Founded in 1958, ACE is the oldest and most experienced provider of study tours and cultural travel in the United Kingdom, runnning tours, cruises and courses in the UK, Europe and across the globe.
Cultural experiences, not just tours
Our tours cover every aspect of the arts, from fine art and architecture to archaeology, history, music, theatre and the natural world.
Hosted by experts
Our Tour Directors are true specialists and engaging hosts, keen to share their knowledge and passion.
Like-minded travellers
Our travellers share a curiosity for cultural subjects, and our small groups are particularly welcoming for the single traveller.
Association for Cultural Exchange: five decades of philanthropy
The charity, the Association for Cultural Exchange (ACE) was founded in 1958 by Philip Barnes to encourage cultural exchange through education. Today his son Paul continues the family business, directing the charitable work of the ACE Foundation as well as overseeing its subsidiary company, ACE Cultural Tours, which runs study tours worldwide.
All of the surplus created by ACE Cultural Tours is used to support the charity’s educational projects at home and abroad. Recent projects have included the conservation and restoration of Paul Nash’s painting, The Menin Road, for the new WWI galleries in London’s Imperial War Museum, as well as regular support for the Attingham Trust Summer School and Glasgow’s Centre for Textile Conservation and Technical Art History.