As featured in:

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

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.

Image

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.

Image

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.

Image

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.

Image

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
A gastronomic idyll
Since the Guggenheim in Bilbao was built I have wanted to visit and my experience of it was beyond my expectations, architecturally, culturally and gastronomically. The same could be said of San Sebastián, one of the most vibrant cities on earth
*****
Joannie
11 Sep 2018
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
Excellent trip to a fascinating and unusual country
This was our first trip with Martin Randall Travel. They are really very special, providing an academic as a guide and lecturer. This worked extremely well for us, as the lecturer was always very engaging and available to answer questions. Every aspect of our trip went very smoothly, and all meal an...
*****
Julian
02 Jun 2023
Hugely knowledgeable tour guide and well organised day
Martin Randall was so professional, I loved all aspects of their work and organsiation
*****
Tpher
30 Jan 2018
An engaging day, even in torrential rain
Good fun and lots of info, and very well managed, despite frequent downpours
*****
Kazza
29 Jul 2021
Western Balkans, Martin Randall, October 2016
My grandparents came from small villages in Croatia and Serbia. I had heard many stories while growing up, but I had never visited these areas. My sister and I took this trip to learn more about the region and to experience the culture. The trip exceeded all of our expectations and gave us a much de...
*****
Nancy
23 Oct 2016
Fantastic Christmas in Umbria
Martin Randall Travel specializes in tours curated by scholarly experts.
*****
LA Scholar
29 Dec 2022
Cave Art in Spain
Martin Randal Travel
Very efficient and organised travelling to specialist interests and places
*****
Traveller
14 Jul 2022
Opera in Munich
Very well organised. They followed up my message about not liking fish, so it was easy when we went to the pre-booked restaurants. Opera tickets in very good seats. Hotel near the Opera House.
*****
Ms A A 17
26 Jul 2017
Well planned and executed tour to those enthusiastic about Frank Lloyd Wright
The tour included many of FLWs seminal buildings in a number of cities, as well as buildings by those he followed and who followed him. An excellent lecturer made the most of the various visits. Good planning, comfortable travel arrangements, made this well worth while.
****
Opera lover
07 Oct 2016
Brilliant cultural experience
Martin Randall in my mind, is the best operator of cultural tours. Their themed tours are diverse and wonderfully researched to give the perfect experience possible.
*****
Jocie
09 Aug 2016
Gastronomic Veneto
Martin Randall ran an efficient but unhurried tour of the Veneto region
*****
Driz
30 May 2017

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.

Sign up to our e-newsletter

e-newsletter recipients are the first to hear about our future plans and our tours as they come on sale. By signing up you agree to our Privacy policy.

Please select your preferred Title from the drop-down menu.
Please enter your surname.
Please enter a valid e-mail address.
Please enter your primary country of residence from the drop-down menu.

Or join our mailing list for a printed brochure

My Wishlist

Wishlist

Click the heart icon on any event to save it to your wishlist.

Browse our tours.