Small group journeys | Gain Knowledge and Inspiration | Slow down and see more
Welcome to Limelight Arts Travel. We’re delighted to offer a refreshing range of tours to Europe and Australia in 2023. Our performing arts tours include the Mahler Festival in Leipzig, the Aix-en-Provence Opera festival, and Wagner’s Ring in Bendigo. Our art and culture tours take you to Japan, Sicily and the less frequented alpine regions of Italy.
To keep updated about our tours, or to hear about upcoming lectures, interviews and podcasts, sign up to our newsletter.
Featured Tours
Essential Sicily:
3000 years of history
Dates: 30 October - 13 November 2023
Tour Leader: Robert Veel
Price: $8,600pp twinshare
Status: Waitlist
Survey Sicily’s breathtaking heritage and culture, with extended stays in two principal cities, exploring Greek temples, glittering medieval mosaics, exuberant baroque architecture and magnificent landscapes.
Kyoto & Tokyo:
A tale of Two Cities
Dates: 06 -20 November 2023
Tour Leader: Kathleen Olive
Price: $10,950pp twinshare
Status: Limited places available
Unpack your bags for long stays in two of Japan’s most emblematic cities, the capital of traditional culture in Kyoto and the fast-paced contemporary metropolis of Tokyo.
The Aix-en-Provence Opera Festival
Dates: 13-23 July 2023
Tour Leader: Robert Gay
Price: $10,950pp twinshare
Status: Places available
Participate in France’s premiere music festival, enjoying operas and vocal recitals from the Baroque to contemporary premieres in outdoor venues and historic theatres.
Limelight Arts Traveller
As anyone who has travelled will know, half the pleasure is in the anticipation – dreaming, planning and learning about the destination. As well as touring, Limelight Arts Travel offers online lectures, podcasts, blog articles and videos exploring history, art and culture around the world. Our podcasts, blogs and short videos explore the destinations and topics that our tour leaders know and love. They are a great way to get to know our expert tour leaders and to find out what we’re all about. You’ll find all of our content on our Arts Traveller page.
A Closer Look:
Episode 2
In this series our experts guide you through the process of looking at a work of art in context, revealing the hidden details and stories that lie behind the masterpiece. Listen to Dr Nick Gordon discussing Vermeer’s Milkmaid with Dr Kathleen Olive.
<< LISTEN NOW >>
Destination Insights:
The Appeal of Hidden Italy
Italy’s beautiful smaller towns are a must-see, from medieval hamlets in Umbria to baroque extravagance in Sicily. But did you know that there is an official list? And that inscription on that list is a hotly-competed honour? READ MORE >>
Destination Insights
Leipzig: From bach to Bauhaus
Thinking of travelling in Germany? Consider Leipzig: the most vibrant of the former East German cities is bursting with musical heritage, art and architecture and is a great base for exploring Saxony. READ MORE >>
LECTURE PROGRAM
Dive into the world of the visual and performing arts with Limelight Arts Travel’s inaugural lecture series. On Tuesday evenings our expert lecturers will guide you, one hour at a time, into fascinating aspects of the world’s cultures, from ancient theatres and Renaissance plays, to female performers and composers in baroque Italy and the cultural renaissance in tenth-century Japan.
Lectures are online and live, so you can ask questions of our lecturers in real time. In case you can’t make the date, the lectures are recorded and you can stream them at your convenience for 21 days after the live event.
Places are limited and bookings are essential.
About Us
Building on Limelight’s reputation for accessible, intelligent and independent arts journalism, Limelight Arts Travel was created to provide travellers with a strong interest in history and the arts with unique, engaging and thoroughly rewarding small group journeys.
We bring together Limelight magazine’s deep knowledge of the arts scene in Australia and around the world with some of Australia’s most experienced planners and leaders of cultural travel, who bring decades of experience to creating unique itineraries.
Corporate Responsibility
At Limelight Arts Travel, we believe in the transformative potential of education to enrich people's lives and amplify their potential. We have personally experienced the benefits of education and are committed to supporting opportunities for others.
For every person who joins one of our tours, we make a donation to The Smith Family's Learning for Life program.
Responsible Tourism
Travel is an intensive activity, but it also provides a livelihood for almost 1 in 10 people globally. Our short term goal is to make our Australian operations carbon neutral by 2025. At the same time, we will undertake the first stages of reducing the footprint of our tours and the scope three emissions they entail.
We’ll keep you informed of our roadmap to achieving these goals and the challenges on the way in a dedicated blog in Limelight Arts Traveller.
Our Travel Partner
Limelight Arts Travel is pleased to partner with Mary Rossi Travel, one of Australia’s most recognised luxury travel agents.
You can read more about these arrangements here.