Martin Randall Travel Arvostelua 

Extremadura April 2026 : A high score for every aspect : very well organised, extremely interesting programme, first class accomodation in 3 Paradors, good food, and a superb lecturer.

We did the Palladian Manors tour in the Veneto, a bucket list item for quite some time. We had a busy 6 days with viewings on both day of arrival and departure, not time lost. Enough down time during the tour to catch our breath.

Small varied group, some interesting people, good fun. Many had multiple tours notched up with MRT. Two tour staff, Sarah and Valentina - content and logistics, the one able to cover for the other. Deeply knowledgeable and very thoughtful/ helpful.

Lovely, superior hotel in Vicenza, great dining selections, comfortable bus with very capable driver - a very quality feel to the whole experience.

We will definitely use this Travel Org again - great variety in their listing and a superior experience guaranteed.

As a seasoned MRT traveller, I'm always impressed by the meticulous care which goes into planning and carrying out tours, and by the professional yet sociable approach of all staff involved. With tours covering a variety of themes - music, art, history, gastronomy, and many more, there's something to interest everyone. The tours also invariably include "hidden gems" alongside better-known places of interest. It's also great to meet and socialise with like-minded fellow travellers, from the UK and overseas. Travelling with lecturers expert in their subject ensures getting the most out of sites visited; and the tour managers go out of their way to ensure guests have all they need - and more - as well as being sociable, making sure nobody is left out of things, and running the tour flawlessly, giving the impression that it's an effortless task!

Having now taken several tours, the latest to north-east Italy,I judge MR to be a trustworthy company with high standards. Staff on tour are knowledgeable and companionable. Time is fully used each day. Tours are expensive but in fact good value considering the quality of every aspect of the experience.

I have taken more than 20 tours with this company and have enjoyed every one enormously. Some were music tours, some walking tours some emphasized art or history. The lecturers are excellent and approachable; the tour managers give unobtrusively efficient support which is invaluable when problems arise. These are definitely tours for people who like learning things and who have a fair amount of energy, though a lot of participants, like me, are pretty elderly. My last tour was typical in that it was beautifully planned, with obvious concern to give us a variety of experiences both in accommodation and travel.

I have taken a good many Martin Randall tours over the past few years, and have been (with one exception) very satisfied. They were well-organized to cover the basic material, and the leaders (both the academic leaders and the local authorities) always are well-prepared even for unusual questions. It always pleases me to be introduced to unexpected but relevant sites or objects. The tour staff members have invariably been very helpful. My tours have been mainly confined to Western Europe (including England) and the Mediterranean region.

History and Art on the Danube. We sailed on a very comfortable ship - MS Amadeus Nova - from Budapest to Passau. The food onboard was excellent and the crew were all very friendly and helpful. We had 3 expert lecturers who were clearly passionate about their respective areas of expertise and were keen to share their knowledge. The itinerary was well paced and there was no pressure to join any of the visits and one could just chill out on board. I particularly enjoyed the included visit to the Hungarian Parliament and the optional day visit to Cesky Krumlov (Czech Republic). The visit to the best preserved Baroque Theatre in Europe which retains its original stage machinery, scenerey, costumes and props was fascinating.

Always quality accommodation, care and content. The speakers are great and the staff attentive and competent. The most recent trip, "Art and History on the Danube", was an excellent example. Not cheap but great value for money.

I joined the tour to the Lofoten Islands Chamber Music Festival in the north of Norway. Everything was beautifully paced and the concerts were fantastic. It was such a comfortable trip with lovely hotels and fantastic restaurants. The icing on the cake was the Tour Manager and Guest Lecturer. Both absolutely on top of their game.

I have been on 3 MRT tours in the last year (Venice, Florence and French gothic cathedrals). Each was meticulously planned: perfect locations, great hotels, excellent meals. The standard of our guides was outstanding. I look forward to many more trips with the company in future and have recommended MRT to friends and family

The tour (Medieval Anjou and Poitou) was meticulously planned and well paced. The lecturer was entirely on top of his subject and his knowledge and enthusiasm were infectious. We were also cared for by an excellent tour manager who spared no effort to ensure that the mechanics of the tour ran smoothly.

I have been on six Martin Randall tours that focused on art. Every one of them met my very high expectations. Thoughtful itineraries, comfortable hotels, perfect group size. I have been able to visit museums and other art-related sites that I never would have known about, much less seen on my own. The staff is extraordinary; you have the sense that they can handle anything that might arise.

Wonderful
Trip. Fabulous lecturer John Burt. Kind and attentive tour manager Marion. And the music divine. And the other guests delightful company!

The week long walking tour to Tuscany and Umbria was excellent with the perfect balance between up to five mile walks, Italian scenery, culture, food and wine.

I have enjoyed seven tours with MRT. They have all been excellent, meticulously planned and organised to the last detail, and enabled us to visit and learn about wonderful places. Each tour has a scholarly expert speaker and a very competent and friendly tour manager. The booking process has always been reliable and easy, with unfailingly courteous and helpful staff at the head office. I can enthusiastically recommend Martin Randall travel.

MR is a gold standard for cultural tours. The inclusion of an expert lecturer automatically filters a group of likeminded albeit eclectic folk; it directly increases the conviviality and opportunity for socialising, if wanted. Perfect for those travelling solo.

The outstanding feature of the itinerary was being guided through this significant exhibition by its curator, Tony Albert, and experiencing the more immersive approach he adopted. In dedicating individual spaces to the contemporary artists chosen for representation, we gained a greater appreciation of their individual artworks and stories. Our group also had the benefit of tour leader Dr Sally Butler's academic expertise on the place of the Australian Art movement in the broader context of Global Art History. Overall, every element of the program reflected the attention to detail that makes Martin Randall Travel so highly regarded.

I am vegetarian. We stayed in 4 different Paradores during our stay in Extremadura, so I had ample opportunity to sample the local cuisine. There was never a vegetarian dish on the menu. In itself this has never been a problem anywhere else in Spain. However, on two occasions there was absolutely no effort made to come up with an alternative. In Trujillo, instead of the sea bass with sautéed vegetables, I said that I would just have the vegetables, as I expected a selection of crunchy pan-fried fare. What arrived was a greenish brown mush of boiled overcooked soggy mess. Obviously I had misinterpreted the word “sautéed”. It was the same as the accompaniment to the fish, but I greater quantity. The second occasion was in the Parsdor in Zafra, where I was told it would be different. What arrived was a dish of peas and carrots, from a bag of frozen produce boiled up and with a little nondescript sauce.
Clearly this is no region for vegetarians. Having paid for good quality renowned hotels, one would think that an effort could be made to cater for the one or two clients who do not eat meat or fish.
Accommodation. As a twin share, in the NH Collection in Caceres, we were given what I would describe as a ‘double room for sole occupancy”. A relatively small room, which on further inspection was not as clean as it should have been and which had a shower which had to be hand-held, as the holder was broken.
Martin Randall is a fairly upmarket company, which is very much reflected in their pricing. Frankly one does not expect to stay in hotels which sometimes fall well short of the standard expected relative to the price of the tour.

This was my fifth Martin Randall Travel trip. They have all been good. The key difference with these tours is the fact that there is an expert lecturer (as well as a tour manager and a driver). The expert lecturer adds huge value. It's a cut above what you get even from a competent local guide with other tour companies. The expert lecturers are working academics who really know the topic and are skilled at talking about it in an accessible way without the dreaded dumbing down. The tours attract others with a similar deep interest in niche topics. It's good that everyone is on the same page in terms of their level of interest.

I’ve taken two trips to India with Martin Randall. Itineraries were well-planned and thoughtful. The various and varied sites of trips were helpful in exploring the range of historical monuments, markets, structures, and influences in India. The lecturers and the MR representative enhanced the experience. The hotels and meals were outstanding.