Artists’ Home Is Their Castle in Scenic Scotland

The scenery of Scotland and accommodations in an antique-filled castle are the setting for art classes June 24 to July 1 or July 8 to 15. Artist Jill Mueller gives daily classes at Blackcraig Castle in Perthshire, where guests also stay for the week. Outings in the surrounding countryside give art students more choices for topics. Sights include the River Dee, Glen Isla and Loch Trummel. A pony trekking center is nearby for riding into the hills of Glenprosen. Free time is also available for sightseeing.

Cost: $995 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations with shared baths at Blackcraig Castle, all meals and art classes. Air fare and transportation to the castle are extra.

Contact: Lady Jill’s Fine Arts, P.O. Box 18368, Reno, NV 89511; telephone (775) 849-7769, Internet https://www.ladyjill.com.

Canada: Culture

A 13-day tour to explore the authentic Newfoundland and Labrador lifestyle is being offered by Great Western Tours. The tour, which departs Aug. 15, includes visiting with residents in their homes, chatting with fishermen, having teas and lunches with community groups, whale watching, and puffin and iceberg sighting.

Sightseeing includes Gros Morne Park, the Sir Wilfred Grenfell Mission, L’Anse aux Meadows, a ferry crossing to and from Labrador, the Red Bay Basque Whaling Station, Twillingate, Salvage, Trinity, St. John’s and Cape Spear.

Cost: $2,295 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from LAX, 12 nights’ accommodation, 19 meals, services of Newfoundland guide, boat tour and all transfers and baggage handling.

Contact: Great Western Tours; tel. (626) 578-1161.

Germany and Austria

Seats to the Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany, are the highlight of a trip to Germany and Austria July 16 to 24. The itinerary includes Vienna to see the Schonbrunn Palace, Salzburg to see where “The Sound of Music” was filmed, King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein castle, the medieval town of Rothenburg and the Hofbrauhaus in Munich. A pre-trip to Rome is available July 11 to 15 for $750.

Cost: $2,900 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from LAX on Lufthansa, accommodations, daily breakfast, some other meals, entrance fees and tour guides.

Contact: Betty Leonard at Shamrock Travel, 24001 Muirlands Blvd., No. 436, Lake Forest, CA 92630; tel. (949) 470-0301.

Asia: Four Lands

Visit Singapore, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from Sept. 17 to Oct. 4. In Singapore guests will see the Singapore Zoo’s night safari, Arab Street and the Orchid Gardens. In Vietnam, the group will tour the Temple of Love, Marble Mountain, the Royal Tombs, Cu Chi tunnels and Mekong River. Laos sights include Pak-Ou Caves, Luang Stupa and fishing villages. In Cambodia the tour goes to Angkor Wat, Angkor Tham, Ta Prohm and Siem Reap.

Cost: $4,550 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Los Angeles, internal air fare, deluxe hotels, two meals daily, motor coach, transfers and entrance fees.

Contact: Eve Field, Sunflower Travel; tel. (949) 720-0449.

Provence: Gardens

Garden writer Louisa Jones will show exclusive, private gardens in Provence as the highlight of a tour in France scheduled for May 10 to 22, starting and ending in Nice.

The garden theme provides a common interest for tour members, who will meet owners of small cottage gardens or head gardeners of grand estates, such as Les Cedres at St. Jean Cap Ferrat.

Museum visits to see works by Cezanne, Renoir, Matisse, Chagall and many other artists who lived in this part of France are in the itinerary, as is the Maeght foundation, which features contemporary painters and sculptors, including Miro, Kandinsky and Calder.

Accommodation is in first-class hotels with three nights in the Roman towns of Aix-en-Provence and Arles, three nights in Nice and two nights in Valbonne.

Cost: $3,950 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, transfers, luxury motor coach, entrances and most meals. Not included: international air fare.

Contact: Ingatours, 5 The Dell, Pinner, Middlesex HA5 3EW, England; U.S. tel. (914) 701-3212; ask for Marilyn.

Italy: Writing

Draw inspiration from excursions to Italian hilltop towns and countryside while taking creative writing classes. During the five-day workshops, participants will stay in a refurbished, centuries-old farmhouse in the Val d’Orcia, halfway between Rome and Florence.

The program, July 3 to 9, will be led by Susan Vreeland, author of “Girl in Hyacinth Blue.” The focus will be on becoming what Henry James thought essential of a writer--a person upon whom nothing is lost.

Cost: $1,795 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, two daily meals, ground transfers from a rail station, daily excursions and instruction. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Tuscany Institute; tel. (800) 943-8070.

Hawaii: Health Getaway

Those who want to learn new ways to achieve optimal health are invited to the 50th state with Hawaii Health Getaways. The holistic-health-focused tour is scheduled for June 11 to 18 and Sept. 27 to Oct. 4 on Kauai. Participants can experience the revitalizing power of nature through classes in such holistic health practices as lomi-lomi massage, yoga and stretching, breath work and meditation.

Oceanfront accommodations are at Hanalei Bay on Kauai’s north shore. Excursions will include snorkeling at Tunnels Beach, kayaking up the Wailua River to a hidden waterfall, hiking a mountain trail above Waimea Canyon, swimming with dolphins at Secret Beach and a guided tour of the Tropical Botanical Gardens.

Three healthful meals will be provided each day, with an emphasis on the traditional Hawaiian diet. Daily speakers on health-enhancing lifestyle choices will offer guidance on optimal nutrition, exercise and self-healing techniques.

Cost: $1,500 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, food, classes and guided excursions. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Hawaii Health Getaways; tel. (510) 895-2500.

England: Flower Show

The Chelsea Flower Show is one of the highlights of a tour that explores the gardens of the south of England in late spring, when azaleas and rhododendrons are at their peak. The 10-day tour departs May 17 and visits Sissinghurst, Great Dixter, Stourhead, Wisley and Hampton Court. The sightseeing program includes the ancient seaport of Rye and the old city of Winchester.

Cost: $2,995 per person, double occupancy, including first-class hotels, daily breakfasts, most dinners, all sightseeing and entrance fees, private motor coach and guides. Air fare to England is extra.

Contact: Lucas & Randall, (800) 505-2505, Internet https://www.lucasandrandall.com.

Italy: Shopping

Designer and artist Roberta Kritzia will lead a shopping tour of Umbria, Tuscany and Venice in Italy from June 26 to July 7. The tour will be based in Gubbio, Siena and Venice, and guests will be exploring and shopping via private motor coach. Shoppers will search for jewelry, leather jackets, ceramics from Gubbio, linens in Florence and watercolors from an artist in San Gimignano. The group will also take a boat trip to the three islands of the Venetian lagoon and take a train trip to Bassano del Grappa at the foot of the Italian Alps.

Cost: $3,195 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, some meals and a guide. Air fare is not included.

Contact: Personalized Travel; tel. (818) 994-2402.

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