarter hotel. Visitors will stroll through outdoor markets, parks and historic neighborhoods. Art history and music lectures, as well as “survival French” sessions, will be given by the group leaders. Visits to art museums will be part of the art history seminar, including the Musee d’Orsay, Musee Cluny and Musee Picasso.

In addition to welcome and farewell dinners, four evenings out will complement daily activities, including a Baroque concert at the Ste. Chapelle, “Carmen” at the Opera Bastille and a performance of “Coppelia” at the Opera Comique. The group will take a three-day excursion to the Loire Valley and Chartres, and a one-day excursion to Monet’s home and gardens at Giverny and the Chateau of Versailles.

Tour leaders Daryl Wilson, a French instructor at Orange Coast College, and Rona Commins, a Cal State Sacramento music instructor, will accompany the group throughout the tour.

Cost: $2,900 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, daily breakfast, Paris transit pass and all group activities and excursions. Not included: air fare to France. Contact: OCC Community Services; tel. (714) 432-5880 or ACCENT at (415) 904-7756.

East African Safari

A 19-day safari to the game parks of Kenya and Tanzania with a six-day option to climb Africa’s highest mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro, is available on various dates in June, July and August.

Participants will visit Kenya’s Masai Mara, Samburu and Lake Nakuru national parks, the Treetops Lodge and the Mount Kenya Safari Club. The Tanzania tour program includes the game reserves of Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge and the Serengeti Plain. The six-day expedition to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,340 feet), can begin before or after each safari. Participants will be escorted by experienced guides and porters, and will spend four nights in mountain huts. Previous experience in mountain climbing is not required, but good health and physical stamina are important.

A three-night stay in Nairobi at the Serena Hotel will provide all safari participants the opportunity to meet Kenyans, visit the National Museum of Kenya, Giraffe Manor, the Karen Blixen Museum, and the kazuri (beads) industry. Also planned are visits to schools, African villages and markets, coffee and tea plantations. Moite will also give informal lectures on social issues in Kenya and Tanzania.

Cost: from $4,850 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare to Nairobi, ground transportation, hotels, most meals, museum and park entrance fees. Contact: Kenya Study Safaris, 30037 Via Borica, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275; tel. (310) 377-6790.

Central Coast

A weekend tour along California’s central coast leaves Santa Barbara on April 12 for two days. Guests will travel back roads and byways through historic valleys and along the coastline. The dual purpose of the trip will be to visit selected galleries to see the work of local artisans, and to discover the region’s bounty of home-grown products. Participants will see hand-blown glass, an array of oil and watercolor paintings as well as hand-crafted jewelry. Other activities include guided tours of a historic stagecoach stop and a llama ranch, as well as a tasting at a Santa Ynez vineyard. During an optional evening tour at Hearst Castle, guests will be led by costumed interpreters.

Cost: $268 per person, double occupancy, including one night’s accommodations along Cambria’s Moonstone Beach, scheduled sightseeing and entries, four meals and round-trip motor coach transportation from Santa Barbara. Not included: transportation to Santa Barbara. Contact: Learned Journeys, P.O. Box 30626, Santa Barbara, CA 93130; tel. (800) 682-6191.

Japan’s Country Inns

Guides for All Seasons, a California-based tour operator, has been leading its country inns tour of Japan for 15 years. This year the tour leaves May 13 and returns May 24. Participants travel to Tokyo, Kyoto, Takayama, Nikko and Mt. Fuji. Accommodations are Japanese style everywhere except Tokyo. The trip emphasizes the culture, history and sights of Japan as trvelers visit temples, gardens, cities and villages on foot with an ongoing series of daily walks. Travelers will sleep in ryokans (Japanese inns), stay in a temple in Kyoto, ride the bullet train, visit a Tokyo fish market, explore the side streets and shops of Kyoto and enjoy the hot ofuro Japanese baths. Time is set aside for leisure and independent exploring.

Cost: $3,250 per person, double occupancy, including lodging, airport transfers, transportation within Japan, guides and most meals. Not included: air fare to Japan. Contact: Guides for All Seasons, 202 County Road, Calpine, CA 96124; tel. (800) 457-4574.

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