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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
Wonderful
They do provide top quality holidays. Everything is done efficiently. Nothing to worry about on the holiday.
*****
Sunshine
08 Jun 2017
Superb Bach Festival
The tour involved travel to six towns in which J. S. Bach lived. The tour involved hotel stays in three cities, lectures by Sir Nicholas Kenyon, nine concerts by outstanding musicians, transportation by coach, and most meals.
*****
LA Mike
12 Sep 2023
The London Squares Walk
An excellent guided walk around some of the London Squares between Buckingham Palace and Earls Court. The lecturer was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Refreshments were included and the whole organisation of the day was excellent.
*****
Maddie
15 Sep 2020
The Divine Office- a sublime experience
MRT's The Divine Office in Oxford was very special , and a magnificent achievement in the context of Covid. Organising17 concerts in the space of 5 days would be no mean feat in normal times; as it was , it did not disappoint, and indeed performers and audience alike appreciated the privilege o...
*****
Happy at Home
07 Oct 2021
Very enjoyable
Four concerts of well-performed string quartets and one string quintet, well chosen for their diversity, interest and 'enjoy ability in the relaxed surroundings of the Castle Hotel, Taunton. Comfortable rooms, excellent food and good like-minded company.
*****
Tom
06 Mar 2022
Visiting gardens and villas on Lake Como and Lake Maggiore in Italy.
This was our sixth Martin Randall holiday. We keep coming back because we know that we can expect a carefully planned and expertly led holiday, staying in good hotels and enjoying fine food in good company.
*****
Italophile
29 Apr 2018
A well-planned tour with an excellent lecturer, tour manager and itinerary
The itinerary was well planned to introduce us to the Douro region, encompassing art and architectural history, palaeolithic remains and wine production. We stayed at 2 centres, Porto and Pinhao. The hotels we stayed in were both very comfortable, and were close to the heart of the respective towns....
*****
Bastet
14 May 2015
Walking Hadrian's Wall
Martin Randall provided a first class service in terms of the tour location, the accommodation, meals and personnel.
*****
Ebony
14 May 2023
Excellent balance of taught sightseeing and operas
there was more in Verona than I know, went for the opera
*****
Shona
24 Jul 2018
Fabulous music in exquisite settings!
This is our second Martin Randall tour. We can depend on MR to provide extraordinary well-calibrated experiences relating to art, architecture, literature, music and food.
*****
Poetiza
26 Jun 2016
Very good
Very good
*****
Mr A T 18
26 Sep 2018
Martin Randall Travel review
MRT pay attention to detail. Everything that I want in a holiday is included.
*****
Poppy
03 Apr 2015

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