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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 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
Excellent and relaxing holiday cruising the Dalmation coast
10 days spent on a small cruise ship touring the Dalmatian coast. Very beautiful and a great experience. Excellent lecturrer who explained the history and iconography of what we were seeing. Excellent local guides as well.
*****
PB
01 May 2019
Norman Conquest and Plantagenet Power
Booking is easy with helpful staff easily available on the phone to answer any questions. The details sent beforehand were comprehensive and helpful. The lecturer chosen was first rate. A lot of care had been taken to give us an excellent holiday experience.
*****
Chris
09 Oct 2021
Fascinating Textile Tour to India
We traveled with a retired curator from V&A to learn about the textile arts in India
*****
Northfield Vic
21 Feb 2018
Discovering modern art on the Cote d'Azur
This was a Christmas holiday, based in Nice, and touring the Cote d'Azur to galleries and museums accompanied by a lecturer and tour manager. The lecturer was able to make the art much more accessible and, therefore enjoyable. As a solo traveller I also enjoyed group meals in the hotel or at lo...
*****
Matisse fan
28 Dec 2018
A glorious feast of music in Venice
They are efficient, charming and helpful
*****
Jessie
13 Nov 2017
Excellent
We have been on several Martin Randall tours to countries of great historical interest where a good guide, a good lecturer and and good manager can interest, inspire and relax you but where the political conditions, a strange language and other unknowns can deter the older traveller with limited tim...
*****
dukhiamanche
27 Oct 2017
Walking in Southern Tuscany with Martin Randall
Her enthusiasm for her subject was infectious, and her knowledge was deep. She had the gift of making history come alive. A bonus was that she read passages from famous authors relating to our visits and the countryside as we travelled in the coach.
*****
Rosamund
17 Oct 2017
Bach Journey - Superb - an experience of a lifetime
Helpful, informative, friendly
*****
Mr T T 17
12 Sep 2017
Glyndebourne and Garsington
Martin Randall provides really interesting cultural tours and you know everything will be of top quality.
*****
Biddy
16 Jun 2023
Historically terrific, lodgings and meals fabulous, tour manager and tour guide flawless, professional and nurturing
Absolutely perfect !!!
*****
Ms D C 13
24 Sep 2013
A truly wonderful champagne experience
A guided four-day tour of the Champagne region of France with an expert guide and reassuring tour manager. The final night's dinner at Charles Heidseick was a real treat. Recommended!
*****
jezzathedude
06 May 2019
Brilliant day out
So organised it's almost disturbing. A brilliant day.
*****
Ianimitable
16 Jun 2017

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