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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
Valletta Baroque Festival
A mixture of classical music and history of Malta. Each day well planned making visits very enjoyable. Evenings - dinner and music. Expert lecturer and tour manager. Everything thought of and problems always solved quickly and to everyone's satisfaction. a totally relaxed and enjoyable holiday.
*****
Mid Wales Solo
18 Mar 2019
Excellent experience sampling the Frances route to Santiago de Compostela
The 12 day walking tour covered the Frances El Camino route from Roncevalles to Santiago de Compostela. In order to sample the entire route, we walked more than 150 km of the 787 km route and travelled by bus for the remainder.
*****
Martin Randall fan
17 Sep 2023
Exquisite choirs in beautiful settings
I could find no fault with the tour operator: they provided a seamless and enjoyable experience.
*****
Helen
07 Jul 2023
Absolutely top notch in every way -- lecturer, management, wonderful itinerary.
Efficient, responsive, good value.
*****
Carolyn
31 May 2016
A brilliant tour of the Courts of Northern Italy
Efficient and imaginative
*****
D from London
18 Sep 2017
A Dream Come True
The visit to Andalusia was both intellectually stimulating and visually stunning. The lecturer was truly excellent, the food and wine were delicious and even the weather cooperated!
*****
Mrs. M P 21
07 Oct 2021
All meals, hotels,venues were top notch
Intelligent, expert, articulate, well organized approchable.
*****
JA
07 Feb 2015
Martin Randall Rhine Music Festival
Clearly very experienced and a delight to work with. Tour manager and other staff particularly skilled and helpful.
*****
Culture Vulture
29 Jun 2018
Glutted with Gorgeous Sights
We began with some cultural highlights of Munich and its surroundings, then made our way to Oberammergau via the fascinating castles of Landshut, Neuschwanstein and Linderhof. The culmination of the tour was the performance of the famous Passion Play, which lived up to expectations. We returned to t...
*****
Pedant
25 Jul 2022
Art in Japan
A carefully planned tour including significant museums, world heritage sites, fine hotels and quality restaurants . Outstanding lecturer and tour manager.
An amazing overview of Japanese Art in 12 days.
*****
Martin Randall devotees
23 May 2016
Halos and Hairshirts - the Divine Office with Martin Randall Travel
We had a brilliant time in Oxford courtesy of Martin Randall Travel. Up all night with plainchant and polyphony in various Oxford College Chapels, staying in the wonderful Old Bank Hotel and eating and drinking like Kings and Queens.

Brilliantly organised with a light touch.

We have never done any...
*****
NicholasC
11 Oct 2021
Mediaeval Saxony is a fascinating, under visited, area with great history and churches. Good food too.
Martin Randall Travel sweat the details and the tour guide/lecturer was superb, the hotels excellent and perfectly located and the Tour Manager was first class. Visiting numerous churches perhaps does not sound exciting, but all the participants on this tour thoroughly enjoyed the experience and rea...
*****
Roger
18 May 2018

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