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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
Walking to Santiago
MRT is an excellent company. The tour met my expectations . It was well planned, the lecturer was excellent with a comprehensive knowledge and an ability to express her thoughts clearly and in a manner which held ones interest.
*****
Vercs
30 Sep 2017
Informative, inspiring and individual.
Scholarly lectures, comfortable hotels, smoothly organised travel and delicious food. Small groups allow for focus on individual needs. Hassle-free intellectual inspiration, food for the soul and physical pleasure in a delightful combination.
*****
Livebetter2
11 Apr 2022
Excellent organisation made for an stress free trip
I flew to Delhi, India on suggested flights and met the rest of the group at baggage collection. We visited Delhi, Chandigargh, Amritsar, and Shimla with some short stops along the way, travelling by bus, car and plane. The destinations were all connected to the days when India was governed by the B...
*****
Deborah
01 Apr 2023
Vienna at Christmas
Efficient, see comments above
*****
Felix
30 Dec 2016
Eating our way through history in Kerala
This was our sixth tour with Martin Randall. They consistently send us home with a new view of countries of which we have previously known little. They have a knack of finding special corners or events which make the a privilege to be a participant, even if only a fleeting spectator.
*****
tiglio
28 Feb 2018
Monteverdi in Venice
Martin Randall Tours have a reputation for excellent value for money - this tour was no exception.
*****
Molly
13 Nov 2015
Entertaining but testing
And we did indeed get a test half way through! We enjoyed a series of visits to sites and buildings associated with the Normans in southern Italy under the guidance of an expert tour leader and an impressive tour manager. There were some drawbacks - an appallingly early start in London, a two-hour b...
*****
Mabel
15 Apr 2022
Excellent quality, fascinating and educational day at the Italina renaissance collection, National Gallery London.
One day guided tour themed around the Italian Renaissance paintings at the National Gallery in London. Superb guide, small group, very good lunch and refreshments.
I learned a lot - not just about Italian art but how to look at paintings. Also a very congenial group.
*****
Londoner
05 Feb 2015
Perfect
Perfect Manager Perfect Management
*****
Bear
27 Jun 2018
Venetian Palaces
Martin Randall Travel is run with great care and precision. This recent experience could not have been improved upon from start to finish. Their programmes are very enticing and imaginative.
*****
Fletcher
24 Mar 2018
Visual and aural culture in Berlin at New Year
Eclectic mix of galleries / museums / concerts and operas
*****
Mr d f 17
03 Jan 2018
Gastronomic Sweden
A well established, high end tour operator, with a focus on excellence.
*****
Sooty
21 Jun 2019

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