Martin Randall Travel Traveller Reviews

This seven-day holiday took a small group of art enthusiasts to the green heart of Italy, walking in the footsteps of Saint Francis, leading us through beautiful, undulating, Umbrian landscapes and to spiritual places of worship and devotion, the culmination of which was our visit to Assisi's Basilica, approached on foot through the leafy Bosco Francesco. Our eyes were also opened to the beauty of Renaissance art on our visits to Sansepolcro's Museo Civico and Cattedrale to learn about Piero della Francesco's frescoes. Visits to Arezzo, Monterchi, Cortona and Spello allowed us to view more of his and others' works, all enhanced by the insightful and inspiring commentaries of our expert guide. No tourists spoiled the tranquility of the small towns of Montefalco and Bevagna where we enjoyed more frescoes and mosaics. Our final morning, en route to Rome, was spent at Montegiove and Buzzi's extraordinary theatrical complex cum surreal folly. Throughout the holiday, not only did we experience Umbrian flora and fauna on our walks and the beauty of Renaissance art but we enjoyed the varied cuisine and wine of the area. A holiday to remember, indeed.

Friends had extolled the virtues of Martin Randall and I knew that the company had a very good reputation for taking small cultural tours to Italy. However, I had not experienced such a holiday until this year. I can only say that they are superior to any other company I have travelled with in terms of their administration, organisation, efficiency and professionalism. The tour guide we had was exceptional - cultured, knowledgable and inspiring - and the Italian tour manager was energetic, good humoured and an expert on all things Italian. He and the tour guide worked exceedingly well together. I would certainly recommend the company and would definitely consider travelling with them again.

THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT TOUR. WE LEARNT A LOT ABOUT THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME AND THE POETRY READINGS WERE EXCELLENT, ALBEIT VERY EMOTIONAL. MARTIN RANDALL TRAVELL IS A FAVOURITE WITH US BECAUSE THEY ARE EXCELLENT IN EVERY WAY. INTERESTING TOURS, WITH EXPERIENCES THAT ARE SIMPLY NOT REPLICATED ANYWHERE ELSE. THE ADMINISTRATION IS FAULTLESS AND THE STAFF ARE HIGHOY PROFESSIONAL, WHILST REMAINING VERY FRIENDLY AND SUPPORTIVE. IN OUR OPINION, NOBODY EVEN COMES CLOSE TO MRT FOR QUALITY

AS STATED ABOVE, MARTIN RANDALL TRAVELL SCORES TOP MARKS FOR THEIR EXCELLENT TOURS AND SUPERB MUSIC FESTIVALS. THEIR ADMINISTRATION IS SECOND TO NONE AND THE HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL, FRIENDLY AND SUPPORTIVE STAFF ARE HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE ANY OTHER TOUR OPERATORS WE HAVE EXPERIENCED.

The Etruscans, 26 September-02 October, was OUTSTANDING because the topic was intriguing and the lecturer, Dr. Nigel Spivey, was exceptional in all ways!!

Martin Randall Tours truly does provide exceptional quality and service from the choice of incredibly well-known scholars, to comfortable and elegant hotels to exquisite local cuisine to comfortable transportation all well organised in advance and expertly cared for by the tour leader. I highly recommend this company!

A 7 day tour of Etruscan history by visiting important sites in Etruria. It was superbly planned and the tour manager was always making sure that everything ran smoothly with no complaints. The lecturer was a professor from Cambridge whose knowledge, insights, and humor were absolutely wonderful. All 18 of us on the tour were enthralled. Cannot imagine a better run tour!

Exceptionally well planned. The manager had personally visited every restaurant and place that we visited.

Visited Lake Como and Lake Maggoire in September, specifically for the Gardens and Villas. Not all Villas were open, and the Gardens would have best been seen in the Spring with the flowers in bloom. Otherwise it was a nice trip with pleasant companions to travel with.

Martin Randall seem to go by reputation as "the best" but I would see them as good and well organised. The leaders are pleasant and well organised, but a little regimented. Their knowledge was good, but communication could have been more lively rather than tedious endless lecture.

Excellent Italian tour covering the History of Medicine and lots of related art, through visits to Florence, Pisa, Bologna and Padua. Full days of visits were enhanced by two superb lecturers, each with an impressive breadth and depth of knowledge. Supporting arrangements of travel, hotels and meals were faultless.

All arrangements were excellent, from the start. Paperwork was accurate, thorough and timely.

The holiday was on Arts and Crafts in the Cotswolds. It was a pleasure from start to finish due in great part to our extremely knowledgeable lecturer. We visited beautiful houses and churches, also staying in a very comfortable hotel.The time passed too quickly.

I have traveled with Martin Randall many times, and have always been extremely happy with them. In fact that is why I keep returning. The attention to detail is second to none. I shall now start looking for another trip with them.

Six concerts in the Erzgebirge Music Festival were included, together with all travel, hotel accommodation, excursions, most meals and the services of two first rate lecturers. Very enjoyable and interesting, with some top class music, mostly from the baroque period. Highlights included a concert performed in a tin mine. The holiday provided an opportunity to explore an unfamiliar part of Germany and to learn something of its history in addition to the music, which of course was the main focus. The concerts were nicely varied, and some were outstandingly good. They combined well-known works with some by less familiar composers, all of which were put in context by the lecturer.

As always the administration was efficient, with considerable attention to detail. Martin Randall Travel aims at, and achieves, a very high standard. This holiday was no exception.

I went on the History of Medicine tour through Martin Randall Travel, it was a perfect amount of museum/site visits and downtime to explore. We were always given the opportunity to opt out of a visit, and the tour/agency was very accommodating since I booked a few days before they left. I am a student doing research in the field of classical medicine, and learning from Dr. Helen King and about the Renaissance was very beneficial to my research.

This was the first time I have travelled with Martin Randall travel and I had a very positive experience. Everything was taken care of and there was transparency between the agency and the customer, as well as very friendly staff and lecturers.

In every respect this experience exceeded expectations and I would definitely undertake another one. I would also have no hesitation recommending this company and in fact, already have done so to colleagues considering a trip with Martin Randall Travel who now are confident to proceed.

Staff were totally professional but very approachable and consistently went beyond the basic expectation of their role