In the first of a two-part series on escorted tours, JAMES ELLIS picks some of the best new trips

BEST FOR LEARNING A NEW SKILL
Jewel of the Ardennes, Belgium If you fancy picking up a new skill while on holiday, this five-day trip to Belgium could be for you. There are classes in how to make perfume, brew beer and produce chocolate.

The trip takes in Dinant, Namur and Villers Abbey, Durbuy, La Roche-en-Ardenne and the old city of Tournai.

There are also guided tours of the Delforge perfumery, the Du Bocq brewery and Defroidmont chocolate factory.

Just You (0844 567 8844/www.justyou.co.uk) offers four nights in Belgium from £539pp (no single supplement, two sharing), half board.

Price includes coach travel from nationwide pick-up points and the services of a tour manager. Departs August 23.

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BEST FOR ANCIENT HISTORY
Roman Latium, Italy Explore the glorious past of the Eternal City in a little more comfort than Russell Crowe in Gladiator.

This eight-day tour takes in some of Rome's most famous sights such as the Forum and Colosseum, as well as some lesser-known gems;

Hadrian's Villa and the old port of Ostia Antica.

Excursions on the trip include the Forum, Palatine Hill and Capitoline Museum, Piazza Bocca della Verita, Theatre of Marcellus, and the Largo Argentina temples and Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli.

Page & Moy (0800 987 5112/www.pageandmoy.com) offers seven nights in Italy from £1,152pp (two sharing), half board.

Price includes return flights to Rome and the services of a specialist tour lecturer. Departs October 17.

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BEST FOR BEACHES
Grand Tour of Turkey This 13-day tour of Turkey takes in all the country's highlights, from gorgeous beaches to bustling bazaars.

The trip visits the Anzac cemetery at Gallipoli, as well as Troy, Izmir, Pamukkale, Cappadocia, Gordion and the tomb of King Midas, Bursa and Istanbul.

Archers Direct (0871 423 8638/www.archersdirect.co.uk) offers 12 nights in Turkey from £735pp (two sharing), half board. Price includes return flights to Istanbul and the services of a tour director. Departures throughout the year.

BEST FOR ART-LOVERS
Artists and Landscapes of Provence This five-night tour to Provence takes in the towns that inspired the Impressionist Masters.

Departing by rail from London, the trip includes Arles, where Van Gogh was most productive, the Cezanne trail in Aix en Provence and Avignon's AngladonDubrujeaud museum, packed with priceless artworks.

VFB Holidays (01452 716838/www.vfbholidays.co.uk) offers five nights in Provence from £798pp (two sharing), half board.

Price includes return train travel, transfers, excursions, entrance fees, guides and the services of a tour manager. Departures on September 1 and 29.

BEST FOR LITERARY ENTHUSIASTS
Poets on the Somme, France This new tour of First World War battlefields offers a fascinating look at a small group of men who helped capture the spirit of life in the trenches, the Great War Poets.

The four-day tour pays homage at the Thiepval Memorial and Visitor Centre plus the battlefields and cemeteries of Ovillers, Mansel Copse, Arras, Cambrai and the Sambre Canal.

The celebrated poets include Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon and Tom Kettle.

Leger Holidays (0844 504 6250/www.leger.co.uk) offers three nights in France from £279pp (two sharing), B&B. Price includes two battlefield visits, travel by executive coach and the services of a seldom.

BEST FOR TRADITIONAL MUSIC
Irish Music & Scenic Spectacular Dramatic landscapes with craggy mountains and shimmering lakes, a thriving town, warm hospitality, Guinness and great craic.

Shearings' Irish extravaganza is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit in the run-up to Christmas.

Based at the Eviston House Hotel in Killarney, there will be nightly entertainment, mulled-wine reception, gala Christmas dinner and scenic excursions around the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula.

Shearings Holidays (0844 824 6351/www.shearings.com) offers six nights in Ireland from £499pp (two sharing), half board.

Price includes coach travel, excursions and a guide. Departures from early November.

BEST FOR SCENERY
Swiss Lakes and the Golden Pass Travel by train through the jaw-dropping scenery of the Swiss Alps using local mountain railways that travel over gravity defying viaducts and through dramatic gorges. This six-night holiday includes a rail trip on the Golden Pass Line from Interlaken to Geneva; the Brunig Mountain Pass journey and the scenic William Tell Express Line from Lucerne over the Gotthard Pass.

Treyn Holidays (01904 734940/www.treynholidays.co.uk) offers six nights in Switzerland from £975pp (two sharing), B&B, with dinner on four nights.

Price includes return rail travel from St Pancras International and the services of a tour manager.

BEST FOR TRAIN TRAVEL
The Transylvanian Return Hop aboard the Danube Express for this excellent nine-day tour of south-eastern and central Europe.

The journey begins with two nights in Istanbul, one of this year's European Capitals of Culture, before passengers board the train for a journey through Bulgaria and the spectacular scenery of Transylvania to the Hungarian capital of Budapest.

On the way, there are sightseeing stops at Bulgaria's ancient capital of Veliko Turnovo as well as Transylvania's Sighisoara and Brasov, both linked to the Dracula legend. In Budapest, passengers enjoy three nights in a four-star hotel.

Danube Express (01462 441400/www.danube-express.com) offers nine nights in Europe from £3,990pp (two sharing), half board. Price includes two nights in Istanbul, three nights on the Danube Express (with full board) and four nights in Budapest, return flights with BA, transfers and the services of a tour manager.
Departures September 10.

BEST FOR FOODIES
Malta & Gozo Discovery While Malta may not spring to mind when someone mentions culinary Europe, this new eight-day tour may help put the island on the foodie map.

Travellers visit a traditional Maltese bakery in Qormi, the cellars of the island's premier winemaker, Marsovin and the Cremona Olive Estate to learn about olive oil production.

A tour of the capital Valletta, along with two days on unspoilt sister island Gozo, are also included.

Explore (0844 499 0901/www.explore.co.uk) offers seven nights in Malta and Gozo from £923pp (two sharing), B&B.

Price includes return flights from Gatwick and the services of a tour guide.

Part two of our Escorted Tours special will appear in next week's edition of the Sunday Express.