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
IT DELIVERED A DREAM EXPERIENCE.
Wonderful personality, extremely well-organised and efficient. Keen to help whenever needed. Perfect for the job.
*****
Intrepid traveller
20 Jan 2017
Wonderful tour of the East Coast Galleries in the US. Well paced, intensive itinerary including the major galleries. Excellent detailed written information in the itinerary. Excellent American lecturer in art history and art.knowledgeable about the
Lovely group of only 24 members and a tour manager who made sure everything ran smoothly and everybody's needs were met. Maintained Martin Randall's excellent standards. Highly recommended tour.
*****
Kiwi
22 Jun 2017
Rising Stars in Taunton
We had an excellent weekend of first class music, food and wine
*****
Olivia
30 Jan 2019
Oman ancient and modern, from the mountains to the sea, the deserts to the oases and more besides
Martin Randall Travel escorts small (up to 22 usually) groups to places the ordinary tourist might miss. They specialise in music, history, archaeology and art, but this is just the starting point. Their tours are excellent value, and pretty full on. Don't expect a day in the sun on the beach. ...
*****
Sam's mum
28 Jan 2017
Magnificant English Cathedrals
Beautifully organised, carefully chosen itinerary, excellent hotels and an exceptional lecturer who brought the buildings alive.
*****
Cally
01 May 2018
A Truly Worthwhile Experience
The title was "Poets & the Somme" and combined detailed visits to key sites on this part of the Western Front in WWI with some of the poetry written at the time. We literally covered a lot of ground in a concentrated 4 days
*****
rtstaffy
12 Sep 2018
An overwhelming and wonderful experience which last for ever.
The holiday was a visit to the West Cork Musical Festival where the musical performances were first rate and the arrangements including hotel and all facilities were excellent. It was a very enjoyable and unforgetable experience.
*****
Dilwyn
29 Jun 2023
Interesting informative specialist tour.
Operates specialist tours: history, art history, archaeology, gastronomy. Really very good. All tours accompanied by a specialist in the field.
*****
Scratchetta
04 Mar 2023
Morocco, interesting, well paced and varied, brilliantly guided, great food and hotels, excellent company.,
Martin Randal run small specialist tours in a range of categories - mainly within a few hours flying in distance. They clearly research their itineraries very carefully to ensure a well paced and varied experience with everything (and it can be a lot) fitting together seamlessly. they employ excelle...
*****
Clare
26 Sep 2013
Walking to Derbyshire Houses
The lecturer was enthusiastic and approachable. The walks were graded so participants could assess them against their abilities. The tour manager pre-empted questions and requests as if psychic!
*****
PP
16 Jul 2022
Walking in Southern Tuscany
Walking in beautiful and varied countryside, visiting historic mediaeval towns, churches and museums,wine tasting, staying in very good hotels, being with an interesting and varied group of sociable people.
*****
Chris
21 Oct 2017
Fascinating
MRT have a good organisation
*****
Nick Brown
09 Nov 2022

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.