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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
A superb combination of program, venue, place and performance
The Festival of Music in Franconia combined a suitably varied and interesting program of chamber music, performed by excellent individual soloists and ensembles in stunning Medieval to Baroque settings. The event was suitably paced over a week, with all participants accommodated comfortably on the M...
*****
Walt
30 Aug 2016
An excellent introduction to renaissance and baroque Rome
My wife and I went on Martin Randall's "Connoisseur's Rome", 3-8 November 2015. The tour was accompanied by an expert lecturer who was able to convey a lot of information to a mainly non-specialist audience in a very approachable and good-humoured way, and a tour manager who was ...
*****
Alexander
01 Dec 2015
Review by Mr J B 17 on Wed Nov 08 2017 08:00:00 GMT+0000 (Greenwich Mean Time)
Very enjoyable tour - fully came up to our expectations.
*****
Mr J B 17
08 Nov 2017
Art in Paris was extremely well run. I learnt so much and it just makes me want to art all over the world.
It was a 4 day trip by Euro-star London - Paris. The exhibitions were well-chosen and the lecturer excellent
*****
Swallowtail
10 Nov 2019
Interesting and informative.
This was our fifth holiday with Martin Randal. They consistently provide a professional and excellent service.
*****
Keith
15 Oct 2017
Florence in the Renaissance
Guided tour of Florence. Stayed for a week in a very good hotel with an excellent location. Excellent leader and tour manager - both helped to make the trip enjoyable and rewarding. Only 18 of us, that made it a more personal experience. Ate in a different restaurant each night. I appreciated the al...
*****
Chris
03 Mar 2016
Visual and aural culture in Berlin at New Year
Totally professional in every aspect
*****
Mr d f 17
03 Jan 2018
World Heritage Malta
Martin Randall anticipates every detail.
*****
Ellen
03 Oct 2022
A cultural feast in Amsterdam
Martin Randall Travel is an operator that pays attention to the smallest details that make a real difference to the experience of their clients. Their cultural holidays are second to none.
*****
Jock
02 Feb 2020
A privileged journey through Louisiana, USA
Beautifully organised, the outstanding feature of this holiday was the quality of the lecturer. Louis Nelson is a Professor of Architecture at the University of Virginia, but his expertise spreads far wider than how to read houses. We were privileged. and then there was the choice of accommodation...
*****
Sue Marsh
15 May 2017
CrŽcy, Agincourt, Waterloo
well organized
*****
Mr J G 17
18 Sep 2017
Traditions of Japan
Martin Randall's vast variety of specialist tours is second to none. Their website is exemplary and the individual my-booking site is well designed and most helpful.
*****
Tess
22 May 2023

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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