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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, drinks with meals, and airport taxes. 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
The Divine Office- a sublime experience
MRT is an excellent operator, striking the balance very successfully between the benefits of specialist, organised travel, and the desire of participants to be treated like adults able to manage themselves . If you want to be led from A to B, they will do it - but otherwise , it's assumed that ...
*****
Happy at Home
07 Oct 2021
Perfect in all ways.
A 5 day tour of Palermo, led by very knowlegeable staff.
*****
AB
27 Feb 2018
Bach Journey, May 2019. Sublime divine music.
An experience of the music of Bach and some of his contemporaries in the places where Bach lived and worked. Inspired concerts by world recognised specialists in authentic concert environments. The experience definitely felt that you touched the Divine as was the intent of Bach's music. An expe...
*****
Simon C
19 May 2019
Western China
An excellent trip around the Taklamakan desert, following the northern Silk Route
*****
mart
21 Apr 2017
Informative and enjoyable
Attention to detail at all times to ensure a smooth running day, but done in an unobtrusive fashion.
*****
Hjaltlander
20 Apr 2018
A banquet of music in a glorious setting (Florence)
The format of the tour (A Music Festival in Florence, March 2017) was excellent: informative and engaging lectures every morning, a banquet of early music concerts, interspersed with fascinating walking tours/visits conducted by highly knowledgeable art historians. The venues for the concerts were a...
*****
Ian D.
08 Apr 2017
Bilbao to Bayonne
Martin Randall Travel
*****
Leo
11 Sep 2018
A comprehensive cultural adventure around the Ethiopian Highlands.
An extensive tour of the wonderful landscape of the Ethiopian Highlands. Starting at the bustling capital, Addis Ababa and visiting the major historic sights, including Aksum and its' stelae field and tombs, the "new Jerusalem" and its' cathedrals, Lalibela and its many rock-hewn...
****
Culture vultures
29 Oct 2015
Tour of St Petersburg
An intense week doing a deep dive into the beauty and history of St Petersburg
*****
Jude
06 Oct 2018
Stimulating and rewarding.
In the Lake District we visited specific places connected to the Arts and Craft movement. It was informative in every respect and we had plenty of time to visit at our leisure. The lecturer's input was excellent, knowledgeable without being too academic.
*****
Cris
26 May 2022
London Choral Day
Excellent
*****
Sir D I 22
30 Jun 2022
High-minded and inspirational
High-minded and inspirational, with no compulsory shopping.
*****
Arley
31 May 2015

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