Ultratravel, Daily Telegraph, August 2008
'Martin Randall probably offers the biggest and best selection of art, music and architecture tours.'
Classical Music magazine, 7 June 2008
'One of the heavyweights of the field, its extensive music selection only one of a range of specialisms offered.'
Arthur Frommer's syndicated US travel column, 16 March 2008
'A highly esteemed, long-established British tour company that operates the world's most serious tours of history, archaeology, art and music. It makes no concessions to popular tastes, and calls for real involvement and commitment by its passengers.'
The Mail on Sunday, 13 January 2008
‘Meticulously researched tours and no hidden extras – tips and wine with meals are included, for example. The itineraries appeal to those keen for more than a quick whip round the intellectual, natural and visual treasures of Europe.’
Daily Telegraph, 12 January 2008
Nigel Richardson attended the Poets and the Somme tour. His article, Behind the lines, can be read on the Daily Telegraph website.
Daily Telegraph, 12 January 2008
‘… the top choice for expert-led, small-group tours, thanks to the quality of its guides, accommodation and planning.’
The Independent, 10 January 2008
‘According to the experts, if you want to see the world, you should leave the big tour firms behind… France is the biggest tourist destination on the planet but specialist tour operators can help you see it with different eyes.’ — Simon Calder describes the Le Corbusier tour.
Sunday Times (Neofile in Travel Section), 2 December 2007
‘Still think Britain is dumbing down? Martin Randall Travel is launching a new cruise devoted entirely to lectures on ancient Greek philosophy: that’s 12 solid days of Plato and Socrates. “It’s a first for the UK, but we think there’s the intellectual appetite for it out there” the company says. The bad news is that it doesn’t leave until October 2009. But if you subscribe to the Aristotelian thesis that past and future do not exist, and that the existence of time itself is therefore questionable, that won’t be a problem.’
The Times, 10 November 2007
Richard Beston, Diplomatic Editor of The Times, attended the Crimean War tour. His article, Our man in Sevastopol, can be read on The Times website.
The Australian, 4 August 2007
‘We are on a tour of ‘Gastronomic Spain’, with the upmarket travel company Martin Randall, and it is excellent despite my doubts. This is my first group tour. Do I really want every detail of my travel, accommodation, and meals organised for me, I ask myself. Well, yes I do, I decide, when it’s this good.’ — Read Pamela Bone's Gastronomic Spain article in full.
Daily Telegraph (Turkey Special), 27 January 2007
‘MRT has an excellent reputation for well-planned, up-market tours, using good hotels and restaurants.’
Daily Telegraph (Greece Special), January 2007
‘Well-planned, small-group tours lead by knowledgeable lecturers…’
Daily Telegraph, 20 January 2007
‘… a rich feel of quality throughout the operation, from the monochrome brochures and choice of trips, to the planning and expert leaders.’
The Australian, 30 September 2006
Judith Elen’s article Private Rome records her experience of the Connoisseur's Rome tour.
The Times, 16 September 2006
‘Martin Randall Travel tours set standards (small groups, top lecturers, comfortable pace, quality hotels and restaurants) that others imitate. Also organises well-regarded music festivals…’ — Cath Urquhart, Travel Editor
Arthur Frommer, July 2006
‘Martin Randall Travel is probably the most erudite, serious and highly cultural tour operation on Earth. Its tour leaders are eminent historians, scientists and other specialists in the destinations it covers, and its participants are determined to have a profound learning experience… the outstanding tour operator for well-read, intellectually curious people.’
The Times, 15 July 2006
‘Highbrow arts, history and cultural tours, often with top-notch lecturers.’
Ultratravel, (Daily Telegraph) 14 April 2006
‘… these are the crème de la crème of guides… To travel with them and share their passions is pure privilege.’ — Tessa Boase, in her article Guide to the Best Guides in the World featuring three MRT lecturers
Independent, 11 February 2006
‘The art-tour specialist.’
The Lady, February 2006 — on tours to Spain
‘For insights into subjects as diverse as regional food, music, artists and Napoleonic wars, Martin Randall Travel is the name to remember. In fact it has just been named Travel Company of the Year.’
Daily Telegraph, 14 January 2006
‘… for upmarket, well-planned, expert-led small group tours, you can’t beat Martin Randall Travel.’
Daily Telegraph, 7 January 2006
‘In music and the arts, one company stands out for the very personal and focused way in which it is run.’
The Age, 17 September 2005 — on the Austro-Hungarian Music Festival 2005
‘This is how Haydn is supposed to be heard! … I have never met Haydn, Bruckner, or Mozart; the Habsburgs, either. But after this week of discovery and enlightenment, I wish I had.’ — Michael Shmith, Travel Editor
The Age, 22 October 2005 — in a profile of MRT Managing Director Martin Randall
‘Martin Randall is renowned for his attention to detail… His company is really the Grand Tour in a modern context and Randall is its cicerone.’ — Michael Shmith, Travel Editor
Financial Times, 12 November 2005
‘MRT focuses on art as one strand within its densely cultural tours. The company has seen a steady growth in appetite for the rich mix of history, archaeology, art, gastronomy and music it can provide. The tours are meticulously organised, tightly scheduled and, as the exquisite catalogue reminds you, require stamina. The tour leaders are learned but genial, able to open out the significance of a place or piece of art without belabouring you with scholarship. …
Experience and charm have won the company’s guides entry to many hidden places – Venetian palazzi, some of the new buildings in Berlin – and also private visits – to the Sistine Chapel and St Mark’s in Venice, for instance. …
MRT too has pioneered territory harder for the independent traveller – Syria, Uzbekistan and the Gulf States. The groups are kept small in order to maintain the feeling of intimacy and there are absolutely no red umbrellas.’
The Oldie, September 2005 — on the Bach Journey 2005
‘Martin Randall’s splendid music festivals… a unique combination of music festival and package tour… [the] group included admirals, actuaries, bankers, barristers – in fact, a whole range of high-powered music lovers. One couple were on their fifth trip with the company in five months, and others had crossed the world to join in, from Australia, Japan, the Americas or Fiji… Professor Roderick Swanston, a music scholar by profession and an enthusiast by temperament, gave daily lectures that were an art-form in themselves.’
Daily Telegraph, 29 January 2005
‘[MRT] offers superb in-depth tours.’
Daily Telegraph, 8 January 2005
‘The leading specialist in cultural tours.’
Independent, April 2004
‘For 16 years Martin Randall Travel has gained a leading reputation in the world of cultural travel for its meticulous planning, first-rate lecturers and its access to art collections and houses which other firms cannot reach.’ — Ian Irvine
The Oldie, January 2004
‘… probably the classiest act in arranging musical trips that we have in Britain. A couple who had just returned from a Martin Randall weekend in Venice… could not speak more highly of the arrangements or the quality of the music.’
Daily Telegraph, January 2004
‘[Martin Randall Travel is] head and shoulders above other operators in the field.’
Sunday Times, November 2003 — on the Bach Journey
‘A seven-day extravaganza of music, performed in the places where Bach lived and worked by some of the finest interpreters of his repertoire.’
Daily Telegraph, August 2003 — on the Castile Music Festival
‘Renaissance and Baroque music from Spain is the theme of this five-day festival in which audiences are treated to performances of exceptional pieces in the very buildings in which they might have been played centuries ago. These festival-based breaks are arranged by Martin Randall Travel, the tour operator that specialises in cultural tours, and the idea behind them is that music can be a unique key to the past. The history and culture of not just Burgos but a string of cities across Europe, including Venice, are brought to life through a meticulously organised programme of concerts, lectures and informal get-togethers.’
Sydney Morning Herald, July 2003
‘My argument was simple. I don’t need anyone to tell me about scenery. I can use a guide book to find my way around a city. But I have always believed that art and history can only be understood if you have a firm grasp of the larger context… So a tour with a company specialising in art, music, architecture, architecture, archaeology and history seemed to make sense… Part of the magic of travel is always the people you meet. There were no real experts on Romania (and certainly no experts on the painted monasteries of Moldavia) on this trip. Just a group of literate, intelligent, well-educated and curious people, who for all the right reasons wanted to understand a little about the Byzantine Empire.’ — Bruce Elder
Independent, June 2003
‘The well-respected and innovative specialist, Martin Randall Travel, offers a Festival of Music in Venice.’ — Anthea Milnes
Daily Mail, January 2003
‘The best music holidays are organised by Martin Randall Travel.’ — Susan Marling
Sunday Telegraph, January 2003
‘Now unquestionably the leading specialist in cultural tours, with an extensive programme themed on art, music, architecture, archaeology or history.’ — Tim Jepson
The Times, January 2003 — in an article about several AITO companies, including MRT
‘If you want to benefit from their knowledge, now is the time to book. And you should, because you may never see their like again.’ — Steve Keenan
Sunday Telegraph, January 2003
‘Meticulously planned cultural tours, using high-quality hotels and expert lecturers.’ — Fred Mawer
Observer, January 2003 — in an article entitled Why it pays to be flexible
‘Martin Randall Travel, which specialises in cultural tours to Europe and the Middle East, has a particularly enlightened policy. Managing Director Martin Randall says that if any of his clients who are booked to travel to ‘volatile’ places have concerns about safety he will offer a full refund, even on the day of departure.’ — Joanne O’Connor
The Times, November 2002
‘Largely thanks to the efforts of British musical enthusiasts, Spain’s lost legacy of Renaissance and Baroque music is being revived. You can hear its masterpieces at the Festival of Spanish Music in Castile, when they’ll be performed in the palaces and churches of the same eras – some of them in buildings for which the music was composed.’ — Jill Crawshaw
Sunday Telegraph, February 2002
‘Dedicated staff, a serious approach and top-notch lecturers make [Martin Randall Travel] the market leader, with 130 tours in a beautifully produced brochure.’ — Tim Jepson
House & Garden, February 2002
‘[Martin Randall Travel] is the acknowledged market leader, with 130 tours featured in its elegant, award-winning catalogue adorned with maps and old prints. The meticulously planned itineraries are conducted by outstanding lecturers, and the company’s seriousness is reflected in its habit of evening lectures. The company is best known for Renaissance Italy, Baroque central Europe and its own music festivals, attended by 100-300 clients. There is a maximum group size of twenty-two and an upper age limit of eighty. Its city-based music festivals offer a variable price list of hotels, a flexible programme of lectures, history walks and concerts, and would be an ideal introduction for any free spirit wanting to test the waters of group life and keep coach travel to a minimum.’ — Barnaby Rogerson
Daily Telegraph, January 2002
‘Randall’s programme of small-group holidays, led by carefully chosen experts and staying in high-quality hotels, has become by far the biggest and most impressive range of art, music and architecture tours. … the choice continues to grow.’
Daily Telegraph, January 2002
‘Expert lecturers, four-star hotels and groups of around 15 are the hallmarks of these well-run tours.’
Independent, November 2000
‘Last week’s triumphant success of the second Festival of Music in Venice, organised by the firm of Martin Randall, who specialise in art historical and music travel, is a cheerful sign of the city’s musical future. In eight first-rate concerts over five days, the festival covered 1,000 years of music, from the 8th century until the middle of the 18th. At the heart of the series were three performances by the Gabrieli Consort and Players, conducted by Paul McCreesh.’
Early Music Review, December 1999
‘Martin Randall Music Management mounted a delightful festival of early music in Venice, the main attraction being the well-chosen programmes with outstanding performers, and the superb, often unusual venues.’
Guardian, March 1998
‘In broadening the British cultural traveller’s visual aesthetic, [Martin Randall] has been a pioneer.’
Independent, August 1996
‘The cultural tours market is small but crowded. If packaged tours turn your stomach, read on, for Martin Randall Travel appears to have cracked the uncrackable, packaged the unpackageable.’