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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
Intellectually fascinating and socially rewarding.
Martin Randall thinks of everything and always provides a good mix of intellectual stimulus and social life. They are extremely efficient but very human.
*****
MD
09 Oct 2017
Wonderful tour of sites of Classical Greek Settlements
Expert in organising cultural tours. This one had clearly been honed to perfection.
*****
EricaP
17 May 2016
Well managed and caring, lecturers with depth of knowledge
Love the region we travelled in and enjoyed the experience very much.
****
Ms j g 16
07 Jun 2016
Excellent organisation and wonderful weather.
Extremely efficient and knowledgeable.
*****
S
25 Nov 2018
Palladian Perfection
We went on our first ever group tour with Martin Randall to see Palladian Villas. Our best hopes were exceeded. The organisation was impeccable and the hotel could not have been better. The itinerary was well planned and achieved without any problems. Our lecturer was unsurpassable, he was knowledge...
*****
Portico
15 Apr 2015
Stimulus to Discover More
I have never been disappointed by the Martin Randall tours and weekends I have enjoyed. They are expensive, but the quality is definitely worth paying for.
*****
Art Lover
20 Feb 2017
Foodie extravaganza
Martin Randall is a travel company with a vision beyond the normal - providing a high standard of travel, good information and holidays which explore “ where other companies fail to reach “
*****
Fatchetti
17 Oct 2022
FLEMISH PAINTINGS
An excellent specialist in ART HISTORY gave balanced analysis on various - mainly paintings - exhibits without overwhelming detail.
*****
Chris
10 May 2022
Art in the Netherlands - A visual Masterpiece!
Martin Randall made sure that we had a great experience - took all the worry out even when there were unexpected situations
*****
Paul 724
05 Jun 2015
A First Class Introduction to the Glories of Rome
We spent 6 days visiting the great sites of Rome accompanied by a first class guide. We also had a very efficient tour manager with us . The highlight was a private visit to the Vatican Museum including the Sistine Chapel which we had to ourselves. I will remember the time we spent there for the res...
*****
Skink
13 Mar 2023
Gastronomic highlights of Emilia-Romagna
Martin Randall has a well-deserved reputation for carefully planned, high quality and friendly tours covering all aspects of art as well as the highest standards of gastronomy.
*****
Macca
07 May 2017
Outstanding
Martin Randall
*****
Paul
02 May 2022

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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