The Grand Tour was a custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank when they had come of age. It was a multiyear journey that could last anywhere from several months to several years, and it was commonly undertaken in the company of a cicerone, a knowledgeable guide or tutor. The primary value of the Grand Tour lay in its exposure to the cultural legacy of classical antiquity and the Renaissance, and to the aristocratic and fashionably polite society of the European continent. It also provided the only opportunity to view specific works of art, and possibly the only chance to hear certain music. The Grand Tourist was typically a young man with a thorough grounding in Greek and Latin literature as well as some leisure time, some means, and some interest in art.
The Grand Tour was popular throughout the 18th century and steadily declined in the 19th century. It was meant to round out the classical education of young men, which would have had a thorough grounding in Greek and Latin literature. The typical grand tourist was a young man with means and leisure time. Travel was often expensive and arduous, and travelers usually made their way across the continent via coach. The grand tour could take two to eight years, and consequently, the journey was possible only for the privileged classes.
The Grand Tour had a profound influence on the tourism industry, travel writing, the visual arts, and architecture. It cultivated generations of privileged young men, but it also had an impact on the education of women. Although the Grand Tour was predominantly undertaken by gentlemen, a number of ladies also traveled abroad. The French Revolution in 1789 marked the end of the Grand Tour as an institution.
