Opera
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Andre Rieu
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About Institute for CultureTravel

 

Ireland's only dedicated Cultural Travel Provider, with a Passion for Opera Tour & Music Holidays

Institute for CultureTravel ("IFC"), is Ireland's only dedicated Cultural Travel Provider. We offer opera, ballet and classical music holidays and tours to cities across the UK, Europe and the US with departures from Ireland.  Our opera, music and cultural holidays are designed to provide unique and memorable occasions for people  enjoy and appreciate Opera, Ballet, Music, Art and History. Travel alone, with a friend or with family, get a group together, join an existing group. The majority of our tours run with between 10 and 20 participants. We limit numbers on our tours as we believe that the higher costs of smaller numbers are outweighed by the benefits of a smaller group on our specialised tours.  In addition to our programme of group tours, we offer the option of  tailormade travel for those who wish to travel independently.  Our tailormade programme includes the traditional favourites of Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Paris, Milan, Venice, Verona as well as the lesser visited destinations of Leipzig, Gdansk, Brezenz, Wroclaw and more. All our holidays offer departures from Irish airports, however, we also offer land only packages on all group tours for those wishing to join our tours at the destination.   We have a real enthusiasm for all things opera, ballet and classical music related and as such our holidays are designed to provide special, memorable occasions for people who have a genuine interest in, enjoy and appreciate Opera, Ballet, Classical Music, Art and History.  Our group holiday sizes vary from approximately 15 to 25 people ensuring a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Originally formed in Germany in 1963 as IFB, “Institut fur Bildungsreisen”, In 1997, the IFB business was formed in Ireland adopting the translated name “institute for culturetravel” and changing the abbreviated name from IFB to IFC. IFC is now part of Travel Direction Limited, a leading Irish Travel company since 1976. IFC Ireland have been creating and providing very special tours and travel arrangements to Operas, Festivals, Orchestras, Museums and Galleries in renowned Cultural cities for, amongst which are:

• Austria: Bregenz, Morbisch, Salzburg, Vienna

• Czech Republic: Prague

• France: Paris, Nice

• Germany: Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig

• Hungary: Budapest

• Italy: Milan, Verona

• Spain: Barcelona, Madrid

• UK: London

• US: New York

Local Knowledge

In each city, where we offer independent holidays and group tours, we have local people with many years of knowledge and experience, providing excellent services to our arriving customers.  Our experienced local specialist guides bring the destinations to life as well as looking after you throughout your stay. We look after all the little things to make sure that you have a holiday experience that you will never forget. Our local partners are experienced in helping culture travel patrons. You can rely on first-hand knowledge of the city, the opera, the ballet, the music, the venue, points of interest and sightseeing opportunities. You can simply relax and enjoy your  holiday knowing that if you have any special requirements we will be there to assist.

Tour Planning

We design our cultural tours and music holidays with the traveller in mind.  We include relaxation time to ensure that you have time to experience the destination at your leisure.  We include pre-performance dinners in many of our tours to  allow you experince the local food. We understand that you want interesting and exciting itineraries and centrally located accommodation and good seats at the performances or events which you have chosen

Solo Travel

We welcome people who wish to travel on their on their own, and indeed many of our group tours are ideally suited to Solo Travel. There are usually several solo travellers on any specific tour. Hotels do usually charge a supplement for single occupancy of a room, however, we work hard to ensure that we can keep this as low as possible.

Fitness Levels for travelling

We are often asked about necessary levels of fitness to travel on our tours.  Many of our tours involve walking, stair-climbing and standing around for lengthy periods.  Our group tours should not present problems for anyone with regular fitness levels. However, some tours may not suitable for those who walk slowly or need support.  In certaibn destinations, there may be a lot of walking on streets, which may be poorly paved/ cobblestoned.  The the majority of our tours,  it is usually a case of walking from one place to another, walking on a guided tour, getting on and off a coach throughout the day and standing during guided guided excursions.  We would ask all our travellers to bear in mind that these are group tours and that we need to ensure that all who travel are going to have an enjoyable experience.  In addition, if you have a medical condition or a disability which  necessitates special arrangements being made for you, please advise us at the time of booking.

Travel with a Group or as an Individual

Travel alone, with friends or family, get a Group together, or join an existing Group. We will accommodate what you want to do in whatever way you want to do it.

When you travel with IfC, you are assured that you are booking with a financially secure and experienced Travel Company. Licenced by the Commission for Aviation Regulation, TA 0231.

Travel Direction Limited is a member of the ITAA – the Irish Travel Agents Association. The Irish Travel Agents Association was founded in 1971 and, since then, has represented Ireland’s Travel Agents and Tour Operators. The Association brings together approximately 100 member companies covering 140 branches in different towns and cities throughout the Republic of Ireland. All ITAA members are licensed and bonded and are committed to following the Association’s code of conduct.