Cultural tours
November & December 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.
HANDEL IN MALTA
21–27 November 2025
EARLY MUSIC IN YORKSHIRE
6–11 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
THE J. S. BACH JOURNEY
28 September–4 October 2026
MONTEVERDI IN VENICE
11–17 November 2026
Contact us for more information or visit martinrandall.com/festivals
Why travel with 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.
Front cover: Shah Jahan receiving his son, 20th-century miniature painting after a 18th-century original.
Image (left): Music in Bologna, ©Benjamin Ealovega.
Vienna at Christmas
Art and architecture in the Habsburg capital
20–27 December 2025 (ml 865)
8 days • £4,240
Lecturer: Dr Jarl Kremeier
Grand boulevards and picturesque backstreets, great architecture and outstanding art.
e Kunsthistorisches Museum is among the many world-class museum collections.
Perfectly located heritage hotel.
Includes tickets to two performances, including one at the Staatsoper.
Iti nerary
Day 1. Fly at c. 1.00pm from London Heathrow to Vienna (British Airways). Settle in to the hotel before an apéritif and dinner.
Day 2. Walk through the Roman and medieval core of the city passing the 14th-century Church of the Teutonic Order with its richly decorated Flemish altarpiece. Visit the Stephansdom, the magni cent Gothic cathedral providing a dramatic backdrop to the Christmas market. Continue on foot through the picturesque old centre and around the Ho urg, the Habsburg winter palace. Within lies the unparalleled collection of precious regalia in the Treasury. Adjacent is the court church of St Augustine.
Day 3. Drive to the city outskirts to see villas by Jugendstil architect Otto Wagner and the intricately decorated apartment blocks in the Linke Wienzeile. Visit Klimt Villa, a neo-baroque residence where the artist lived and worked. e Liechtenstein collection, housed in that family’s great Baroque Gartenpalais, is among the nest in private hands.
Day 4. Located beyond the Ringstrasse in the 18th-century suburbs, the votive Church of St Charles (Karlskirche) is the Baroque masterpiece
of Fischer von Erlach. e palace of Schloss Belvedere, built for Prince Eugene of Savoy on sloping ground overlooking Vienna, it now houses the Museum of Austrian Art with art of all eras, including by Klimt and Schiele.
Day 5. Christmas Eve. e Academy of Fine Arts houses a collection of works spanning medieval times to the 21st century. e Secession building was constructed in 1898 as an exhibition hall for avant-garde artists and houses Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze. Pass the Hofpavilion, designed by Otto Wagner as the emperor’s personal railway station. e imperial palace of Schönbrunn, summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, includes the private apartments of Franz Josef and Elisabeth. Some free time before Christmas dinner. ere are several musically embellished midnight masses.
Day 6. Christmas Day. e morning is free and some museums are open. Start the a ernoon in the Great Hall of the National Library, begun in 1723, the last great work of architect Fischer von Erlach. Evening visit to the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Rich in Italian, Flemish and Dutch works, its holdings extend to superb decorative arts and ancient sculpture. Dinner in the museum’s Cupola Hall.
Day 7. Private visit to the magni cent Liechtenstein Palace (Stadtpalais), built c. 1700. e Leopold Museum is home to a collection of turn-of-the-century art including the largest assembly of works by Egon Schiele. We hope to o er a musical performance this evening.
Day 8. e Jesuit church was spectacularly refurbished c. 1700 by the master of illusionist painting, Andrea Pozzo. e Museum of Applied Arts houses excellent international and Viennese collections. Time for a light lunch before the ight to Heathrow, arriving c. 6.40pm.
lllustrati on: Vienna, Karlskirche, early-20th-century etching.
‘Vienna is a wonderful city for Christmas and this was a truly lovely tour.’
Painted Palaces of Rajasthan
Jodhpur, Nagaur, Bikaner, the Shekhawati &
4–16 November 2025 (ml 843)
13 days • £7,530
International flights not included
Lecturer: Dr Giles Tillotson
A celebration of the remarkable phenomenon of architectural paintings.
Places rarely visited by tourists, many by special arrangement, with more time at famous sites.
Iti nerary
Day 1: Delhi. Humayun’s tomb, with its higharched façades set in a walled garden, is an important example of early Mughal architecture. Continue to the 15th-century tombs of the Sayyid and Lodi dynasties, in the serene Lodi Gardens, close to the hotel. Overnight Delhi.
Day 2: Delhi, Jodhpur. Fly from Delhi to Jodhpur (Air India). Presiding over the capital of one of the largest Rajput states is the magni cent Mehrangarh Fort built in 1459. Private dinner in the fort’s garden. First of two nights in Jodhpur.
Day 3: Jodhpur. Jaswant ada is the large memorial and cremation ground of the Marwar rulers. At Mehrangarh Fort we examine the painting tradition of the Marwari Rajputs, with special admission to the gallery.
Day 4: Mandore, Nagaur. Mandore was the capital of the Marwari state until 1895. e royal cenotaphs are unique in Rajasthan as they resemble Hindu temples. Drive through the desert to Nagaur. First of two nights in Nagaur.
Day 5: Nagaur. Ahichhatragarh Fort, founded in the 4th cent. was developed in the 18th. Pre-Mughal and Mughal architecture is well preserved; the Akbari Mahal, built in 1570, has original oral murals, while the Hadi Rani Mahal murals depict daily and courtly scenes.
Jaipur
Day 6: Nagaur, Bikaner. At Bikaner visit the Laxmi Vilas Palace by Sir Swinton Jacob (1902). e Jain Bhandasar Temple is said to be older than the city itself – this building dates from the 15th cent. First of two nights in Bikaner.
Day 7: Bikaner. Founded in 1588, Junagarh Fort displays a variety of painting styles. e Monsoon Palace has paintings of rain clouds and lightening. ere is a special opening of the Phool Mahal, the oldest part of the palace.
Day 8: Bikaner, Mandawa. e desert villages of the Shekhawati region are celebrated for their painted havelis (merchants’ mansions). e Nand Lal Devra haveli in Fatehpur has some restored examples. Overnight in Mandawa.
Day 9: Mandawa, Jaipur. Drive through the scenic Aravalli range. Founded by Sawai Jai Singh, Jaipur demonstrates its creator’s obsession with mathematics and science. Visit Galta with its temples, pavilions and sacred water tanks. First of three nights in Jaipur.
Day 10: Jaipur. e City Palace contains an unsurpassed art collection. Visit the Jantar Mantar, the 1730s observatory. A walk takes in the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds). e Jal Mahal is in the middle of Man Sagar lake (subject to con rmation). Overnight Jaipur.
Day 11: Jaipur. Athwart a natural ridge, the magni cent 18th-cent. Amber Palace conceals mirrored chambers and carved alabaster. e Anokhi museum showcases the art and heritage of wood-block printing. Overnight Jaipur.
Day 12: Jaipur, Delhi. Drive to Delhi (c. 5 hours) and visit the Qutb Minar, site of the rst Islamic city of Delhi, established in 1193. Overnight near the airport.
Day 13: Delhi. We recommend the 10.50am BA ight to Heathrow, which arrives at c. 3.15pm.
Image: City Palace, Jairpur, Rajasthan.
‘
e lecturer’s knowledge was extraordinary. His love of the subject matter and his desire to impart this was obvious throughout the tour.’
Verona at Christmas with Mantua and Padua
20–27 December 2025 (ml 856)
8 days • £3,940
Lecturer: Dr Susan Steer
See the grand Roman amphitheatre, excellent art gallery and exquisite cathedral and churches in Verona.
Excursions to nearby Mantua and Padua, both with a wealth of stunning frescoes, art and architecture.
Visit an atmospheric Valpolicella winery owned by direct descendants of Dante Alighieri.
Based in a luxurious 5-star hotel in the centre of Verona.
Iti nerary
Day 1. Fly at c. 8.00am from London Gatwick to Verona (British Airways). e tour begins with the elaborately sculpted della Scala tombs and frescoes by Pisanello in the Gothic churches of S. Anastasia and S. Fermo Maggiore.
Day 2: Verona. Walk through some of the streets and squares at the heart of the city. e Piazza delle Erbe (still the produce market) and Piazza dei Signori are surrounded by magni cent medieval palazzi and an exquisite Renaissance loggia. e Romanesque cathedral has a ne sculpted portal and an Early Christian church within.
Day 3: Padua. Of Roman origins and with a subsequent history similar to Verona, Padua ranks as the other leading city of the Veneto terra ferma. Giotto’s fresco cycle in the Scrovegni Chapel is a landmark in the history of art, marking the beginning of the modern era in painting. Other important 14th cent. frescoes are by Giusto de’ Menabuoi in the baptistry and by Altichiero in the cathedral, the vast multi-domed Basilica di S. Antonio.
Day 4: Verona. e Castelvecchio, with its swallowtail merlons and forti ed bridge, is a beautiful example of medieval military architecture, and now houses Verona’s excellent art museum. e Roman amphitheatre once seated 30,000 (and today seats 15,000 during the summer opera festival). Free a ernoon in Verona.
Day 5: Mantua. With medieval and Renaissance arcades lining the streets and squares, Mantua is a place of immense beauty, and contains some of the foremost art and architecture of the Renaissance. Visit the Ducal Palace, a vast rambling complex, the aggregate of 300 years of extravagant patronage by the Gonzaga dynasty (Mantegna’s frescoes in the Camera degli Sposi, Pisanello frescoes, Rubens altarpiece). e extraordinary Palazzo Te, built and decorated by Giulio Romano, is the major monument of Italian Mannerism.
Day 6, Christmas Day: Free morning, and the time to attend a church service, before Christmas lunch in the hotel.
Day 7: Sant’Ambrogia di Valpolicella. In the morning visit the church of S. Zeno, a major Romanesque church with sculpted portal and a Mantegna altarpiece. Outside Verona, visit the atmospheric Villa di Serego Alighieri, surrounded by Valpolicella vineyards, for a private wine tasting and lunch. Twenty-one generations a er Dante Alighieri’s son bought the estate, the house and surrounding land still belong to his direct descendants, the Counts Serego Alighieri.
Day 8. Fly from Verona, arriving at London Gatwick at c. 1.00pm.
on: Verona, Piazza Delle Erbe early-20th-century etching by Francis Dodd.
Illustrati
‘We were all so well looked a er by the lecturer and tour manager, it was a memorable Christmas.’
The Art of Florence
Cradle of the Renaissance
17–23 November 2025 (ml 852)
7 days • £3,290
Lecturer: Dr Flavio Boggi
e world’s best location for an art history tour: here were laid the foundations of the next 500 years of western art.
An incredible concentration of great works; the Renaissance is centre stage, but medieval and other periods also feature.
Architecture, painting and sculpture – all the arts are examined, the lecturer’s commentary geared to maximise your appreciation.
Iti nerary
Day 1. Fly at c. 11.30am (British Airways) from London City to Florence. In the late a ernoon visit the chapel in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, which has exquisite frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli.
Day 2. Brunelleschi’s Foundling Hospital, begun in 1419, was the rst building to embody stylistic elements indisputably identi able as Renaissance. See Michelangelo’s David, the ‘Slaves’ in the Accademia and the frescoes and panels of pious simplicity by Fra Angelico in the Friary of S. Marco. In the a ernoon visit the redoubtable Palazzo Pitti, which houses several museums including the Galleria Palatina, outstanding particularly for High Renaissance and Baroque paintings.
Day 3. Avoid the busiest of the daily crowds by heading early to the U zi, Italy’s most important art gallery, which has masterpieces by every major Florentine painter as well as international Old Masters. A er, pause to take in Piazza della Signoria, civic centre of Florence with masterpieces of public sculpture. e a ernoon is free for independent exploration.
Day 4. e cluster of cathedral buildings occupies the morning; the baptistry with its Byzantine mosaics and Renaissance sculpture; the polychromatic marble Duomo itself, capped by Brunelleschi’s massive dome; and the collections in the superbly renovated cathedral museum. Lunch is at a restaurant on the Piazzale Michelangelo before a visit to S. Miniato al Monte, the Romanesque abbey church with panoramic views of the city.
Day 5. Visit Michelangelo’s Laurentian Library, whose architectural components would herald the onset of Mannerism. A Medici morning includes S. Lorenzo, the family parish church designed by Brunelleschi and their burial chapel in the contiguous New Sacristy with Michelangelo’s enigmatic sculptural ensemble. e a ernoon is devoted to S. Maria Novella, the Dominican church with many works of art (Masaccio’s Trinità, Ghirlandaio’s frescoed sanctuary).
Day 6. See the Renaissance statuary at the churchcum-granary of Orsanmichele, then the Bargello, housing Florence’s nest sculpture collection with works by Donatello, Verrocchio, Michelangelo and others. Walk to the vast Franciscan church of S. Croce, favoured burial place for leading Florentines and abundantly furnished with sculpted tombs, altarpieces and frescoes. In the a ernoon we visit the extensive Boboli Gardens, at the top of which is an 18th-century ballroom and garden overlooking olive groves. See the Masaccio/Masolino fresco cycle in the Brancacci Chapel, a highly in uential work of art which guided all subsequent generations of Renaissance artists.
Day 7. Visit S. Spirito, Brunelleschi’s last great church, with many 15th-century altarpiece, and the Rucellai Chapel in the deconsecrated church of S. Pancrazio, now part of the Museo Marino Marini. Fly from Florence Airport, arriving at London City at c. 5.30pm.
Image: Florence, ©Jonathan Korner.
‘Extremely well thought out. Perfect selection of artwork as well as pacing.’
Marrakech at New Year
Palaces and Gardens of the Red City
28 December 2025–3 January 2026 (ml 861)
7 Days • £5,210
Lecturer: Dr Richard McClary
Art and architecture, monuments and museums exploring Marrakech’s rich Berber and Islamic heritage.
Five star hotel in the heart of the medina, minutes from the bustle of the Djemaa El Fna.
Special arrangements include a day’s excursion to the Atlas Mountains, a concert of traditional music and sunset on the dunes.
Iti nerary
Day 1: Fly at c. 11.30am from London Heathrow direct to Marrakech (British Airways). Some free time before dinner.
Day 2: Marrakech. We begin with a morning walk through the medina for orientation. e Museum of Marrakech and the Museum of Photography make a tting introduction. Visit the Ben Youssef Madrasa adjacent to the 11th-century Almoravid Pavilion. Le Jardin Secret palace complex dates back 400 years, its restored gardens take the form of an exotic garden and an Islamic garden.
Day 3: Marrakech. Visit the 19th-century Bahia Palace, a vast residence built for Si Moussa, the grand vizir of the sultan and occupied by the Resident General during the French Protectorate. Continue to the Musée, Monde des Arts de la Parure in the Kasbah, displaying a unique collection of jewellery and ceremonial garments. e Music Museum in Mouassine holds a fascinating collection of traditional Moroccan instruments.
Illustrati on: Marrakech, steel engraving c. 1850.
Day 4: Imlil, Douar Sbiti. Leave in the morning for an excursion to the Ourika Valley in the High Atlas Mountains. Enjoy a gentle walk through the scenic landscape before exploring the traditional Berber village of Imlil. Return to Marrakech via the enchanting Anima Garden, a lush artistic retreat lled with captivating ora and installations. In the evening, enjoy a New Year’s Eve dinner party at the hotel.
Day 5: Marrakech. e morning is free. In the a ernoon, visit the Saadian tombs, which commemorate the dynasty in nely decorated pavilions that give a taste of the original decoration of their vast palace, the Badi’, which was stripped by their successors.
Day 6: Marrakech, Agafay. In modern Marrakech, we see the Majorelle gardens, famous for their colourful blue buildings, bamboo and cacti. Dar El Bacha, built in 1910 and once home to ami El Glaoui, the Pasha of Marrakech, is a prime example of riad architecture in the medina. Some free time before an evening excursion to the Agafay Desert for a farewell drink and dinner at sunset.
Day 7: Marrakech. In the morning enjoy some free time. Transfer to the airport to catch the 3.50pm ight to London Heathrow (arriving c. 6.30pm).
‘Our fellow MRT travellers were a delightful, harmonious and intelligent bunch, and a great deal of fun!’
Gastronomic Catalonia
Fine food and wine, art and architecture
3-10 November 2025 (ml 839)
8 days • £4,810
Lecturer: Gijs van Hensbergen
Eat well, drink well: Michelin-starred meals, award-winning chefs and quality wine producers.
Sightseeing ranges from medieval to Modernist art and architecture.
Also includes the lesser-visited city of Girona, and a day in the northernmost reaches of the region, crossing into France.
Iti nerary
Day 1: Barcelona. Fly at c. 9.30am from London Heathrow to Barcelona (British Airways), capital of Catalonia and cosmopolitan market place. Our rst visit en-route is to a Cava Corpinnat producer with views across to Montserrat. Our evening tapeo is a delicious time capsule back to the 1960s – rustic, authentic and a pure expression of ‘hand into mouth’ joy. First of three nights in Barcelona.
Day 2: Barcelona. Visit the extraordinary Palau de la Musica, designed by Domènech i Montaner, and then on via the gothic masterpiece Sta Maria del Mar to our rst wine tasting masterclass, courtesy of Quim Vila, the God of Catalan wine merchants. is will include rarities from the Priorat and Penedès. In the early evening we visit Gaudí’s Parc Güell, and continue on to the Barri Gòtic, the most complete surviving Gothic quarter in Europe; still the location of some of the nest eating establishments and food suppliers in Catalonia. Dinner is in an intimate bistro –hosted by an acolyte of Ferran Adrià.
Day 3: Barcelona. On the slopes of Montjuïc the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya houses the greatest collection of Romanesque frescoes in the world. Lunch at the world heritage Fonda Espanya, a magical masterpiece of modernisme
by Domènech, is followed by a walk through the legendary Boqueria market. An evening visit takes in Gaudí’s equally astonishing La Pedrera building of 1906–09.
Day 4: Barcelona, Peralada. Gaudi’s true masterpiece is his Cripta Güell, south of Barcelona in a late 19th-century utopian worker’s colony. We visit the 14th-century monastic bliss of Pedralbes before an elegant lunch at the Hermanos Torres Michelin 3-star venue. Leave Barcelona and drive up the coast to the outskirts of Figueres. First of four nights in Peralada.
Day 5: Empúries and Figueres. We visit the cradle of Catalan cuisine and husbandry at the Greek and Roman ruins of Empúries. If El Bulli represented the apotheosis of Catalan cuisine –the foundation stone was surely Figueres’ Motel Empordà – classic modern at its very best. e a ernoon will nish at Salvador Dalí’s wildly eclectic museum.
Day 6: Girona and Vic. Girona has a compact medieval Jewish quarter and Gothic cathedral towering over the river. Important illuminated manuscripts and tapestries are displayed in the chapterhouse. Lunch is inland at Michelin-starred Can Jubany, a converted farmhouse serving the very best home-grown produce.
Day 7: Collioure (France), Figueres. Begin with a visit and tasting at the award winning Peralada bodega designed by Pritzker Prize winners RCR architects – the rst sustainable bodega in Europe. Drive into France to the pretty port of Collioure, a favoured retreat for Matisse and the Fauves. Return to Spain for a nal elegant dinner at Michelin-starred Castell Peralada which ends with Toni Gerez’s amazing cheese board.
Day 8: Barcelona. A morning visit to Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia. Fly to London Heathrow, arriving c. 5.00pm.
Illustrati on: Girona, etching c. 1920s.
‘ e tour showed a mix of ‘old’ Barcelona dining but importantly exposed us to the new and vibrant food prepared by young (brilliant) chefs.’
Granada & Córdoba with Úbeda & Baeza
3–10 November 2025 (ml 840)
8 days • £3,210
Lecturer: Dr Philippa Joseph
Ample time at the key sites of Moorish Spain: the Alhambra in Granada and the Mosque in Córdoba, with time also for the lesser-known.
Visit the Picasso Museum and Carmen yssen collection in Málaga and the small Renaissance towns of Úbeda and Baeza.
Iti nerary
Day 1. Fly at c. 9.45am from London Gatwick Airport to Málaga (Vueling). Arrive in time for a visit to Picasso’s birthplace, which houses a small collection of his belongings. Overnight in Málaga.
Day 2: Málaga. Begin at the Picasso Museum, a 16th-century building with a magni cent collection which places emphasis on his earlier works. e Carmen yssen museum has a ne collection of old masters and 19th-century Spanish painting. In the a ernoon drive north to Granada. First of three nights in Granada.
Day 3: Granada. e 13th-century Arab palaces of the Alhambra ride high above the city. ey are o en reckoned to be the greatest expression of Moorish art in Spain, with exquisite decoration and a succession of intimate courtyards. Adjacent are the 16th-century Palace of Charles V and the Generalife, summer palace of the sultans, with gardens and fountains.
Day 4: Granada. Morning visit to the Cathedral and Royal Chapel which retains Isabel of Castile’s personal collection of Flemish, Spanish and Italian paintings. In the late a ernoon there is an optional walk through the Albaycín, the oldest quarter in town, including El Bañuelo (Arab baths). Climb up to San Nicolás from where there are ne views of the Alhambra.
Day 5: Baeza, Úbeda. Drive to Baeza, once a prosperous and important town and now a provincial backwater set among olive groves stretching to the horizon. It has a 16th-century cathedral by outstanding regional architect Andrés de Vandelvira and many grand houses of an alluring light-coloured stone. In Úbeda walk to the handsome Plaza Vázquez de Molina, anked by elegant palaces including Vandelvira’s Casa de las Cadenas and the present day parador. e church of El Salvador was designed by Diego de Siloé in 1536. Continue to Córdoba for the rst of three nights.
Day 6: Córdoba. From the middle of the 8th century Córdoba was the capital of Islamic Spain and became the richest city in Europe until its capitulation to the Reconquistadors in 1236. La Mezquita (mosque) is one of the most magni cent of Muslim sites, for some the greatest building of medieval Europe. It contains within it the 16thcentury cathedral. In the a ernoon drive out to the excavations of Medina Azahara, with remains of a huge and luxurious 10th-century palace complex.
Day 7: Córdoba. Morning visit to the Archaeological Museum, housed in brand new galleries and a Renaissance mansion, with a ne collection of Roman and Arab pieces. Visit the Alcázar, medieval with earlier architectural remains (and good Roman mosaics), and the narrow streets of the old Jewish quarter, including the 14th-century synagogue. e Fine Arts Museum, with Plateresque façade, houses some good Spanish paintings. Free a ernoon in Córdoba.
Day 8: Drive to Málaga airport for an early a ernoon ight (Vueling), arriving at London Gatwick airport at c. 3.45pm.
Image: Alhambra Palace, Granada ©Sebastiaan Been
‘A wonderful tour which will give cherished memories for years to come.’
Birth of the Modern Britain in the Age of Jane Austen & JMW Turner
10–12 November 2025 (ml 855)
3 days • £1,060
A symposium of 40-minute talks, followed by Q&As, spanning Monday a ernoon to Wednesday morning.
Leading historians of the 18th and 19th centuries o er the latest thinking on a dynamic era of British history.
Based at the comfortable Grand Hotel in York for two nights, with dinner both evenings.
The year marking the 250th anniversaries of two of Britain’s most significant cultural figures presents an irresistible opportunity to examine one of the most dynamic and defining periods in British history. The combined lifespan of Jane Austen (d.1817) and J.M.W. Turner, stretching from 1775 to 1851, saw Britain transform from a broadly agrarian to a thriving industrial economy. Until 1815, war was an almost constant feature, having an impact both domestically and on Britain’s global standing. Bolstering the machinations of empire and trade were exciting technological and scientific innovations. All these developments were reflected politically and socially, sometimes in radical ways; they were also expressed in vibrant artistic and literary responses, not least by our two main protagonists. The 12 talks we will present, from leading historians of the 18th and 19th centuries, explore an age of fascinating – often interlinking – themes and personalities.
We return to the beautiful and historic city of York for this symposium. Our venue is the wood-panelled Grand Boardroom of the former offices of the North Eastern Railway, now a five-star hotel – The Grand, where participants stay and dine on both evenings.
Talks
Iron, Steam and Speed: the coming of the railway
Simon Bradley
Towns and Cities in Austen’s England
Steven Brindle
People of the Mills: the Rise of the Textile Industry
Steven Brindle
e Secret Diaries of William Wilberforce: Politics, Religion, and Antislavery
John Co ey
Jane Austen and the Art of Letter-Writing
Louise Curran
Poet of Progress: Erasmus Darwin
Patricia Fara
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the Secrets of Life
Patricia Fara
Women and the Sea
Margarette Lincoln
‘ ey live by Trade’: Britain’s global trade in the great days of sail
John McAleer
A Wonderful Range of Mind: Turner, science, technology and innovation
Nicola Moorby
Turner and Constable: Brothers in Arts?
Nicola Moorby
Illustrati on: The Louth–London Royal Mail Travelling by Train from Peterborough, 1845, Yale Centre for British Art, James Pollard.
‘Superb lecturers. One of the very best groups of speakers I have heard for a long time.’
Calendar | 2025
July 2025
1– 6
6–13
7–13
11–14
14–18
Flemish Painting (ml 732) Dr Sue Jones
Lofoten Festival (ml 735)
Dr Michael Downes
Lusatia: Germany’s Eastern borderlands (ml 736) Dr Jarl Kremeier
Versailles: Seat of the Sun King (ml 738)
Patrick Bade
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)
Andreas Puth
27– 3 Santa Fe Opera (ml 750) Dr John Allison
30– 3 Verona Opera (ml 749)
Dr R. T. Cobianchi, Dr Bruno Bower
August 2025
4–11
6–14
Gdańsk & Eastern Pomerania (ml 752)
Dr Hugh Doherty
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
September 2025
1– 5 e Age of Bede (ml 767) Imogen Corrigan
1– 5 Mr Turner (ml 766) Dr Jacqueline Riding
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
7–14 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
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
October 2025
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
4–13 e Ring in Berlin (ml 817)
Barry Millington
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
13–18 In Churchill’s Footsteps (ml 820)
Katherine Carter
13–20 e Douro (ml 823) Martin Symington
13–22 Castile & León (ml 825)
Gijs van Hensbergen
13–28 Eastern Turkey (ml 821)
Prof. Graham Philip
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
28–1 Opera at Wexford (ml 838)
Dr John Allison
November 2025
3– 11 Cyprus: stepping stone of history (ml 844)
Ian Colvin
3–10 Gastronomic Catalonia (ml 839)
Gijs van Hensbergen
3–10 Granada & Córdoba (ml 840)
Dr Philippa Joseph
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
10–12 Birth of the Modern (ml 855)
11–15 Venetian Palaces (ml 848)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
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
26–28 Stile Antico (ml 854)
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
Calendar | 2026
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
26–1 Mozart in Salzburg (MM 879)
Richard Wigmore
28– 1 Florentine Palaces (MM 878)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
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
9–16 Granada & Córdoba (mm 884)
Gijs van Hensbergen
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
Opera in Paris
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
9–16 e Ring at La Scala (mm 895)
Barry Millington
10–14 Venetian Palaces Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
11–19 Spain 1492 (mm 897) 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
26–30 Hamburg: Opera & ‘Elphi’ (mm 904)
Dr John Allison
26–4 Classical Greece (mm 903) Dr Peter Haarer
27–4 Minoan Crete (mm 907)
Dr Christina Hatzimichael-Whitley
27–7 Morocco (mm 908) Dr Iain Shearer
30–10 Art in Japan (mm 909) Prof. Timon Screech
Ancien Régime Paris
A er the Rain: Indigenous art in Canberra Opera in Vienna
Great Cities of Italy
Beauty & the Abyss: Viennese Modernism
April 2026
7–13 Lucca & vicinity (mm 913) Dr Flavio Boggi
7–19 Civilisations of Sicily (mm 916)
Dr Philippa Joseph
8–17 Albania: Crossroads of Antiquity (mm 918)
9–18
Carolyn Metkola
Extremadura (mm 919) Chris Moss
12–19 Dark Age Brilliance Dr Meg Boulton
13–18 Pompeii & Herculaneum (mm 920)
Dr Mark Grahame
13–19 World Heritage Malta (mm 915) Juliet Rix
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)
21–29
Amanda Patton
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
30– 6 Gardens of Sicily Helena Attlee
Traditions of Japan
Opera in Copenhagen
Baroque Music in the Bolivian Missions
Normans in the South
Art in Madrid
Music in Berlin
Tom Abbott’s Berlin
Sailing the Dalmatian Coast
Madrid & Toledo Gardens of Sicily
May 2026
3–10 Istanbul Revealed (mm 943) Jeremy Seal
5–12 Great Houses of the South West (mm 944)
Anthony Lambert
6–11 EARLY MUSIC IN YORKSHIRE (mm 945)
6–13
Prof. John Bryan
Gastronomic Veneto (mm 949)
Cynthia Chaplin
6–14 e Cathedrals of England (mm 948)
Dr Hugh Doherty
7–17 e Medieval Pyrenees (mm 951)
Dr Richard Plant
8–15 Courts of Northern Italy (mm 950)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
8–17 Scotland: History & Heritage (mm 952)
David Forsyth
11–17 Yorkshire Houses & Gardens (mm 953)
Christopher Garibaldi
11–17 Walking Hadrian’s Wall (mm 954)
Dr Matthew Symonds
14–26 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (mm 955)
Dr Peter Webb
16–22
e Ligurian Coast (mm 959)
Dr Luca Leoncini
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
22–29 Franconia (mm 968) Dr Ulrike Ziegler
26– 2 Footpaths of Umbria Nigel McGilchrist
Walking to Santiago
Versailles: Seat of the Sun King
Gastronomic Valencia
Gastronomic Provence
Gastronomic Le Marche
Tuscan Gardens
Art in Scotland
Ireland: History & Heritage
Walking the Rhine Valley e Dresden Music Festival
Kraków & Silesia
Organs of Bach’s Time
Prague Spring
Venice: Scarpa & Others
June 2026
1–10
1–16
2–6
Venetian Land Empire (mm 977)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
Eastern Turkey (mm 975) Ian Colvin
Ravenna & Urbino (mm 976)
Dr Luca Leoncini
2–7 Palladian Villas (mm 946) Dr Sarah Pearson
3–10 Great Gardens of Southern England (mm 979) Louisa Allen
8–14 Gastronomic Friuli Venezia Giulia (mm 982) 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
Calendar | 2026
25–30 Walking to Derbyshire Houses (mm 999)
25–3
29–3
Christopher Garibaldi
Finland: Aalto & Others (mm 101)
Prof. Harry Charrington
Medieval East Anglia Dr Hugh Doherty
Flemish Painting
Gardens of the Bay of Naples
Gardens of Brittany
Gastronomy & the Golden Age
Gastronomic Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Medieval Burgundy
Organs of Bach’s Time
Leipzig Bach Festival
Great Swedish Houses
Trasimeno
July 2026
6–12
Gastronomic Devon & Cornwall (mm 109) Marc Millon
6–13 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
Gstaad Menuhin Festival
Bayreuth Festspiele
Opera in Munich & Bregenz
Verona Opera
Lofoten Music Festival
Lancashire Houses
Tudor England
Yorkshire Modern
Budapest
Danish Art & Design
Savonlinna Opera
French Gothic
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)
Salzburg Summer e Schubertiade
Silk Roads of Central Asia
Royal Residences
Walking the Danube e Lucerne Festival
Iceland’s Story
Drottningholm Opera
Estonia
Gdańsk & Eastern Pomerania
Orkney: 5,000 years of culture
September 2026
2–10 e Cathedrals of England (mm 150)
3–15
Dr Hugh Doherty
Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (mm 153)
Dr Richard McClary
4–10 Sardinia (mm 156) Dr R. T. Cobianchi
4–11 Courts of Northern Italy (mm 155)
Prof. Fabrizio Nevola
4–14 Frank Lloyd Wright (mm 154)
Prof. Harry Charrington
Classical Greece
6–10 Châteaux of the Loire (mm 158)
Dr Sarah Pearson
7–13 Cave Art in Spain (mm 159) Dr Paul Bahn
7–14
7–19
7–23
Gastronomic Basque Country
Gijs van Hensbergen
Civilisations of Sicily (mm 161)
Dr Zoe Opacic
Peru (mm 160) Dr David Beresford-Jones
8–15 Trecento Frescoes (mm 163)
Prof. Donal Cooper
9–18 Scottish Houses and Castles (mm 162)
Alastair Learmont
10–17 Piero della Francesca
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
12–19 Gastronomic Emilia-Romagna
14–19
Cynthia Chaplin
Vienna’s Masterpieces Tom Abbott
14–19 e Etruscans (mm 166) Dr Nigel Spivey
16–25
12–19
Albania: Crossroads of Antiquity (mm 168)
Carolyn Metkola
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
21–26 Scotland: History & Heritage (mm 170)
David Forsyth
21–27 Walking a Royal River (mm 180)
Sophie Campbell
28–2 Ravenna & Urbino (mm 187)
Dr Luca Leoncini
28–5 e Heart of Italy (mm 185) Leslie Primo
21–27 Walking a Royal River (mm 180)
Sophie Campbell
28–4 THE J.S. BACH JOURNEY
Gastronomic Loire Valley e Road to Santiago
Norman Conquest
German Gothic Normans in the South Vanbrugh
Mr Turner
Gastronomic Campania
Vienna’s Masterpieces e Imperial Riviera
Sacred Armenia
Beethoven in Bonn
Cold War, Berlin Music in the Saxon Hills
Rhineland Palaces & Castles
Gaudí in Spain
Anjou & the West
Georgia Uncovered
Ireland: History & Heritage
October 2026
1–8 Courts of Northern Italy (mm 190)
Dr Sarah Pearson
2–8 Modern Art on the Côte d’Azur (mm 192)
Monica Bohm-Duchen
2–12 Bulgaria (mm 191) Dr Nikola eodossiev
5–16 Art in Japan (mm 195) Dr Monika Hinkel
5–17 Civilisations of Sicily (mm 196)
Dr Mark Grahame
8–15 Berlin, Potsdam, Dresden Dr Jarl Kremeier
8–20 Central Anatolia (mm 198) Jeremy Seal
12–18 Raphael (mm 199) DrMichael Douglas-Scott
13–23 Sailing the Dalmatian Coast
13–19 Essential Rome (mm 202)
Christopher Garibaldi
20–27 e Douro (mm 207) Martin Symington
14–20 Art in the Netherlands (mm 202)
Desmond Shawe-Taylor
Roman & Medieval Provence
17–23 Gastronomic Piedmont (mm 203)
Cynthia Chaplin
19–25 World Heritage Malta (mm 204) Juliet Rix
19–26 Masters of Milan Dr Luca Leoncini
19–26 Footpaths of Umbria (mm 211)
Dr omas-Leo True
19–28 Castile & León (mm 205)
Gijs van Hensbergen
19–31 Traditions of Japan (mm 206)
Prof. Timon Screech
21–29 Two Spains Giles Tremlett
22–29 Istanbul Revealed (mm 208) Jeremy Seal
22–3 Samarkand & Silk Road Cities (mm 213)
Dr Iain Shearer
23–2 Oman: Landscapes & Peoples (mm 209)
Dr Peter Webb
26–31 Palladian Villas (mm 210)
Dr Michael Douglas-Scott
29–9 Pharaonic Egypt (mm 217)
Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones e Western Balkans
Cyprus
Art in Madrid
Connoisseur’s Prague
Eastern Turkey
Gastronomic Navarra
Gastronomic Puglia
Granada & Córdoba
Gardens & Villas of the Italian Lakes
Palermo Revealed
Walking in Southern Tuscany
Wexford Festival Opera
Calendar | 2026
November 2026
3–10 Connoisseur’s New York (mm 222)
Gijs van Hensbergen
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
Venetian Palaces
Venice Revisited
Essential India e Renaissance in Paris
Heaven & Hell
William Howard & the Carducci Quartet
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 (15% 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’.
Latest news
Scan the QR code to view latest news at martinrandall.com/news
15 best cathedrals in England to visit in 2025
Discover 15 of England’s most splendid cathedrals. From Norman grandeur to Gothic splendour, each cathedral o ers a unique glimpse into the country’s architectural heritage.
Italian food culture: a regional journey through gastronomy
Learn about the history of Italian gastronomy, traditional dishes in di erent regions, and Italian dining culture.
Best Sicily attractions: an island of treasures
e island’s diversity across all arenas: art, architecture and food culture creates unique opportunities. Find out the top 10 attractions that showcase the best places to visit in Sicily.
Illustrati ons top–bottom: Lincoln, etching by Wilfred Ball, 1906; Fruit and Flowers, Orsola Maddalena Caccia Italian ca. 1630, The Met ©; The Cathedral at Cefalu, painted by Alberto Pisa publ. 1911.
Online talks by expert speakers
How India changed the World – Tales of trade and influence | Raaja Bhasin
£55 | View until 1 July 2025
Francis: the first Sun King
Prof. Glenn Richardson
£75 | View until 24 July 2025
SAVE Britain’s Heritage at 50!
Featuring Simon Jenkins, Marcus Binney & Emma Bridgewater
£45 | View until 5 August 2025
Notre-Dame–Phoenix of Paris
Dr Alexandra Gajewski
£65 | ursdays, 5 June–3 July 2025
View until 28 August 2025
Image: North Side of the West Wall of Nakht’s Offering Chapel; © Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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
History, Family, Location: Visconti’s Period Dramas | Pasquale Iannone
£65 | Mondays, 7 July–4 August 2025 View until 29 September 2025
‘The Tale of the Two Brothers’: A story to unlock Ancient Egypt Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
£65 | ursdays, 31 July-28 August 2025 View until 23 October 2025
Paris and the Russian Avant-Garde (1900–1930) | Natalia Murray
Dates TBC
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