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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 15% deposit.

What do others say about Martin Randall Travel?

Showing 2184 reviews
A relaxing tour with historical interest and wonderful opera.
Flawless attention to detail. Leisurely pace. Excellent lecturer.
*****
MB Bristol
23 Aug 2016
A brilliant programme, superby organised and executed.
Visit to Prague for sightseeing and concerts each evening. An excellent local guide, a great hotel as were all meals.
*****
Jeremy
19 May 2017
The tour manager and lecturer were excellent, caring and helpful.
Martin Randall Travel is always excellent value and attracts discerning and like-minded people.
*****
Rob
04 Sep 2021
Informative and enjoyable
Very enjoyable
*****
Mike
25 Mar 2018
Superb
Martin Randall - Efficient, well organised, well planned trips of interest
*****
Bob
12 May 2019
A feast of music and churches
A programme of four string quartet recitals attached to a programme of visits to eight Suffolk Churches.
*****
JollyJo
24 May 2019
Outstanding tour
Martin Randall Travel has provided three themed and most enjoyable tours in different countries in recent years.
Tours are well planned, well managed without being fussy, but with attention to every detail.
*****
OldSeaTrain
27 Jul 2019
French Gothic Cathedrals not to be missed.
Good itinerary with a good lecturer and tour director. Loved knowing so much more about the architecture and history. Very good hotels and meals along with a very pleasant group of travelers.
*****
mdhhmd
20 Jul 2018
Gardens and Villas of the Italian Lakes
Martin Randall seem to go by reputation as "the best" but I would see them as good and well organised. The leaders are pleasant and well organised, but a little regimented.
Their knowledge was good, but communication could have been more lively rather than tedious endless lecture.
****
EDG
30 Sep 2016
Memorable music festival in Venice
Efficient, professional and charming. It always seems like nothing is too much trouble for MRT's capable staff
*****
Timetraveller
16 Nov 2017
Excellent lecturer, tour manager and coffee, lunch and tea breaks
Excellent day out looking at London architecture.
*****
Robin
14 Sep 2020
Footpaths of Umbria
A holiday that involves walking through olive groves and visiting beautiful hilltop towns in Umbria.
*****
MM
24 May 2022

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