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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
An educational and cultural feast
We spent 10 days in Germany, visiting Berlin, Dresden & Leipzig. We attended the 4 opera's comprising Wagenr's Ring & learnt about his life. The historical and the operas' context was presented by 2 very erudite lecturers, maintaining the quality we have come to expect from Ma...
*****
BizzyLizzy
10 Apr 2017
Our first visit to Madrid and a comprehensive tour of art galleries and museums.
We spent five days visiting several galleries and museums a day the company of an expert guide.
*****
Chris
13 Nov 2022
Martin Randall Travel Music Festival - Polyphony in Portugal 2022
We have travelled with Martin Randall Travel many times before and found they operate to a very high standard, with carefully arranged itineraries. The organisation of their tours excellent. The staff are friendly and efficient.
*****
JohnB
11 Jun 2022
well planned, managed and instructive ---lectures were superb and sites well researched
Wonderful brochure, lots of information given and details of the sites we were to visit. There was a comprehensive reading list provided as well. I was met at the airport, accompanied on the plane and at no time did I feel left alone. The manager who accompanied us made us all feel welcome and inclu...
*****
Heather
02 Jun 2017
Truly the holiday of a lifetime
A fantastic tour of Peru, including Lima, Trujillo, Urubamba, Machu Picchu, Cuzco and Puno.. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment and have memories (and photographs that I will treasure always.
*****
TE
20 Sep 2019
Splendid
We booked a London Day with Martin Randall and were somewhat apprehensive as it was expensive for a single day bit we had a wonderful day and it was worth every penny.
*****
Roxani
25 Feb 2020
Amazing Danish architecture
This is my 7th trip with Martin Randall, and although the exchange rate against the Australian dollar is so unfavourable, I think you get what you pay for - excellent tour management, great lecturers and fascinating itineraries.
*****
Kristina
07 Jul 2018
Monteverdi in Venice
A wonderful combination of place and music
*****
M
09 Nov 2015
Another wonderful Martin Randall tour
Martin Randall tours.
*****
George
22 Sep 2023
Flawlessly organised and a very worthwhile trip
Unbelievably professional and determined to deliver an excellent holiday.
*****
cjl
28 May 2018
Culture, history and so much more
Everything anticipated; excellent lecturer and tour manager.
*****
Diane
31 Mar 2017
Opera and concert in Hamburg
Stimulating programme, efficient organisation, overall most enjoyable
*****
E
24 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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