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Expert-led small-group tours

This video was filmed on our Footpaths of Umbria tour in June 2023 and gives a flavour of what to expect on one of our holidays.

Exploring Italy on a cultural tour

We also offer fresh perspectives on old friends, using art historians, not musicologists, on our opera tours of Verona and seeing Florence, Padua and Bologna through the prism of science and medicine as well as art. We bring you Puccini at the maestro’s lakeside villa, the mosaics of Ravenna and the frozen worlds of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

We dine finely in Piedmont, throw light on the Dark Ages in the northern Adriatic and stand at the crossroads of European civilisations in Sicily. We gaze up at Michelangelo’s David and down at Etruscan tombs. We give you Italy, packaged in a gilt-edged portfolio.

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Cultural tours in Sicily

Whether it’s on a private tour of Palermo’s Palatine Chapel or a guided walk on Etna with an expert vulcanologist, you will be fully immersed in dazzling cultural inheritance.

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Cultural tours in Venice

With special, out-of-hours access to the Basilica di San Marco - as well as on-the-spot insights by our expert lecturers - we give you an unrivalled view of La Serenissima.

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Cultural tours in Florence

Special access is a feature of our Florence tours: visit the vast baroque Palazzo Corsini al Parione, dine at the Palazzo Corsini al Prato, and gaze across the city and Appenines beyond from Palazzo Gondi.

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Cultural tours in Rome

From the underground chambers of the Colosseum to Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoes viewed in tranquil solitude, we uncover both Rome's cultural triumphs and lesser-known masterpieces.

Browse Italy tours by theme

Why travel with us?

Leading expertise

For 36 years we have been the most influential organisation in the field of cultural travel, offering an unequalled range of tours and events. Pioneering and innovative, we have led the way with ideas and itineraries and by setting the benchmarks for customer service and administration.

Privileged access

Special arrangements are a feature of our tours – for admission to places not generally open to travellers, for access outside public hours, for private concerts and extraordinary events. In innumerable ways, we lift our clients’ experience far above standards which are regarded as normal for tourists.

First-rate speakers

Expert speakers are a key ingredient in our tours. Academics, curators, writers, broadcasters and researchers, they are selected not only for their knowledge but also for their ability to communicate clearly and engagingly to a lay audience. Their brief is to enlighten and stimulate, not merely to inform.

Holiday protection

We provide full financial protection for our package holidays which include international flights, by way of our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL); and for those that do not include a flight, by way of a bond held by ABTOT – The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited.

Personal service

We aim for faultless administration from your first encounter with us to the end of the holiday, and beyond. We want you to come back again and again – as most of our clients do. We can provide options without international travel if you prefer to make your own arrangements.

Award-winning

Five consecutive years as Best Special Interest Holiday Company at the British Travel Awards (2015–19) reflects our commitment to excellence. With a remarkable 99% satisfaction rating from more than 1,100 independent reviews, our attention to detail and client care is unmatched.

Most of our tours run with between 10 and 20 participants. Our travellers are self-selected by common interests and an endorsement of our ethos. You are highly likely to find yourself among like-minded companions, whether travelling solo (as 50% of our clients do) or with a travel partner.

Value for money

The price includes nearly everything, not only the major ingredients such as hotel, transport and the costs of the lecturer and manager but also tips, drinks with meals, and airport taxes. The price published is the price you pay. You can secure your booking today with a 10% deposit.

What do others say about Martin Randall Travel?

Showing 2184 reviews
Terrificsites and tour leader!
Normans in the South with Martin Randall was educational and entertaining, with good food in nice hotels (for the most part).
*****
localworldtraveler
08 Apr 2017
Wonderful inspiring and well organised
Martin Randall himself had clearly been close to the organisation of this tour from it's inception, and he was with us throughout marvelling in the music and the places we visited for the concerts. There is a clear ethos which covers all bases, and all staff had a smile, and a yes can do attit...
*****
Salmas
13 Jul 2023
A rich and memorable festival
We have come to rely on Martin Randall Travel after booking with them many times. Without exception the holidays have been remarkable experiences in inspring locations.
*****
RJB
19 Nov 2022
Norman Conquest and Plantagenet Power
A four day tour of Kent visiting castles and and cathedrals connected to the Norman Conquest and its aftermath.
*****
Chris
09 Oct 2021
Shakespeare Tour and 5 plays with Martin Randall Travel in London
Martin Randall had both professor Nicholl tp lead play discussions and lecture about Shakespeare and his contemporaries, but also Janice, our tour leader who managed the logistics of schedule, meals, transportation, hotel accommodations etc. Schedule was full but not too demanding with time for meal...
*****
Sufi
23 Jul 2017
The Hanseatic League.
Very well organised. Very helpful.
*****
frequent traveller
06 Aug 2023
Music in Venice is a unique tour of high quality
MRT has a strong track record of cultural tours, part of which is their music festivals/tours/cruises. They have maintained the quality of their office support through the pandemic. Expect to pay for the quality.
*****
PhilipNcl
21 Nov 2022
Walking a Royal River
Martin Randall Travel is a company that I have used a number of times. Their holidays are well researched, planned in detail and the quality of lecturer, tour manager, accommodation and itinerary always very good.
*****
Spreckle
13 Oct 2015
Small tour, great experience
Small tour following Leonardo da Vinci from birth to death taking in blockbuster exhibition in Paris. Expert lecturer Dr Michael Douglas Scott who was knowledgable but relatable, a difficult skill. We stayed in four hotels in seven days and the logistics were impeccably organised
*****
Pearlfan
04 Nov 2019
Berlin Modern architecture
Perfect in every way
*****
Ru
04 Jul 2019
It brought history alive
Very good organisation
*****
Dr A
06 Oct 2019
Facinating history, beautiful art and stunning opera in Vienna
I recently had my brain exercised and emotions engaged in a Martin Randall trip to Vienna. Whilst the main focus of the trip was the Hapsburgs, there was a special opportunity to also explore Secession architecture and enjoy a perfect night at the opera. Our guide was exceptional and he was well sup...
*****
Sieglinde
29 Jun 2017

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