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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
Fantastic!!
This is the second tour I have taken with Martin Randall and it is clear that he overlooks nothing to endure a trip of the very highest quality. Participants never have to worry about anything because he anticipates every difficulty and plans for all contingencies! For this tour, he secured Dr. Nige...
*****
A Happy Canadian Tourist
09 Oct 2017
The Cradle of Modern Art from Barcelona to Collioure, Arles and Nice.
We enjoyed visiting historically interesting places with fascinating museums and sights and wonderful art in the company of an excellent lecturer and like minded travelers. We stayed in great hotels in good positions and reveled in the delicious local food.
*****
Rover
07 Nov 2017
It was the experience of the lifetime. I cannot praise it highly enough
A group tour that took us to the places where Bach had worked and where we heard his music played by musicians of the very highest calibre.
*****
dalondra
13 Sep 2023
Ravenna and Urbino
Good quality accommodation and tour guides. a wide and interesting range of holidays. Very helpful head office staff. An excellent range of holidays throughout the world with an emphasis on all the arts.
*****
Joe
13 Sep 2023
well planned, managed and instructive ---lectures were superb and sites well researched
I am widow of 75, nervous of travelling for the first time on my own and I had spent many hours wondering if I would be included with everyone else on this trip. It was not the slightest problem: not only was it a riveting time for me but I was with other like minded people, not closed and intereste...
*****
Heather
02 Jun 2017
World Heritage Malta
Martin Randall anticipates every detail.
*****
Ellen
03 Oct 2022
Gastronomic West Country treat
Martin Randall travel
*****
LesleyH
14 Jul 2018
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
Marvellous chamber music weekend in Taunton
This residential chamber music weekend with the Carducci Quartet and William Howard giving spirited performances of works by Schubert and Dvořák was sheer delight. The hotel accommodation, service and food were exemplary. We shall return again for similar events in the future.
*****
B&JH
08 Nov 2021
the Silk Road
Balance between operator, manager and local guides was excellent
The whole group of Emglish, American and Canadians bonded well and we became like a new family of great friends
*****
stevie boy
19 Apr 2017
Gardens and Villas of the Italian Campagna (MRT)
An excellent tour that takes in many of the key historic gardens in the Italian Campagna with input from an expert lecturer. Ninfa and the recently opened Castel Gandolfo were highlights. I would strongly recommend this tour.
*****
Victoria'
26 Apr 2015
Outstandingly good Tour Manager for Japan, David Lovejoy; very knowledgeable academic presenter, Monika Hinkel
Upgraded airline cost well worth the money. Western food, as planned throughout, was superior. Japanese food presented beautifully. Tour Director and Lecturer really knew their stuff. David Lovejoy handled the itinerary and needed modifications beautifully. Lovely countryside seen between points of ...
*****
localworldtraveler
17 Nov 2016

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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