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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

Since 1988 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 and drinks with meals. The price published is the price you pay. You can secure your booking today with a 15% deposit.

What do others say about Martin Randall Travel?

Showing 2184 reviews
A great tour through northern Italy covering the westward journey of the Venetian people to make a new life for themselves away from the coast.
Martin Randall Travel have provided us with endless opportunities to broaden our knowledge and visit otherwise untapped areas throughout Europe over the past ten years.
*****
Eastlink
12 May 2023
Shakespeare 400
The best organizer of tours for people who seek to develop their knowledge on theatre, art, music and culture.
The guides, managers and organization is unfailingly excellent.
I have been on eight tours with Martin Randall and look forward to many more.
*****
Beryllium
12 Aug 2016
Bach Leipzig Festival
Comprehensive itinerary, sympathetic tour leader, good hotel Leipzig Marriott.
*****
djangonut
21 Jun 2016
On Song in Salzburg
Planning an interesting itinerary, Martin Randall's organisation included a caring tour guide and a well known knowledgable lecturer.
*****
Djangonut
14 Aug 2015
Enjoying music with like-minded people
No hesitation in recommending Martin Randall Travel. Wonderful, knowledgeable staff and good organisation without being intrusive if you want to do something independently.
*****
MKid
09 Oct 2021
Martin Randall Delivers on Scottish Borders Tour
This Martin Randall tour delivered everything that the brochure promised! Excellent lecturer, tour manager, bus driver; lovely hotel; delicious meals; great stately home visits.
*****
Roberta
09 Aug 2014
Wonderful Uzbek Experience
This was my second trip with Martin Randall and cannot rate them too highly, they think of everything to make it a wonderful experience.
*****
Nees
19 Apr 2019
Peru 7-23 Septmeber 2015
Excellent itinerary with a superb lecturer and tour manager. A fascinating insight to Peru's history over a 5,000 year period. We discovered that there was much more to Peru than the Incas,interesting as their history is.
*****
ARB
25 Sep 2015
Music in New York at Christmas
An enjoyable trip with very good accommodation and excellent entertainment at The Met Opera House and concert with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at David Geffen Hall.
*****
Yana
03 Jan 2018
Week-long immersion into Renaissance medicine
I went on the History of Medicine tour through Martin Randall Travel, it was a perfect amount of museum/site visits and downtime to explore. We were always given the opportunity to opt out of a visit, and the tour/agency was very accommodating since I booked a few days before they left. I am a stude...
*****
Marissa
21 Sep 2016
Wihan quartet Castle hotel Martin Randall
A delightful programme of music performed with great rapport between the players. A treat from start to finish.
*****
Byron
16 Jan 2017
Fascinating Petersburg
Provided a great itinerary and excellent background information + Incredible attention to detail.
*****
11
07 Oct 2018

Joining a Martin Randall Cultural Tour

Between 10–22 participants can usually join our small group tours, though the upper limit can be lower dependent on the tour.

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