• Opera Holidays
  • Escourted Tours
  • Ballet Holidays
  • Music & Concerts

About Institute for CultureTravel

 

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

The Institute for CultureTravel (IFC) is Ireland’s leading specialist in opera, music and cultural travel, creating expertly crafted holidays for those with a genuine passion for opera, ballet, classical music, art and history. We design and deliver exceptional cultural journeys to iconic cities across the UK, Europe and the United States, with departures from Irish airports as well as land-only options for guests who prefer to join us at the destination. Driven by a deep enthusiasm for music and the arts, our holidays combine world-class performances with enriching cultural exploration. Whether travelling solo, with a friend or family, organising a private group or joining one of our hosted departures, IFC tours are designed to be inspiring, immersive and truly memorable.

Travel with a Group

Each year, IFC curates 30–35 expertly escorted group tours to Europe’s most prestigious opera houses, concert halls and internationally renowned music festivals. Our thoughtfully planned itineraries blend outstanding performances with carefully selected cultural experiences, delivered with meticulous attention to detail. Group sizes are intentionally limited, typically 15–25 guests, ensuring a relaxed and friendly atmosphere where like-minded travellers can enjoy a more personal, engaging and enriching cultural journey.

Tailormade Travel

Alongside our escorted group tours, we offer a bespoke tailor-made travel service for those who prefer to travel independently. Choose from celebrated cultural capitals such as Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Paris, Milan, Venice and Verona, or explore lesser-known yet richly rewarding destinations including Leipzig, Gdańsk, Bregenz and Wrocław, among many others. Each itinerary is individually designed to reflect your interests, pace and preferences.

Why Travel With IFC?

Personal service
We pride ourselves on offering a highly personal service, where no request is too small or too large. Our goal is to create journeys our guests want to return to time and again — as many of them do.

Holiday protection
We are fully licensed by the Irish Aviation Authority (TA 0231) and are a long-standing member of the Irish Travel Agents Association.

Small groups
Most of our tours operate with 15–30 participants, making it easy to connect with like-minded travellers. Approximately 30% of our guests travel solo.

Top seats
We include some of the best available seats for opera and music performances, ensuring an exceptional viewing and listening experience.

Outstanding value
Our tour prices include almost everything: flights, hotels, transport, performance tickets, guided tours, tips and drinks with meals. The price published is the price you pay.

Original itineraries
Our imaginative, well-paced itineraries are carefully designed, with meticulous attention to both cultural content and practical detail, ensuring each tour is as rewarding and fulfilling as possible.

Our Heritage

Originally founded in Germany in 1963 as Institut für Bildungsreisen (IFB), the organisation established its Irish presence in 1997, adopting the name Institute for CultureTravel (IFC). Today, IFC is proud to be part of Keith Prowse Limited, one of Ireland’s leading travel companies since 1976.

For decades, IFC Ireland has been creating outstanding cultural tours to opera houses, music festivals, orchestras, museums and galleries in some of the world’s most celebrated cultural cities, including Vienna, Salzburg, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Barcelona, London and New York.

Our passion for cultural travel underpins everything we do, ensuring every IFC journey is thoughtfully curated to deliver a truly enriching and memorable experience.


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