Update April 2025
CELEBRATING MUSIC AND PLACE
Martin Randall Festivals bring together world-class musicians for a sequence of private concerts in Europe’s most glorious buildings, many of which are not normally accessible. We take care of all logistics, from flights and hotels to pre-concert talks.
Martin Randall Festivals in 2026:
EARLY MUSIC IN YORK May 2026
PIANO ALONG THE RHINE 22–29 June 2026
MUSIC ALONG THE DANUBE 15–22 August 2026
MUSIC ALONG THE RHINE 31 August–7 September 2026
MUSIC IN SEVILLE October 2026
MONTEVERDI IN VENICE 11–17 November 2026
Spaces remaining in 2025: HANDEL IN MALTA 21–27 November 2025
Our series of UK Chamber Music Breaks: STILE ANTICO, 26–28 November 2025
Contact us for more information or visit martinrandall.com/festivals
About us
Leaders in the eld. Martin Randall Travel is committed to providing the best planned, the best led and altogether the most ful lling and enjoyable cultural tours available. Operating in around 40 countries, our mission is to deepen your understanding and enhance your appreciation of the achievements of civilisations around the world.
First-rate speakers. Expert speakers are a key ingredient in our tours and events. ey are selected not only for their knowledge, but also for their ability to communicate clearly and engagingly to a lay audience.
Original itineraries, meticulously planned. Rooted in the knowledge of the destination and of the subject matter of the tour, the outcome of assiduous research and reconnaissance, and underpinned by many years of re ection and experience, our itineraries are second to none.
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.
Travelling in comfort. We select our hotels with great care. Not only have nearly all been inspected by members of our sta , but we have stayed in most of them. Hundreds more have been seen and rejected. We invest similar e orts in the selection of restaurants, menus and wines, aided by sta with a specialist knowledge of these areas.
Contents
Martin Randall Travel Ltd
10 Barley Mow Passage, London W4 4PH
Tel +44 (0)20 8742 3355 info@martinrandall.co.uk
From North America: Tel 1 800 988 6168 (toll-free) usa@martinrandall.com
Small groups, congenial company. Most of our tours run with between 10 and 20 participants. Not the least attractive aspect of travelling with MRT is that you are highly likely to nd yourself in congenial company, self-selected by common interests and endorsement of the company’s ethos.
Travelling solo. We welcome people travelling on their own, for whom our tours are ideal, as many of our clients testify. Half the group is usually made up of solo travellers.
Care for our clients. We aim for faultless administration from your rst encounter with us to the end of the holiday, and beyond. Personal service is a feature.
To see our full range of cultural tours and events, please visit www.martinrandall.com
Front cover: Segovia, La Granja de San Ildefonso, watercolour by Mima Nixon, publ. 1916. Image (left): Music in Bologna ©Benjamin Ealovega.
The Western Balkans
Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina & Montenegro
12–25 May 2025 (ml 685)
14 days • £6,060
Lecturer: Professor Cathie Carmichael
6–19 October 2025 (ml 814)
14 days • £6,060
Lecturer: Dr Mark ompson
A ground-breaking journey through one of the most politically complex regions of Europe.
Rural villages, imposing capitals, and magni cent mountainous landscapes.
Exquisite Byzantine wall paintings in the fortresslike monasteries of Southern Serbia, Ottoman mosques, Art Nouveau architecture.
Iti nerary
Day 1: Zagreb. Morning ight (British Airways) from London Heathrow to Zagreb. Begin with an orientation walk and visit to the State Archives. First of two nights in Zagreb.
Day 2: Zagreb. e capital of Croatia ranks with the loveliest cities of Central Europe. Visit the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art, and the Gothic Cathedral. Overnight Zagreb.
Day 3: Zagreb, Osijek. Drive through Croatia’s rustic north-east to lunch at a vineyard. Osijek, the administrative centre of Slavonia has an unspoilt quarter built by the Austrians as their base against the Turks. Overnight Osijek.
Day 4: Ilok, Novi Sad. Pass through Vukovar, the Croatian town worst damaged by the 1991 war. Over the river into Serbia, Novi Sad, has a picturesque 18th-century core. See the fortress of Petrovaradin. First of two nights in Belgrade.
Day 5: Belgrade. A er Diocletian divided the Roman Empire in the late third century ad,
Belgrade became the westernmost stronghold of the eastern portion. Its kernel is a citadel above the con uence of the Danube and Sava rivers. Overnight in Belgrade.
Day 6: Belgrade, Manasija. At Manasija Byzantine frescoes of the highest quality survive well. First of two nights in Kraljevo.
Day 7: Studenica, Sopoćani. Two more superb medieval monasteries: Studenica and Sopoćani. Both have exceptional 13th- and 14th-century Byzantine frescoes. Overnight Kraljevo.
Day 8: Višegrad, Sarajevo. Cross from Serbia to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Stop at the beautiful Višegrad bridge, built by the great Ottoman architect Sinan, before continuing to the capital, Sarajevo. First of two nights here.
Day 9: Sarajevo. e various assorted mosques, churches and synagogues highlight the pluralist nature of the city. Overnight in Sarajevo.
Day 10: Sarajevo, Mostar. Free morning. Mostar is Bosnia-Herzegovina’s most picturesque town, with narrow cobbled streets and original Ottoman architecture. Overnight Mostar.
Day 11: Trebinje, Tivat. A er a stop to view stećci, monumental medieval tombstones, lunch at a winery in Trebinje. In the a ernoon cross into Montenegro and descend to the Bay of Kotor. First of three nights in Tivat.
Day 12: Kotor, Perast. Kotor retains its fearsome ramparts and Romanesque cathedral. Perast is perched between towering mountains and water. A short boat ride takes us to an island church. Overnight Tivat.
Day 13: Cetinje, Njeguši. Until the end of WWI Cetinje was the capital of Montenegro. e historic village of Njeguši sits on the slopes of Mount Lovćen. Final night in Tivat.
Day 14: Tivat. Fly from Dubrovnik, arriving at London Gatwick in the a ernoon.
Image: Kotor, watercolour by William Tyndale, publ. 1925.
Cyprus: stepping stone of history
Island civilisation in the Eastern Mediterranean
3–11 November 2025 (ml 842)
9 days • £4,480
Lecturer: Ian Colvin
A vibrant panoply of archaeology, history and art in both south and north.
Ancient cities and tombs, churches and monasteries, forts and castles – a legacy of occupations and in uences spanning millennia.
Two nights in the Troodos mountains, with its remarkable Byzantine frescoed churches.
Iti nerary
Day 1. Fly from London Heathrow to Larnaca at midday (British Airways). Drive c. 80 miles to reach Paphos, arriving c. 9.00pm. First of three nights in Paphos.
Day 2: Paphos. e day is spent in and around Paphos. e unesco-listed archaeological park dates largely from the Roman period and includes impressive mosaics. Visit the remains at the Tombs of the Kings, a necropolis. e a ernoon is dedicated to the excellent District Archaeological Museum and the Byzantine Museum, notable for the 13th and 14th-century icons, as well as a 9th-century icon of Agia Marina, considered the island’s oldest.
Day 3: Kourion, Episkopi, Limassol. En route to the ancient city kingdom of Kourion, we pass Episkopi, one of two British sovereign territories on the island. e earliest remains found at Kourion date from the Hellenistic period (325–50 bc), although evidence suggests the city kingdom was founded by the Argives of the Peloponnese. Continue to Limassol (Lemesos), visiting the fort and castle, originally an early Christian basilica rebuilt in the 16th century under Ottoman rule. Return to Paphos via the Birthplace of Aphrodite.
Image: Paphos, Cyprus, ©Karlis Reimanis.
Day 4: Paphos to the Troodos mountains. ree monasteries are our focus: Ayios Neophytos, founded by the 12th-century recluse Neophytos. Byzantine paintings cover the cave he occupied. A further 12th-century foundation is the beautifully-sited Chrysorrogiatissa monastery; Kykkos monastery is one of Cyprus’ wealthiest. First of two nights in Kalopanayiotis.
Day 5: Troodos mountains. e Troodos range is famous for its Byzantine churches and monasteries. Among those seen today are Ayios Ioannis Lambadistou, adjacent to our hotel, and Agios Nikolaos Tis Stegis.
Day 6: Kyrenia, Bellapais, Nicosia. Cross the border into the Turkish occupied north of the island and drive to the coast at Kyrenia (Girne). Visit the 16th-century castle. Continue to Bellapais, immortalised by Lawrence Durrell. First of three nights in Nicosia.
Day 7: Nicosia. e city remains divided by the Green Line. We spend the morning at the Cyprus Museum, housing the most extensive collection of Cypriot antiquities worldwide e A.G. Leventis Gallery displays key Cypriot art, with a focus on the events of 1974 and the consequences felt by the Greek Cypriots.
Day 8: Salamis, Famagusta, Nicosia. e ancient coastal city of Salamis lies to the north of the border. Christians rebuilt sculptures and archways throughout the former Cypriot capital following a 4th-century earthquake. Founded following the destruction of Salamis, Famagusta, now the northern capital, was the island’s most important port before 1974. Return to Nicosia for a walking tour, including Buyuk Han, Selimiye Mosque, crossing the border to the south on foot.
Day 9: Nicosia, Larnaca. Visit the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia in the Old City, of particular importance is the Caterina Cornaro gallery. Drive to Larnaca airport for the ight to London Heathrow, arriving c. 6.00pm.
Prague Spring
The International Music Festival in the capital of Bohemia
19–25 May 2025 (ml 702)
7 days • £4,220
Lecturer: Dr Michael Downes
Prague’s celebrated Spring Festival returns for its 80th edition.
ree great orchestral concerts at the Rudol num and Obecní Dům, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Kammerakademie Potsdam making their Czech debuts.
Violinist Ivan Ženatý and pianist Martin Kasík perform in the historic St Agnes Convent.
Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate and Requiem performed by period instrument specialists from Vienna and conductor Tomáš Netopil.
Iti nerary
Day 1. Fly mid-morning from London Heathrow to Prague. A private visit to the Obecní dům (‘Municipal House’) to see the glorious suite of assembly rooms created 1905–12, a unique and very Czech mélange of murals and ornament.
Day 2. Walk through the Old Town (Staré Město). e 13th-century Convent of St Agnes houses one of the world’s greatest collections of medieval painting. Evening concert at the Obecní dům, Smetana Hall: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Jaap van Zweden (conductor): Mahler, Symphony No. 6 in A minor.
Day 3. Prague Castle, residence of the Dukes and Kings of Bohemia, is now the seat of the President. e Old Royal Palace has the largest stone hall in Europe, while the Cathedral of St Vitus is richly embellished with chapels, altarpieces and stained glass. e Lobkowicz Palace holds a private collection, including manuscripts by Mozart and Beethoven.
Image: Prague, Church of St Nicholas, early 20th-century etching by E. Wänke.
Day 4. Cross the 14th-century Charles Bridge. In the ‘Lesser Town’ (Malá Strana), visit St Nicholas, one of the nest Baroque churches in Central Europe and the Czech Museum of Music. A er lunch, walk through a sequence of delightful gardens on the south slope of Prague Castle and Wallenstein Palace. Evening concert at the Rudol num, Dvořák Hall: Kammerakademie Potsdam, Antonello Manacorda (conductor), Pierre-Laurent Aimard (piano): Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 15; Toshio Hosokawa, ‘In the Forest’; Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67.
Day 5. A private guided tour of the Estates eatre, where Don Giovanni had its première in 1787. An architectural walk in the vicinity of Wenceslas Square takes in early modernist masterpieces. e National Museum houses a special exhibition celebrating Bedřich Smetana. Evening concert at the Rudol num, Dvořák Hall: Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, SanttuMatias Rouvali (conductor), Jan Lisiecki (piano): Smetana, ‘Hakon Jarl’, Op. 16; Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11; Bartók, Concerto for Orchestra.
Day 6. e fortress of Vyšehrad, rises high above the river, its cemetery holds the graves of Dvořák and Smetana. A ernoon concert at the Convent of St Agnes: Ivan Ženatý (violin), Martin Kasík (piano): Rachmanino , Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor, Op. 19 (arr. Jascha Heifetz, Ivan Ženatý); Martinů, Sonata for Violin and Piano, H 120. e evening concert at the Rudol num, Dvořák Hall: Concentus Musicus Wien, Tomáš Netopil (conductor), Czech Ensemble Baroque Choir: Mozart, ‘Exsultate, jubilate’, KV 165; František Xaver Richter, Sinfonia con fuga in G minor; Mozart, ‘Requiem’ in D minor, KV 626.
Day 7. Strahov Monastery has views over Prague and two magni cent library halls, which we enter by special arrangement. e ight returns to London Heathrow mid-a ernoon.
Versailles: Seat of the Sun King
The greatest palace & garden
11–14 July 2025 (ml 738)
4 days • £2,240
Lecturer: Patrick Bade
Focused tour examining the most in uential of European palaces and related buildings.
A study not only of art, architecture and gardens but also of history and statecra .
Includes a performance of Vivaldi and Guido’s Four Seasons at the Versailles Opéra Royal.
Versailles was the grandest and most in uential palace and garden complex in Europe, and arguably the most lavish and luxurious and most beautifully embellished too.
It was much more than a building to house the monarch, his family and his court. It was conceived as the seat of government when France was at the apogee of her power, and as a structure to demonstrate and magnify the power of Louis XIV, to subdue his subjects and to overawe foreigners. A study of Versailles encompasses not only architectural history and garden history but also political science and the psychology of power.
Built and altered by ve French kings, Versailles is several palaces. Even during Louis XIV’s reign elements changed constantly, re ecting not only changes of taste but also political realities as they changed from decade to decade. Indeed, at its core it remains a small-scale hunting lodge built by his father (surely meant to be demolished in due course), and apartments were refurbished and parts added right up until the Revolution.
Enlarging the understanding of Versailles and to set it in context we also visit the château of Vaux-le-Vicomte, in many ways its inspiration. Attention is likewise paid to the town of Versailles, rst laid out by Louis XIV, as well as to the park and gardens at Versailles.
Image: Versailles, steel engraving 1839.
Iti nerary
Day 1: Versailles. Leave London St Pancras at c. 9.30am by Eurostar for Paris. Drive to Versailles where all three nights are spent. Spend the a ernoon immersed in the grandeur, the beauty and the symbolism of the King’s and Queen’s apartments, which culminate in the Hall of Mirrors.
Day 2: Versailles. Morning lecture followed by a walk to view the grand approach to the palace and some of the its dependencies in Versailles town. Continue with a guided tour of the King’s Private Apartments. Evening performance at the Opéra Royal (the château’s opera house): e Four Seasons (Vivaldi), e Four Seasons (Guido); Orchestra of the Opéra Royal, Stefan Plewniak (solo violin and conductor).
Day 3: Versailles. Explore the palace’s gardens, which remain largely as Le Nôtre created them, the parterres, basins and sculpture around the palace and the avenues and canal which seem to stretch to in nity. en visit the family retreats of Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon and the Domaine de Marie Antoinette.
Day 4: Vaux-le-Vicomte, Paris. e greatest country house and garden complex of its time (1656–61), Vaux-le-Vicomte was built by Nicholas Fouquet, Louis XIV’s nance minister. It is in many ways the predecessor of Versailles, for Louis XIV, a er arresting Fouquet for corruption, plundered the property and later employed its chief designers and cra smen at Versailles. Continue to Paris for the Eurostar arriving at St Pancras at c. 6.30pm.
Participants combining this tour with e Seine Music Festival spend two nights in Paris before the festival (not included in the price of the tour). Please contact us if you would like us to provide a quote for booking a hotel on your behalf.
Emilia Romagna Unveiled
Splendours of Parma, Bologna and the Via Emilia
10–17 September 2025 (ml 777)
8 days • £3,260
Lecturer: Dr R. T. Cobianchi
Art and architecture in the major cities and small towns that lie along the Roman road, the Via Emilia.
Romanesque architecture and 16th-century painting are particularly strongly represented.
Based in the utterly charming ducal city of Parma and in the university city of Bologna.
Iti nerary
Day 1: Fly at c. 10.30am (British Airways) from London Heathrow to Milan Linate. Drive to Parma via Fontanellato, a little town with an enchanting moated castle containing wonderful frescoes by Parmigianino. First of ve nights in Parma.
Day 2: Parma. Parma is of great importance in particular for its High Renaissance school of painting. e cathedral and baptistery are outstanding for their Romanesque architecture and sculpture. See the astonishingly vital and illusionistic frescoes by Correggio in the cathedral, as well as the church of S. Giovanni and the exquisite Camera di S. Paolo. In the Palazzo della Pilotta is a good art collection and a rare Renaissance theatre.
Day 3: Cremona, Sabbionetta. Once a major Lombard city state, Cremona has one of the handsomest squares in Italy with a Romanesque cathedral, Italy’s tallest medieval campanile, baptistery and Gothic civic buildings. Sabbioneta was built as an ideal city on an almost miniature scale: a magical assembly of ducal palace, theatre, one of the world’s rst picture galleries and all the appurtenances of a Renaissance ducal town.
Day 4: Piacenza, Parma. Piacenza, which is on the border of Lombardy, has many medieval buildings on its Roman grid plan, among them an outstanding town hall and Romanesque cathedral. From the Renaissance there is the beautiful church of the Madonna di Campagna while the equestrian statue of Alessandro Farnese is a masterpiece of Baroque sculpture. Some free time in Parma.
Day 5: Fidenza, Torrechiara. Fidenza has a beautiful Romanesque cathedral, with excellent sculpture. e castle in Torrechiara has 15thcentury frescoes. Return to Parma via Mamiano di Traversetolo where the Magnani Rocca Foundation houses old masters and modern art collected by the eponymous critic and collector, Luca Maganani. Final night in Parma.
Day 6: Bologna. Bologna is one of the most attractive of the larger cities in Italy, with Renaissance arcades anking the streets. At its medieval heart are massive civic buildings and the vast Gothic church of S. Petronio, with sculpture by Jacopo della Quercia. First of two nights in Bologna.
Day 7: Modena. Capital since the 16th century of the Este dukedom, Modena has one of the nest Romanesque cathedrals in the region, with marvellous 12th-century sculpture by Wiligelmo. e Galleria Estense is particularly good for 16thand 17th-century painting.
Day 8: Bologna. e Pinacoteca Nazionale is one of Italy’s nest picture galleries (Raphael, Carracci family, Guido Reni). Finally, visit the early medieval S. Stefano and S. Domenico, with the tomb of St Dominic. See Carracci frescoes in former Palazzo Magnani Salem (subject to con rmation, by special arrangement). Free a ernoon in Bologna. Fly from Bologna to London Heathrow arriving at c. 8.30pm.
Image: Parma Cathedral, watercolour by W.W. Collins, publ. 1911.
Palermo at Christmas
Art, archaeology and architecture in Palermo and its vicinity
20–27 December 2025 (ml 860)
8 days • £4,630
Lecturer: Christopher Newall
Seven nights in Palermo, one of the most fascinating cities in Italy.
Excursions to Cefalù, Monreale, Segesta.
Unique heritage of Norman-Byzantine-Saracenic buildings and mosaics.
Includes visits to private palaces and to places outside public opening hours.
Iti nerary
Day 1. Fly at c. 9.30am (Lu hansa) from London Heathrow to Palermo, via Frankfurt. First night in Palermo, where all seven nights are spent.
Day 2: Palermo. A morning walk includes two adjacent Norman churches, La Martorana and San Cataldo, which reveal the extraordinary melting pot of cultures in 12th-century Sicily, with Arabic and Byzantine features, as well as Italian and North European. e Palazzo dei Normanni is of ninth-century Arab origin but extended in nearly every subsequent century; the secular mosaics (c. 1170) in the Hall of King Roger are the highlight. Also visited today are San Giovanni degli Eremiti, the largely medieval cathedral with its royal and imperial tombs, and the Chiesa del Gesù, an outstanding example of Palermitan Baroque with a profusion of marble inlay, stucco and sculpture.
Day 3: Cefalù. A charming small coastal town dominated by a massive Norman cathedral that contains outstanding mosaics. e art gallery of the Museo Mandralisca has a painting by the enigmatic 15th-century Antonello da Messina. In the evening there is a private out-of-hours visit to the 12th-century chapel in the Palace of the Normans. e interior is entirely encrusted with
mosaics, the nest assembly of Byzantine art to survive anywhere.
Day 4: Palermo. A day of palaces. e morning is dedicated to the Galleria Regionale in the 15th-century Palazzo Abatellis, the most important art gallery on the island. Continue to meet the Duchess of Palma in her 18th-century palazzo facing the Bay of Palermo. e palace is the former residence of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, author of e Leopard, now the home of his adoptive son. Enjoy a cooking class with the Duchess herself, before lunch in the grand dining room and a tour with the Duke and Duchess.
Day 5: Segesta, Palermo. Set in an unspoilt hilly landscape, the almost complete but fascinatingly un nished h-century temple at Segesta was built by indigenous, if thoroughly Hellenised, Sicilians. On an adjacent hill is a spectacularly sited theatre with views to the sea. Back in Palermo, an a ernoon stroll encompasses several oratories.
Day 6 (Christmas Day): Mondello. Travel to Mondello, a charming seaside town to the northwest of Palermo, for a special lunch in a ne dining restaurant.
Day 7: Monreale. Drive out to Monreale, a small town that dominates a verdant valley southwest of Palermo. Its cathedral is one of the nest Norman churches on the island and possesses the largest scheme of mosaic decoration to survive from the Middle Ages. Back in Palermo, visit one of the richest collections of Punic and Ancient Greek art in Italy in the Archaeological Museum. Evening reception in a private palazzo, with astonishing Rococo interiors and original furnishings (used as a set in Visconti’s lm of e Leopard).
Day 8: Palermo. Fly from Palermo to London Heathrow, via Munich, arriving c. 5.00pm.
Several of the special appointments outlined above are subject to con rmation.
Other Christmas destinations include Vienna, Siena, Berlin, Prague, Milan, and Verona. Visit our website for more information: martinrandall.com/christmas
Image: Palermo, cathedral, wood engraving c. 1880.
Gastronomic Asturias & Cantabria
Spain’s hidden paradise on the Emerald Coast
21–28 September 2025 (ml 794)
8 days • £4,280
Lecturer: Gijs van Hensbergen
A region of outstanding beauty, with the Picos de Europa mountains and their lush foothills leading down to the Atlantic coast.
Local produce of the highest quality, including some of Spain’s nest cheeses, Cantabrian anchovies and excellent seafood.
Rustic meals in cider houses, Michelin-starred ne dining and visits to local producers
A broad range of art and architecture taken in en route, from Pre-Romanesque to Gaudí.
Iti nerary
Day 1: Oviedo. Fly at c. 11.40am (Vueling) from London Gatwick to Oviedo. e Museo de Bellas Artes has a collection including El Grecos, Goyas and a wonderful suite of bodegones by Melendez as well as Picasso, Miró, Tàpies and Sorolla. Along the Boulevard Gascona we feast on cachopos (stu ed veal breaded llets) and game meatballs, all washed down with cider. First of three nights in Oviedo.
Day 2: Naranco, Prendes, Oviedo. Visit Mount Naranco on the outskirts of Oviedo, with the neighbouring Pre-Romanesque churches of Sta Maria del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo. Lunch at the legendary ve-generation Casa Gerardo (1 Michelin star) focuses on rethinking the classics of Asturian cuisine. Early evening visit to Oviedo’s Cathedral.
Day 3: Cangas del Narcea. Up in the mountains of Cangas del Narcea – still home to wild bears – we follow the Narcea river up past reservoirs to the small boutique, literally garage wine producers of this tiny wine zone. e charming wine museum is followed by a riverside walk to
the award-winning Martinez Parrondo. Lunch is back in town in the rustic Sidrería Narcea.
Day 4: Covadonga, La Salgar, Ribadesella. To round o Asturias we visit the Covadonga shrine and lunch at Casa Marcial, recently awarded its third Michelin star, with breathtaking mountaintop views and a unique marriage of their emblematic dishes with the best of world ciders. We move on to the idyllic beach village of Ribadesella for an evening light taste of exquisite brevity coupled with the greatest of Asturian wines. Overnight in Ribadesella.
Day 5: Comillas, San Vicente, Santander. En route to Santander we stop o at Comillas and see exteriors of the great modernista houses, including Gaudí’s El Capricho. At Bodegas Miradorio the experimental wine process produces wines with refreshing acidity. Lunch is a wonderful seafood feast at the port of San Vicente de la Barquera. At Santander see Renzo Piano’s Centro Botín, with views across the bay. First of three nights in Santander.
Day 6: Santander. A free morning and market opportunities at the Mercado de Esperanza are followed by an optional visit to the Luis Quintanilla murals in the University Paraninfo. Lunch is at the 3-star Cenador de Amós, a brilliant climax to the week.
Day 7: Santander, Santoña. A cheese tasting at the Mercado del Este, savouring a variety of Cantabrian cheeses and world champion gold medal winners, is followed by the museum of pre-history. In Santoña, passionate anchovistas present their star ingredient six ways, including freshly prepared at the minute, smoked and nally brined for 12 months. is light lunchtime repast precedes a unique vineyard visit up in the neighbouring hills, before returning to Santander for a nal dinner.
Day 8. Drive to Bilbao for an early a ernoon ight to London Gatwick, arriving c. 2.45pm.
Image: San Vicente de la Barquera ©Francisco Fernandez.
Garsington & Glyndebourne
The Queen of Spades, Fidelio, Saul, Le nozze di Figaro
26–30 June 2025 (ml 724)
5 days • £4,040
Lecturer: Dr John Allison
Four operas at two of England’s highest quality country-house opera festivals – Garsington & Glyndebourne.
e Queen of Spades | Tchaikovsky at Garsington. Aaron Cawley, Laura Wilde, Diana Montague, Robert Hayward, Roderick Williams, Stephanie Wake-Edwards, Sam Furness, Simon Shibambu.
Fidelio | Beethoven at Garsington. Robert Murray, Jane Archibald, Musa Ngqungwana, Jonathan Lemalu, Isabelle Peters, Oliver Johnston, Richard Burkhard.
Saul | Handel at Glyndebourne. Christopher Purves, Iestyn Davies, Sarah Brady, Soraya Ma , Linard Vrielink.
Le nozze di Figaro | Mozart at Glyndebourne. Michael Nagl, Anna El-Khashem, Huw Montague Rendall, Louise Alder, Adèle Charvet, Alessandro Corbelli.
Iti nerary
Day 1: Maidenhead, Garsington. e coach leaves Maidenhead railway station at 11.45am for the short drive to the hotel. A er a light lunch and a talk leave mid-a ernoon for Garsington. e Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky): Jack Furness (director), Douglas Boyd (conductor), Aaron Cawley (Hermann), Laura Wilde (Lisa/Chloe), Diana Montague ( e Countess), Robert Hayward (Count Tomsky /Plutus), Roderick Williams (Prince Yeletsky), Stephanie Wake-Edwards (Pauline / Daphnis), Sam Furness (Tchekalinsky), Simon Shibambu (Sournin), Philharmonia Orchestra. e performance begins at 5.20pm. A picnic supper is served during the long interval. First of two nights in Marlow.
Day 2: Marlow, Garsington. A morning lecture is followed by a visit to Cookham, life-long home to painter Stanley Spencer (1891–1959); there is a gallery of his work and a ne parish church. By coach to Garsington in the a ernoon for Fidelio (Beethoven): Jamie Manton (director), Gérard Korsten (conductor), Robert Murray (Florestan), Jane Archibald (Leonore), Musa Ngqungwana (Don Pizarro), Jonathan Lemalu (Rocco), Isabelle Peters (Marzelline), Oliver Johnston (Jaquino), Richard Burkhard (Don Fernando), e English Concert. e performance begins at 5.55pm. Dinner is served during the long interval.
Day 3: Marlow, Eastbourne, Glyndebourne. By coach from Marlow to Hydro Hotel, Eastbourne. A er a lecture in the a ernoon, by coach to Glyndebourne. Saul (Handel): Barrie Kosky (director), Jonathan Cohen (conductor), Christopher Purves (Saul), Iestyn Davies (David), Sarah Brady (Merab), Soraya Ma (Michal), Linard Vrielink (Jonathan), Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. e performance begins at 5.00pm. A picnic supper is served in the long interval. First of two nights in Eastbourne.
Day 4: Eastbourne, Glyndebourne. A lecture in the morning is followed by a visit to Towner Eastbourne (formerly Towner Art Gallery). Highlights of its permanent collection include work by Eric Ravilious, Christopher Wood, Alfred Wallis and Edward Burra. Coach in the early a ernoon to Glyndebourne. Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart): Mariame Clément (director), Riccardo Minasi (conductor), Michael Nagl (Figaro), Anna El-Khashem (Susanna), Huw Montague Rendall (Count Almaviva), Louise Alder (Countess Almaviva), Adèle Charvet (Cherubino), Alessandro Corbelli (Bartolo). Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. e performance begins at 4.00pm. Dinner is served in the long interval.
Day 5: Eastbourne. ere is a coach transfer to Eastbourne Railway Station at 11.10am. Trains to London Victoria leave every 30 minutes and take approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.
Image: Lithograph 1902.
Calendar | 2025
May 2025
1–8 Gastronomic Provence (ml 710)
Victoria Daskal
2– 8 Art in the Netherlands (ml 666)
Desmond Shawe-Taylor
2– 9 Courts of Northern Italy (ml 677)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
3– 9 e Ligurian Coast (ml 678)
Dr Luca Leoncini
4–11 Istanbul Revealed (ml 676) Jeremy Seal
6–11 Palladian Villas (ml 680) Dr Sarah Pearson
7–15 Aragón: Hidden Spain (ml 692)
Dr Zahira Véliz Bomford
8–14 Medieval Toulouse & Languedoc (ml 703)
Dr Jana Gajdošová, Dr Alexandra Gajewski
8–15 MUSIC ALONG THE RHINE (ml 693)
9–15 Walking the Rhine Valley (ml 681)
Richard Wigmore
9–16 Ancient & Islamic Tunisia (ml 683)
Dr Zena Kamash
9–19 Mahler in Amsterdam (ml 682)
Dr Paul Max Edlin
10–17 Medieval Normandy (ml 705)
Dr Richard Plant
10–19 Classical Greece (ml 679) Dr Nigel Spivey
12–18 Walking Hadrian’s Wall (ml 684)
Dr Matthew Symonds
12–18 Gastronomic Friuli-Venezia Giulia (ml 686) Marc Millon
12–25 e Western Balkans (ml 685)
Prof. Cathie Carmichael
13–16 Norman Conquest & Plantagenet Power (ml 694) Dr Marc Morris
13–18 Tuscan Gardens (ml 688)
Dr Katie Campbell
14–20 Shostakovich Festival Leipzig (ml 687)
Elizabeth Wilson
15–27 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (ml 689)
Dr Peter Webb
16–23 Art in Scotland (ml 690)
Desmond Shawe-Taylor
19–23 Arts & Cra s in the Lake District (ml 691)
Janet Sinclair
19–25 Prague Spring (ml 702) Dr Michael Downes
19–28 e Venetian Land Empire (ml 695)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
22– 1 Moldavia & Transylvania (ml 696)
Dr Shona Kallestrup
26– 1 Austria: Abbeys & Organs (ml 699)
Simon Williams
27– 2 Dresden Music Festival (ml 700)
Barry Millington
27– 3 Footpaths of Umbria (ml 701)
Nigel McGilchrist
30– 7 Medieval Burgundy (ml 704)
Dr Hugh Doherty
June 2025
2– 6 Great Private Houses in Norfolk (ml 707)
Dr Andrew Moore
2–13 Art in Japan (ml 708) Prof. Timon Screech
3–10 e Ring in Basel (ml 709) Barry Millington
6–18 e Road to Santiago (ml 712)
Dr Richard Plant
9–15 Traversing the Tyrol (ml 714)
Dr Ulrike Ziegler
9–24 Eastern Turkey (ml 713) Ian Colvin
10–16 In Search of Alexander (ml 718)
Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
10–16 Moving on: Architecture & Memory (ml 715) Tom Abbott
11–16 Leipzig Bach Festival (ml 716)
Prof. John Butt OBE
13–20 Treasures of Moravia (ml 706)
Martina Hinks-Edwards
13–21 Great Irish Houses (ml 717)
Anthony Lambert
16–20 e Welsh Marches (ml 719)
Imogen Corrigan
16–20 COTSWOLDS CHORAL FESTIVAL (ml 720)
18–30 Galleries of the American Midwest (ml 721) Gijs van Hensbergen
23–27 Lincolnshire Churches (ml 722)
Dr Hugh Doherty
23–29 Connoisseur’s Vienna (ml 725)
Dr Jarl Kremeier
24–29 Stockholm Modern (ml 723)
Prof. Harry Charrington
26–30 Garsington & Glyndebourne (ml 724)
Dr John Allison
26– 1 Chichester & the South Downs (ml 727)
Janet Sinclair
30– 4 Medieval Oxfordshire (ml 730)
Dr James Alexander Cameron
30– 7 Great Swedish Houses (ml 731)
Ulrica Häller
July 2025
1– 6
Flemish Painting (ml 732) Dr Sue Jones
6–13 Lofoten Festival (ml 735)
7–13
Dr Michael Downes
Lusatia: Germany’s Eastern borderlands (ml 736) Dr Jarl Kremeier
11–14 Versailles: Seat of the Sun King (ml 738) Patrick Bade
14–18 Savonlinna Opera I (ml 739) Simon Rees
16–23 MUSIC ALONG THE SEINE (ml 740)
20–25 Savonlinna Opera II (ml 743)
Dr John Allison
23–29 French Gothic (ml 744) Dr Jana Gajdošová
24–31 e Hanseatic League (ml 745)
27– 3
Andreas Puth
Santa Fe Opera (ml 750) Dr John Allison
30– 3 Verona Opera (ml 749)
Dr R. T. Cobianchi, Dr Bruno Bower
Bayreuth Festspiele
Beaune Music Festival
Gstaad Menuhin Festival
Lockenhaus Festival
August 2025
4–11 Gdańsk & Eastern Pomerania (ml 752)
Dr Hugh Doherty
6–14 Baroque & Rococo (ml 753) Tom Abbott
13–20 Iceland’s Story (ml 760) Dr Chris Callow
22–28 e Schubertiade (ml 761)
Richard Wigmore
24– 1 Mitteldeutschland (ml 762)
Dr Jarl Kremeier
26– 1 Walking in Southern Bohemia (ml 763)
Martina Hinks-Edwards
31– 5 Isambard Kingdom Brunel (ml 765)
Anthony Lambert
31– 5 e Lucerne Festival (ml 764)
Dr Michael Downes
Drottningholm & Con dencen
Salzburg Summer
September 2025
1– 5 e Age of Bede (ml 767) Imogen Corrigan
1– 8 Gastronomic Basque Country (ml 769)
Gijs van Hensbergen
1–17 Peru: the Andean Heartland (ml 766)
Dr David Beresford-Jones
3–10 Cave Art of France (ml 768) Dr Paul Bahn
4–16 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (ml 771)
Dr Richard McClary
5–12 Courts of Northern Italy (ml 770)
Prof. Fabrizio Nevola
5–13 Sacred Armenia (ml 774) Ian Colvin
5–15 Frank Lloyd Wright (ml 773) Tom Abbott
6–15 Classical Greece (ml 775) Dr Nigel Spivey
7–11 Châteaux of the Loire Dr Sarah Pearson
7–14 Art in Le Marche (ml 783)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
8–12 Castles of Wales (ml 781) Dr Marc Morris
8–14 e Imperial Riviera (ml 776)
Dr Mark ompson
9–16 Trecento Frescoes (ml 772) Donal Cooper
10–17 Emilia Romagna Unveiled (ml 777)
Dr R.T. Cobianchi
12–20 Great Houses of the North (ml 779)
Christopher Garibaldi
15–20 Gardens & Villas of Campagna Romana (ml 784) Amanda Patton
15–22 e Heart of Italy (ml 786) Leslie Primo
15–25 Georgia Uncovered (ml 785) Ian Colvin
17–25 e Cathedrals of England (ml 788)
Dr Hugh Doherty
17–26 Albania: Crossroads of Antiquity (ml 787)
Carolyn Metkola (formally Perry)
17–26 Scottish Houses & Castles (ml 791)
Alistair Learmont
17–28 Walking to Santiago (ml 778)
Dr Rose Walker
18–27 Sicily: from the Greeks to the Baroque (ml 789) Dr Mark Grahame
19–26 Gastronomic Asturias & Cantabria
Gijs van Hensbergen
19–29 West Coast Architecture (ml 790)
Prof. Harry Charrington
21–27 Early Railways: the North (ml 793)
Anthony Lambert
29– 4 Pompeii & Herculaneum (ml 801)
Dr Nigel Spivey
29– 4 Friuli Venezia-Giulia (ml 805)
Dr Carlo Corsato
29– 9 Essential Andalucía (ml 803)
Dr Philippa Joseph Bayreuth Barockfest Beethoven in Bonn
Cold War Berlin
Samarkand & Silk Road Cities
Turner
Yorkshire Modern
October 2025
1– 8 Cyprus: stepping stone of history
2– 8 Gardens & Villas of the Italian Lakes (ml 807) Amanda Patton
2– 8 Piero della Francesca (ml 806)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
4–13 Bulgaria (ml 808) Dr Nikola eodossiev
4–13
Sailing the Aegean (ml 818) Dr Nigel Spivey
6–13 Habsburg Austria (ml 811)
Dr Jarl Kremeier
6–19 e Western Balkans (ml 814)
Dr Mark ompson
7–12 Bauhaus (ml 812) Tom Abbott
7–13 Modern Art on the Côte d’Azur (ml 813)
Monica Bohm-Duchen
7–14 Fiesole to Lucca: Tuscany on Foot (ml 816)
Dr omas-Leo True
10–18 Basilicata & Calabria (ml 810)
Dr Hugh Doherty
13–17 Siena & San Gimignano (ml 780)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
13–17 Ravenna & Urbino (ml 815)
Dr Luca Leoncini
13–22 Castile & León (ml 825)
Gijs van Hensbergen
16–25 Extremadura (ml 826) Chris Moss
18–24
Gastronomic Piedmont (ml 828)
Cynthia Chaplin
18–26 Essential Jordan (ml 829)
Prof. Graham Philip
20–27 Footpaths of Umbria (ml 831)
Dr omas-Leo True
20– 1 Civilisations of Sicily (ml 832)
Dr Zoe Opacic
20– 1 Traditions of Japan (ml 833)
Prof. Timon Screech
23–30 Istanbul Revealed (ml 835) Jeremy Seal
24–30 Roman & Medieval Provence (ml 836)
Dr Alexandra Gajewski
24– 3 Oman: Landscapes & Peoples (ml 837)
Dr Peter Webb
28– 2 Palladian Villas (ml 847)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott 1492 Giles Tremlett
Opera at Wexford e Douro
In Churchill’s Footsteps
November 2025
1– 8 Ancient & Islamic Tunisia
3–10 Gastronomic Catalonia
Gijs van Hensbergen
4–15 Art in Japan (ml 844) Dr Monika Hinkel
4–16 Painted Palaces of Rajasthan (ml 843)
Dr Giles Tillotson
5– 9 Art in Madrid (ml 845) Dr Xavier Bray
5–14 Great Palaces of Italy (ml 841)
Dr Luca Leoncini
6–17 Japanese Gardens (ml 846)
Yoko Kawaguchi
10–16 Art History of Venice (ml 849)
Dr Susan Steer
11–15 Venetian Palaces (ml 848)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
13–16 Les Années Folles Patrick Bade
13–20 Gastronomic Sicily (ml 851) Marc Millon
14– 20 World Heritage Malta (ml 809) Juliet Rix
17–23 e Art of Florence (ml 852)
Dr Flavio Boggi
21–26 HANDEL IN MALTA (ml 850)
24– 1 e Printing Revolution (ml 853)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott, Stephen Parkin
Calendar | 2025 & 2026
26–28 Chamber Music Break:
Stile Antico (ml 854)
Granada & Córdoba Symposium
December 2025
20–27 Berlin at Christmas (ml 864)
Tom Abbott
20–27 Palermo at Christmas (ml 860)
Christopher Newall
20–27 Prague at Christmas (ml 862)
Martha Hinks-Edwards
20–27 Verona at Christmas (ml 856)
Dr Susan Steer
20–27 Vienna at Christmas (ml 865)
Dr Jarl Kremeier
22– 28 Milan at Christmas (ml 863)
Dr Luca Leoncini
22–28 Siena at Christmas (ml 858)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
28–3 Marrakech at New Year (ml 861)
Dr Richard McClary
January 2026
3–14
Pharaonic Egypt (MM 870)
Rev. Prof. Lloyd-Llewellyn-Jones
17–30 Kingdoms of Southern India (MM 874)
Dr Peter Webb
20–27 Early Christian & Medieval Rome (MM 875)
Dr Hugh Doherty
23– 2 Oman: Landscapes & Peoples (MM 877)
Dr Zena Kamash
24–29 String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam (MM 876) Leo Samama
28– 1 Florentine Palaces (MM 878)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
Mozart in Salzburg
Valletta Baroque Festival
February 2026
2–8 Pompeii, Herculaneum & Naples (mm 881) Konogan Beaufay
3–7 Venetian Palaces Antonio Mazzotta
3–14
Empire Architecture (mm 880)
Anthony Peers
9–15 e Art of Florence (mm 882)
Desmond Shawe-Taylor
22– 6 Vietnam: History, People, Food (mm 886)
Dr Dana Healy
23–28 Connoisseur’s Rome (mm 885)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
24– 2 Essential Rome Dr omas-Leo True (mm 887)
25– 7 Art in Texas (mm 888) Gijs van Hensbergen
28– 8 e Ring at La Scala (mm 889)
Barry Millington, Dr R.T. Cobianchi
Granada & Córdoba
Hamburg: Opera & ‘Elphi’
March 2026
2– 8 Ancient Rome Dr Mark Grahame
2–12 Essential Andalucía Dr Philippa Joseph
7–12 Gardens of Madeira (mm 892)
Dr Gerald Luckhurst
7–21 Cambodia by River Freddie Matthews (mm 893)
9–13 Ravenna & Urbino (mm 894)
Canon Nicholas Cran eld
Image: Japanese Garden by Morti mer Menpes, pub. 1901.
Calendar | 2026
10–14 Venetian Palaces Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
11–19 1492 – Isabella of Castile Giles Tremlett
14–19 Essential Venice Dr Susan Steer
16–28 Civilisations of Sicily (mm 899)
Dr Luca Leoncini
23–27 Beauty & the Abyss: Viennese Modernism
Gavin Plumley
24–30 Modern Art on the Côte d’Azur (mm 906)
Mary Lynn Riley
27–4 Minoan Crete (mm 907)
Dr Christina Hatzimichael-Whitley
30–10 Art in Japan (mm 909) Prof. Timon Screech
Ancien Régime Paris
A er the Rain Art in Madrid Music in Berlin
April 2026
7–13 Lucca & vicinity (mm 913) Dr Flavio Boggi
7–19 Civilisations of Sicily (mm 916)
8–17
Dr Philippa Joseph
Albania: Crossroads of Antiquity (mm 918)
Carolyn Metkola
9–18 Extremadura (mm 919) Chris Moss
12–19 Dark Age Brilliance Dr Meg Boulton
13–18 Pompeii & Herculaneum (mm 920)
Dr Mark Grahame
13–22 e Duero River: from Source to Sea
Gijs van Hensbergen
16–20 Tom Abbott’s Berlin Tom Abbott
16–22 Gardens & Villas of the Italian Lakes (mm 923) Colin Crosbie
16–28 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (mm 922) Dr Peter Webb
18–24 Genoa & Turin (mm 925) Dr Luca Leoncini
19–24 Monet & Impressionism (mm 926)
Prof. Frances Fowle
20–27 e Heart of Italy (mm 928)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
21–27 Gardens & Villas of the Veneto (mm 929)
Amanda Patton
21–29 Cornish Houses & Gardens (mm 930)
Anthony Lambert
22–29 Romans & Carolingians (mm 917)
Dr Hugh Doherty
24– 3 Classical Turkey (mm 933)
Rev. Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
26– 3 Footpaths of Umbria Nigel McGilchrist
30– 6 Gardens of Sicily Helena Attlee
Baroque Music in the Bolivian Missions
Gaudí in Spain
Medieval Pyrenees
Morocco
Normans in the South Opera in Vienna
Val d’Orcia and the Sienese Hills
World Heritage Malta
May 2026
3–10 Istanbul Revealed (mm 943) Jeremy Seal
6–13
Gastronomic Veneto (mm 949)
Cynthia Chaplin
6–14 e Cathedrals of England (mm 948)
Dr Hugh Doherty
8–15 Courts of Northern Italy (mm 950)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
14–26 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (mm 955)
Dr Peter Webb
15–22 Franconia Dr Ulrike Ziegler
16–22 e Ligurian Coast (mm 959)
Dr Luca Leoncini
16–25 Sailing the Adriatic (mm 960) Dr Zoe
Opacic, Will Bowden
18–23 Arts & Cra s in the Cotswolds (mm 961)
Janet Sinclair
18–31 e Western Balkans (mm 962)
Professor Cathie Carmichael
21–31 Moldavia & Transylvania (mm 963)
Dr Shona Kallestrup
Madrid & Toledo
e Road to Santiago
Two Spains: the Spanish Civil War & its a ermath
Classical Greece
Versailles: Seat of the Sun King
Gastronomic Valencia
Gastronomic Provence
Gastronomic Le Marche
Tuscan Gardens EARLY MUSIC IN YORK
Art in Scotland
Scotland: History & Heritage
Great Houses of the South West
Walking Hadrian’s Wall
Walking the Rhine Valley e Dresden Music Festival
Kraków & Silesia
June 2026
1–10
1–16
Venetian Land Empire (mm 977)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
Eastern Turkey (mm 975) Ian Colvin
2–6 Ravenna & Urbino (mm 976)
2–7
Dr Luca Leoncini
Palladian Villas (mm 946) Dr Sarah Pearson
3–10 Great Gardens of Southern England (mm 979) Louisa Allen
8–14
Gastronomic Friuli Venezia Giulia
Cynthia Chaplin
12–20 Great Irish Houses (mm 989)
Anthony Lambert
16–22 Art in the Netherlands (mm 990)
Desmond Shawe-Taylor
17–22 At Home in Weston Park Gareth Williams
22–29 A CELEBRATION OF PIANO ALONG THE RHINE (mm 100)
24–2 Gardens in the Highlands (mm 998)
Colin Crosbie
25–30 Walking to Derbyshire Houses (mm 999)
Christopher Garibaldi
25–3 Finland: Aalto & Others (mm 101)
Prof. Harry Charrington
29–3 Medieval East Anglia Dr Hugh Doherty
Flemish Painting
Gardens of the Bay of Naples
Gardens of Brittany
Gastronomy & the Golden Age
French Gothic
Medieval Burgundy
Organs of Bach’s Time
Leipzig Bach Festival
Great Swedish Houses
July 2026
6–12
6–13
Gastronomic Devon & Cornwall (mm 109) Marc Millon
Sailing the Danube (mm 110)
Simon Winder, Gavin Plumley
13–19 Lusatia: Germany’s Eastern Borderlands
Dr Jarl Kremeier
30–6 e Hanseatic League (mm 122)
Andreas Puth
Lancashire Houses
Tudor England
Yorkshire Modern
Budapest
Danish Art & Design
Savonlinna Opera
August 2026
5–13
Baroque & Rococo (mm 127) Tom Abbott
6–12 Orkney: 5,000 years of culture
15–22 MUSIC ALONG THE DANUBE (mm 135)
17–21 e Age of Bede (mm 136) Imogen Corrigan
31–7 MUSIC ALONG THE RHINE (mm 144) e Schubertiade
Asian Frontiers – Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan
Royal Residences
Maritime England
Walking the Danube e Lucerne Festival
Iceland’s Story
Drottningholm Opera
September 2026
2–10 e Cathedrals of England (mm 150)
Dr Hugh Doherty
3–15 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (mm 153)
Dr Richard McClary
4–10 Sardinia (mm 156) Dr R. T. Cobianchi
4–11
4–14
Courts of Northern Italy (mm 155)
Prof. Fabrizio Nevola
Frank Lloyd Wright (mm 154)
Prof. Harry Charrington
6–10 Châteaux of the Loire (mm 158)
Dr Sarah Pearson
7–13 Cave Art in Spain (mm 159) Dr Paul Bahn
7–14
Gastronomic Basque Country
Gijs van Hensbergen
7–23 Peru (mm 160) Dr David Beresford-Jones
9–18
10–17
12–19
Scottish Houses and Castles (mm 162)
Alastair Learmont
Piero della Francesca
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
Gastronomic Emilia-Romagna
Cynthia Chaplin
14–19 Vienna’s Masterpieces Tom Abbott
14–19 e Etruscans (mm 166) Dr Nigel Spivey
16–25 Albania: Crossroads of Antiquity (mm 168)
Carolyn Metkola
20–27 German Gothic Dr Ulrike Ziegler
21–26 Pompeii & Herculaneum (mm 179)
Dr Nigel Spivey
21–27 Walking a Royal River (mm 180)
28–2
Sophie Campbell
Ravenna & Urbino (mm 187)
Dr Luca Leoncini
28–5 e Heart of Italy (mm 185) Leslie Primo
Kingdom of Bohemia
Classical Greece
Gastronomic Loire Valley
Walking to Santiago
Norman Conquest
Normans in the South Vanbrugh
Mr Turner
Gastronomic Campania
Civilisations of Sicily e Imperial Riviera
Yorkshire Houses
Sacred Armenia
Anjou & the West
Georgia Uncovered
Scotland: History & Heritage
October 2026
1–8 Courts of Northern Italy (mm 190)
Dr Sarah Pearson
2–12 Bulgaria (mm 191) Dr Nikola eodossiev
5–16 Art in Japan (mm 195) Dr Monika Hinkel
5–17
8–15
Civilisations of Sicily (mm 196) Dr Mark Grahame
Berlin, Potsdam, Dresden Dr Jarl Kremeier
8–20 Central Anatolia (mm 198) Jeremy Seal
12–18
Raphael (mm 199) DrMichael Douglas-Scott
12–19 Sailing the Aegean
13–19 Essential Rome (mm 202)
Christopher Garibaldi
13–20 e Douro Martin Symington
14–20 Art in the Netherlands (mm 202)
Desmond Shawe-Taylor
17–23 Gastronomic Piedmont (mm 203)
Cynthia Chaplin
19–26 Masters of Milan Dr Luca Leoncini
19–28 Castile & León (mm 205)
Gijs van Hensbergen
19–31 Traditions of Japan (mm 206)
21–29
Prof. Timon Screech
Two Spains Giles Tremlett
22–29 Istanbul Revealed (mm 208) Jeremy Seal
23–2
Oman: Landscapes & Peoples (mm 209)
Dr Peter Webb
26–31 Palladian Villas (mm 210)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott e Western Balkans
Flemish Painting
Cyprus
Art in Madrid
Connoisseur’s Prague
World Heritage Malta
Eastern Turkey
Roman & Medieval Provence
MUSIC IN SEVILLE
Modern Art on the Côte d’Azur
Gastronomic Navarra
Essential Andalucía
Gardens & Villas of the Italian Lakes
Palermo Revealed
Footpaths of Umbria
Walking in Southern Tuscany
Wexford Festival Opera
November 2026
5–16 Japanese Gardens (mm 224)
Yoko Kawaguchi
11–17 MONTEVERDI IN VENICE (mm 230)
16–23 Caravaggio Dr Lucy Davis Winckler
20–5 Patagonia Chris Moss
23–29 Pompeii, Herculaneum & Naples (mm 235)
Dr Mark Grahame
23–30 e Art of Florence (mm 236)
Dr Flavio Boggi
Treasures of Buddhist India
Music of the Czech Lands
Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese
Tunisia
Connoisseur’s New York
Venetian Palaces
Venice Revisited
Essential India
December 2026
We usually o er around seven tours over Christmas and New Year. Please contact us to register your interest – either call us, or send an e-mail to alerts@martinrandall.co.uk.
How to book
Either: on our website
Click ‘Book now’ on any tour page. Fill in your details, consent to the booking conditions, and pay the deposit (10% of the total booking price) or full balance if booking within 10 weeks of departure.
Or: by telephone or e-mail
Call or e-mail us to make a provisional booking, which we hold for up to 72 hours. Within that time, we require you to complete a booking form (we can provide this electronically or by post) and pay the deposit, or full balance if booking within 10 weeks of departure.
Confirming your booking
Once you have completed the above, we will send a formal con rmation. Your deposit is then nonrefundable except under the special circumstances mentioned in our booking conditions.
Booking conditions
It is important that you read these before committing to a booking. We will direct you to these when you book, but you can also nd them online: www.martinrandall.com/terms
Fitness
Ensure also that you have read ‘How strenuous’ in the ‘Practicalities’ section of the tour description –and that you have taken our tness tests, available at martinrandall.com/about under ‘Fitness’.
Image: Pompeii, watercolour by Frank Fox, publ. 1915.
Online talks by expert speakers
The History of Islam told by its great buildings | Dr Peter Webb
£75 | View until 23 April 2025
Edward Elgar: National icon and perennial outsider | Richard Wigmore
£65 | View until 8 May 2025
London Interiors – Style and taste in interior design, 1660–1940
Dr Steven Brindle
£75 | Tuesdays, 4 March–8 April 2025
View until 3 June 2025
Turner and the Grand Tour | Simon Rees
£65 | ursdays, 20 March–17 April 2025
View until 12 June 2025
Image: Modern Rome – Campo Vaccino, 1839, JMW Turner
© Gett y Museum Collection
Martin Randall Travel Ltd
10 Barley Mow Passage, London W4 4PH
Tel +44 (0)20 8742 3355 info@martinrandall.co.uk
From North America: Tel 1 800 988 6168 (toll-free) usa@martinrandall.com
ATOL 3622 | ABTOT 5468 | AITO 5085
How India changed the World – Tales of trade and influence | Raaja Bhasin
£55 | Tuesdays, 15 April–6 May 2025
View until 1 July 2025
Francis: the first Sun King Prof. Glenn Richardson
£75 | ursdays, 24 April–29 May 2025
View until 24 July 2025
Talks are broadcast live on Zoom at 4.30pm (London). Recordings are available exclusively for subscribers to view for up to eight weeks a er a series ends.
www.martinrandall.com/online-talks
www.martinrandall.com