World art tours

2024 tours

• 

  The heart of Scotland 20 May – 4 June 2024

  From the Lowlands to the Highlands
  With Kenneth Park

  Journey through the heart of Scotland, taking in the aweinspiring scenery from stately homes and imposing castles to manicured gardens and expansive countryside. Explore impressive royal residences and aristocratic estates set against a backdrop of untamed landscapes, from the rugged Highlands to the rolling hills of the Lowlands. Discover Scotland’s distinctive artistic and architectural heritage, ranging from traditional village dwellings to grand mansions and remarkable Art Nouveau masterpieces. Enjoy private guided tours to significant museums and galleries and marvel at the works of renowned artists and designers. 

  • Explore Edinburgh's historic city centre and iconic castle dominating the surrounding landscape

  • Venture to St Andrews, the world’s home of the game of golf

  • Delve into the Scottish Highlands and travel to Inverness

  • Enjoy leisurely strolls through the museums and galleries of Glasgow

  Curator Kenneth W Park works as a freelance lecturer, curator, tour leader, presenter and fundraiser. He is also curator of collections at Wesley College, Melbourne, where he manages an extensive art and archival collection.

  Visit the Renaissance Tours website for more information and to book

  

• 

  Splendours of Central Asia 1–19 June 2024

  Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
  With Iain Shearer 

  Uncover the wonders of Central Asia, home to the great steppes, magical deserts and spectacular mountain ranges, and explore the ancient cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Penjikent.

  Experience the intriguing blend of ancient roots and Soviet history in the vibrant countries of today’s Central Asia. Explore Uzbekistan’s Persian heritage, including the exquisite Sogdian murals of Afrasiab in Timurid Golden Samarkand, and marvel at dazzling tiled mosques in the romantic city of Bukhara.

  Discover Kyrgyzstan’s stunning natural landscape of rugged mountains and rich green valleys while travelling along the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. Visit the town of Rishtan, one of the oldest centres of ceramics in Uzbekistan, renowned for its blue glaze Ishkor ceramics. In Dushanbe, see the mesmerising blue dome of the Kok Gumbaz mosque, one of the oldest buildings in the city and a rare example of Timurid architecture in Tajikistan.

  • Marvel at the mosques and wide squares of Samarkand, the ancient capital of Sogdiana

  • Explore the streets of Dushanbe, a landscape of Soviet modernism and now the capital of Tajikistan

  • Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the settlements of Old Penjikent and the Sarazm

  • Wander the bazaars of Penjikent, a vibrant town touched by the history of ancient Persia and Sogdiana and Iran

  Archaeologist Iain Shearer FRAS has worked in the UK, Afghanistan, Caucasus, North Africa, Balkans, Israel/Palestine, Central Asia, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, China, Italy, Pakistan, India and the Middle East over the last 25 years.

  Visit the Renaissance Tours website for more information and to book

  

• 

  A road less travelled 6–25 September 2024

  Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan
  With Iain Shearer 

  Explore the natural and cultural riches of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan to discover a complex mix of religion, art and architecture. Discover the sacred Byzantine monasteries and churches of Armenia, wander the galleries and museums of Georgia, and explore the old palaces, mosques and markets of Azerbaijan. Visit the three present-day capitals of Yerevan, Tbilisi and Baku, and enjoy their fascinating blend of ancient tradition and contemporary cosmopolitan life. 

  • Enjoy the treasures of Caucasian archaeology and the art, history and culture in the region’s museums and galleries

  • Discover 12th-century frescoes in an impressive monastic cave complex, explore the remains of a medieval castle and visit sites of ancient petroglyphs

  • Wander through Persian palaces and mosques at the western edge of the Silk Road

  • Visit the region where grapes were first fermented into wine 8,000 years ago

  Archaeologist Iain Shearer FRAS has worked in the UK, Afghanistan, Caucasus, North Africa, Balkans, Israel/Palestine, Central Asia, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, China, Italy, Pakistan, India and the Middle East over the last 25 years.

  Visit the Renaissance Tours website for more information and to book

  

• 

  Allure of the Côte d’Azur 10–21 September 2024

  Nice to Marseille
  With Julie Ewington

  Experience the beauty of the Mediterranean coast and discover why renowned artists such as Matisse, Picasso and Van Gogh were drawn to this picturesque region. Traverse Nice’s picturesque Old Town and visit the Matisse Museum, filled with masterpieces painted by the ‘Master of Colour’. Wander through the grand Chateau Grimaldi, where Picasso lived and had his studio, and marvel at the works in the Picasso Museum. Explore Saint-Remy-de-Provence, the landscape which inspired Van Gogh’s most iconic artworks, and end in Marseille’s thriving Old Port lined with waterfront cafes and restaurants.

  • Travel through the picturesque Cote d’Azur region and visit charming villages along the Mediterranean coast

  • Explore the carefully preserved home studios of artists such as Picasso and Cezanne and see the way these modern masters lived and worked

  • Visit the Matisse and Chagall museums in Nice, filled with the artists’ masterpieces

  • Explore Saint-Remy-de-Provence, the landscape which inspired Van Gogh’s most iconic artworks

  Visual arts expert Julie Ewington is an independent writer, curator and broadcaster who was head of Australian art at QAGoMA in Brisbane and now writes for a number of art journals and magazines. In 2014 she received the Australia Council’s Visual Art Award to honour her achievements for the visual arts.

  Visit the Renaissance Tours website for more information and to book

  

• 

  Architecture and the American century 10–23 September 2024

  Chicago and Pittsburgh
  With Anthony Burke

  Travel to two American cities where celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright shaped the world’s understanding of modern art, architecture and design. Explore great works of American modernist paintings at the Art Institute in Chicago and visit renowned structures designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe. Visit another of Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic designs, Fallingwater, in Pittsburgh and wander through the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Andy Warhol Museum.

  • Marvel at modernist architecture in Chicago with visits to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House and Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House

  • Explore Fallingwater, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most widely acclaimed designs

  • Immerse yourself in some of the world’s most iconic urban landscapes, including the historic skyscrapers of Chicago

  • Enrich your appreciation with the expertise of your tour leader, architecture expert Anthony Burke

  Lecturer and presenter Anthony Burke is a professor of architecture and course director for the Master of architecture at the University of Technology Sydney. Anthony is the season 4 and 5 host of ABC’s TV Series Restoration Australia.

  Visit the Renaissance Tours website for more information and to book

  

• 

  Sicily and Malta 15–28 September 2024

  Taormina, Syracruse, Marsala, Valletta
  With Julian Droogan

  Explore the alluring Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Malta through a wealth of art and archaeology, tracing their history from the Neolithic to the Baroque. Begin in Sicily, the largest island of the Mediterranean and Homer’s ‘Land of the Cyclops’. Visit the imposing remains of Classical Greek and Roman theatres in Taormina and Syracuse and the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento. Explore the Norman history of Sicily in the churches of Palermo and Monreale. Continue to the island of Malta, whose Neolithic temples are some of the oldest religious structures on earth.

  • Wander through impressive Greek theatres and temples in Syracuse and Agrigento

  • Visit Taormina, the Sicilian town whose Greco-Roman theatre gazes out towards the slopes of Mt Etna

  • See masterpieces of art ranging from Classical Greek bronzes in Sicily to Caravaggio’s Beheading of St John the Baptist in Malta

  • Marvel at treasures of Norman-Sicilian art and architecture such as the exquisitely decorated Palatine Chapel in Palermo

  Julian Droogan is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University where he teaches in Asia-Pacific studies, issues of religion and politics, and international studies. He has written books on archaeology, Asian history and culture.

  Visit the Renaissance Tours website for more information and to book

  

• 

  A cinematic journey from Lyon to Paris October 2024

  Featuring the Lumière Film Festival 
  With CJ Johnson

  Join film critic and cinema studies lecturer CJ Johnson in France, to discover the birthplace of cinema and attend one of the cinematic world’s most prestigious annual events. Experience highlights of the week-long Lumière Film Festival, one of the largest international festivals of classic cinema, in Lyon, home of the Cinematograph. Wander through the Musée Lumière and learn about the Lumière brothers, the fathers of cinema and inventors of the revolutionary camera and projector. Enjoy an excursion to the Beaujolais wine area and visit the thriving town of Beaune, one of the main cities of the Burgundy region. Finally, explore Paris through a cinematic lens with a visit to the Cinémathèque Française and the private screening of François Truffaut’s Les Quatre Cents Coups (The Four Hundred Blows) at a local cinema.

  • Attend the internationally renowned Lumiere Film Festival in Lyon, the cradle of cinematic history

  • Enjoy an excursion to the Beaujolais area and sample a variety of local wines

  • Discover Paris through a cinematic lens, including emblematic heritage cinemas 

  • Enrich your experience with insights from your tour leader, film critic and lecturer CJ Johnson

  Film critic CJ Johnson is the president of the Film Critics Circle of Australia. He is the film critic for Mornings on ABC Radio, a contributing editor for METRO Magazine, and head lecturer in screen storytelling at Sydney Film School.

  Visit the Renaissance Tours website for more information and to book

  

• 

  More than meets the eye November 2024

  Contemporary art, architecture and design in Japan
  With Kathryn Hunyor

  Journey to the great cultural metropolis of Tokyo and the celebrated Setouchi ‘art islands’ to appreciate Japan’s bold and unique aesthetic in contemporary art, architecture and design.

  Traditional yet futuristic, timeless yet fast-moving, Japan has developed a bold and unique aesthetic in contemporary art, architecture and design that permeates all aspects of everyday life. The aesthetic adventure begins with ‘the-city-as-museum’ in Tokyo and then continue to the extraordinary ‘art islands’ of Naoshima, Teshima and Inujima.

  • Wander Tokyo’s Omotesandō streets, an outdoor museum of contemporary architecture featuring works by SANAA, Kengo Kuma, Toyo Ito and Tadao Ando

  • Spend three full days on the famous Setouchi ‘art islands’ of Naoshima, Teshima and Inujima, which beautifully combine contemporary art and rural Japanese landscapes

  • Be inspired by the sublime Teshima Art Museum by SANAA’s Ryue Nishizawa

  • Savour Japan’s unique cuisine in some of the country’s best restaurants

  Curator and lecturer Kathryn Hunyor has a Masters degree in Japanese literature and works as a creative producer for some of Australia’s major arts organisations, producing a range of arts and design projects between Australia and Japan where she was based for a number of years.

  Visit the Renaissance Tours website for more information and to book

  

• 

  The frankincense route 15–29 November 2024

  Oman
  With Alex McKay

  Discover the extraordinary kaleidoscope of Oman through its unique art, architecture and crafts. Begin in Muscat and explore the souks, museums and mosques of the historic capital. Journey through the picturesque wadis of the east coast, visit Bibi Maryam, and travel through the golden dunes of the Wahiba Sands. Explore the mountain-top villages and medieval fortresses of Jebel Akhdar, the mysterious archaeological ruins Bat and Al Ayn, and the ‘living’ mud village of Misfat Al Abriyeen. Lastly, discover Salalah and the sandy expanse of the Empty Quarter.

  • Experience the unique art, architecture and crafts of Muscat and explore the country’s rich Islamic heritage

  • Travel across the seemingly endless desert landscapes and enjoy stops at refreshing oases

  • Be awe-struck by the views from atop the Jebel Shams, the highest point in eastern Arabia

  • Explore ancient archaeological sites, from the solitary mausoleum of Bibi Maryam to the ruins of Bat and the necropolis of Al Ayn 

  Cultural historian Alex McKay is a fellow at the Royal Asiatic Society in London and the author of several books and articles, mostly on Himalayan history and culture. Alex has worked, lived and travelled widely in Asia and North Africa and has led numerous members’ tours in those regions.

  Visit the Renaissance Tours website for more information and to book

  

• 

  Eternal Egypt December 2024

  The heart of Middle Egypt and beyond
  With Melanie Pitkin 

  Immerse yourself in the art, archaeology, language and culture of ancient and modern Egypt on a wondrous journey of discovery through 4500 years of history. Visit the major sites of Giza, Alexandria and Luxor, and explore the lesser-known treasures of Middle Egypt, including Faiyum, Amarna and Abydos. Gain special access to ongoing dig sites led by international teams of Egyptologists, and see artefacts normally hidden from view on exclusive tours of museum collections. Enjoy a cruise up the Nile into New Kingdom and Ptolemaic history, and in Cairo, get to know the artisanal crafts that have kept Egyptian culture alive for nearly five millennia.

  • Gain special access to archaeological sites and go behind the scenes in newly-constructed museums

  • Explore seldom-visited sites of Middle Egypt, including the Ptolemaic town of Karanis and the pyramid of Pharaoh Amenemhat III

  • Cruise up the Nile from Aswan to Luxor, visiting temples of Horus, Sobek and Isis along the way

  Curator Melanie Pitkin is an Australian Egyptologist and museum curator. She holds a PhD from Macquarie University and currently works as a research associate in Egyptology at the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge. She has worked on several archaeological digs and has travelled extensively throughout Egypt.

  Visit the Renaissance Tours website for more information and to book

  

• 

  Art Deco to art now: Havana and Miami December 2024

  Including Art Basel Miami Beach
  With Claudia Chan Shaw 

  Experience the dynamic energy and artistic vibrance of two cities at the juncture of North and South America: Havana and Miami. Long famous for its passionate musical traditions, Cuba’s capital Havana now entices art lovers to discover its tradition of visual arts, from Art Deco to pre- evolutionary modernism and contemporary art. Meanwhile, across the water, Florida’s Miami now hosts the internationally-renowned Art Basel Miami Beach, an exciting art fair where over 250 galleries display the latest developments in contemporary art. Discover some of the best-preserved Art Deco architecture in the world and absorb the city’s casual, laid-back charm.

  • Enjoy a week in Havana, the colourful capital of Cuba, which still maintains a delightful ‘shabby chic’ aesthetic

  • Delve into Cuba’s rich architectural, musical and cultural traditions

  • Explore Miami’s art deco heritage and lively art scene at Art Basel Miami Beach

  • Visit artists’ studios and discover new galleries and contemporary art spaces

  Art deco collector and expert Claudia Chan Shaw is a fashion designer; popular television and radio presenter; author; and artist. Claudia has led many successful members’ tours including to China, Cuba and New York. 

  Visit the Renaissance Tours website for more information and to book