Extended cultural journeys in Europe, Asia and the Americas: a collection

We offer in-depth and fresh perspectives with our expert lecturers, supremely equipped to lead comprehensive journeys across great civilisations. In Scotland, David Forsyth, expert on Scotland and formerly of National Museums Scotland, takes us on an epic journey in search of the touchstones of Scottish identity. Dr Giles Tillotson takes us to no fewer than nine UNESCO sites in Northern India – magnificent Rajput and Mughal forts, palaces and tombs, spending time at each.

On these longer, extended tours, a myriad of themes emerge, ripe for exploration. From the touching tales of emigrant hardship unveiled at Cobh, Ireland, to private out-of-hours opportunities to gawp at Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, our expert programming allows for a full cultural understanding to materialise.

Whether it's our spectacular Peru tour through Andean heartlands or our all-encompassing itinerary to the best sites in Sicily, we handle all logistics, hotels, transport and internal arrangements. With experienced tour managers on hand throughout, we make journeying across entire countries and regions stress-free.

This tour explores and celebrates the touchstones of Scottishness, from the battlefield at Bannockburn, where the Scots under Robert the Bruce routed their ‘auld enemy’ the English in 1314, to a Scotch whisky distillery. Castles, both picturesquely ruined and baronially grand, feature prominently, as do magnificent sweeps of Highland scenery that are unmatched anywhere in Europe.

Mary, Queen of Scots is a frequent ghostly presence and we celebrate the close and enduring Scottish links of the present-day British monarchy. Through it all, from Edinburgh to Glasgow by way of the wilds of Highland Scotland, we thread the story of those who left but never forgot.

The rich and fertile riverine plains of northern India have long formed a corridor allowing migrations and invasions to spread across the Subcontinent. The result is a region of fascinating cultural diversity.

This tour spends more time at each location than most mainstream tours, with free time for rest and independent exploration.

From Dublin to Belfast the tour brings together the strands of Irish history, architecture and culture. It also weaves in the natural landscapes that Oscar Wilde celebrated, notably on a visit to the Aran Island of Inishmore and a scenic crossing of the mysterious limestone wilderness of the Burren in County Clare.

The story of Ireland is tragic and inspiring and both sides are reflected on our itinerary. In fitting conclusion, we reach Belfast and Hillsborough Castle where the Anglo-Irish Agreement was signed in 1985, a milestone on the road to peace after the turmoil of the Troubles.

Here are to be found some of the finest surviving ancient Greek temples and theatres; Roman floor mosaics which have no peer in Europe; and wall and vault mosaics by Byzantine craftsmen which are unequalled anywhere.

A full tour but carefully paced and with only three hotels.

Where to start? While it would be foolish to try and ‘do’ the whole of Italy, its most important cities do offer an excellent introduction. The four we visit are major cultural touchstones, yet strikingly different from each other, and all home to sites of incomparable historical importance.

In each of the cities, we see the essentials but also visit many lesser known treasures where visitors are far fewer. We include private arrangements to places not normally open to the public, or, for some of the busiest sites, outside of usual opening hours.

This tour seeks to understand and re-imagine the Inca Empire on a journey through its Andean heartland of Cuzco, following the sacred Vilcanota river. We take in classic Inca sites where their cyclopean stonework melds into the grandeurs of the Andean landscape to attain a Zen-like architectural aesthetic. The culmination is the most spectacular site of all, Machu Picchu, perched on the very fringes of Amazonia.

A journey to the best of Uzbekistan and some of the most glorious sights in the Islamic world. This tour visits Oxiana, Tartary, Turkestan, Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand: names to produce a frisson. They evoke alluring images of shimmering turquoise domes and exquisite glazed wall tiles, of lost libraries and renowned scholars, of the delicious decadence of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, of gardens, poetry and wine, of the fabulous riches of the Silk Road between China and Christendom.

The Moorish civilisation of Andalucía was one of the most sophisticated in medieval Europe. On this tour we unveil its greatest achievements – from Córdoba’s vast Mezquita to the 13th-century palaces of the Alhambra.

Three nights are spend in each of the major cities: Granada, Córdoba and Seville.