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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
Gardens in the Highlands of Scotland
Martin Randall Tours are well organised and interesting
*****
madjudge
01 Jul 2023
Culturally invigorating
Courteous, informed, tactful and thoughtful
*****
RJ
27 May 2018
Entertaining but testing
Good booking system. Excellent website which was easy to access to keep us up to date before travel. Lecturer and Tour Manager both at the top of their game.
*****
Mabel
15 Apr 2022
Dixon Jones Architects of Cultural London
Well organised and planned to give an excellent experience of architecture by Dixon Jones group . We visited buildings and areas I would not have had access to or had the personal insight of Edward Jones . I could not have done this alone .
*****
Llamb
29 May 2017
Fabulous culinary tour to Valencia, Spain
Well organized and efficient. We had a detailed itinerary which gave us all the info we needed about departure times, hotels, meals, museum visits and the chefs and their restaurants. Liked the fact that the group was small and there were no lanyards, name tags, or tour leader flags to follow! Low k...
*****
JauntingJ
17 Nov 2016
Valletta Baroque Festival
Martin Randall Travel - brilliant - nothing is left to chance. Well constructed tours with a good balance of activities. Make you feel completely at ease - as a holiday should be!
*****
Mid Wales Solo
18 Mar 2019
Met my expectations for interest and knowledge.
West Country Churches combined visits to great cathedrals and churches hidden away in the countryside. Would have been difficult or impossible to organise for oneself.
*****
Steeple Chaser
09 Jul 2023
A great trip
A combination of interesting culture and good food
*****
JoolsN
13 Apr 2022
A wonderful day of glorious music.
It was a single day "Byrd in the City", commemorating the 40th anniversary of the death of William Byrd. Three short recitals of glorious music in important city churches.
*****
AWH
16 May 2023
An interesting and eye-opening experience.
I have travelled with Martin Randall a number of times and always been happy with the service both before and during the tour. The attention to detail is remarkable, and any problems are dealt with efficiently. I would certainly recommend them to anyone who wants a cultural holiday in the company of...
*****
Canuck
08 Nov 2016
An overview of Minoan archaeology, Cretan history, geography and culture
Martin Randall Travel provide specialist tours across Europe and beyond. Their organisation and attention to detail in respect of every aspect of the tour - including travel, transfers, hotels, meals, visits to sites of interest and provision of expert lecturers and guides is outstanding.
*****
RuthH
01 Apr 2018
Food, wine and Italy - who wants more?
I have been travelling with MRT for many years, Their tours are always excellent, very intersting, exellently organised.
*****
Tazbag
30 May 2019

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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