Tauck has unveiled its 2024 portfolio of European river cruises which includes the addition of six new itineraries – the brand’s most new river cruises ever added to its portfolio in a single year.
The fresh suite of itineraries comprises sailings of eight to 14-days on the Danube, Main, Rhine, Seine and Rhône, a new dedicated itinerary in France, and visits to Bavaria, Switzerland, the French Riviera and more.Subscribe to LATTE Cruise’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury cruise space.The trips included the following:
Itinerary: Includes a four-night, land-based exploration of Bavaria with hotel stays in Munich and Partenkirchen, plus a seven-night cruise along the Danube visiting Passau, Linz, Salzkammergut, Cesky Krumlov, Melk, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest.
Itinerary: Begins with a three-night stay at the Fairmont Montreux Palace and explorations of the Lavaux Vineyards, Montreux and Glacier 3000. A subsequent seven-night cruise visits Strasbourg, Rüdesheim, Koblenz and Düsseldorf along the Rhine before traveling on to Gorinchem, Antwerp and Brussels.
Itinerary: Visits Auvers-sur-Oise, Les Andelys, Tilly, Mont-Saint-Michel, Étretat, Honfleur, the D-Day Beaches of Normandy, Rouen, Giverny (where Tauck guests enjoy exclusive early-entry admission to the home and gardens of Impressionist painter Claude Monet) and Le Pecq.
Itinerary: This 14-day itinerary includes a nine-night river cruise along the Rhône bookended by two, two-night hotel stays with guided Tauck sightseeing in Cannes and Geneva. Along the way, guests have the opportunity to experience Aix-en-Provence, Arles, La Camargue, Avignon, Uzès, St-Rémy, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Tain l’Hermitage, Mâcon, Cluny, Chalon-sur-Saône, Beaune, Tournus, Cormatin and Lyon.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be expanding our river cruise offerings in such an unprecedented way, with exciting new itineraries that will appeal to our loyal past guests and new travelers alike,” said Dan Mahar, CEO Tauck.
Several of the trips incorporate included pre or post-cruise hotel stays in new-to-Tauck cities including Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany as well as Montreux and Geneva in Switzerland.
“These signature land experiences are included in our cruise prices, they feature exclusive Tauck-guided sightseeing, and they boast stays at wonderful properties such as the Fairmont Montreux Palace, the Riessersee Hotel in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and the InterContinental Geneve in Geneva.”
Each of the new river cruises will be highlighted by an included dinner ashore in a lavish setting, with venues ranging from an elegant Viennese palace, to a Dutch castle on its own private island, to an Italian Renaissance-style mansion in a small commune in northern France.
Mahar pointed to two venues as representative of the types of places where Tauck guests will enjoy unique onshore dinners; Palais Pallavicini in Vienna and Schlosshotel Kronberg outside of Frankfurt, Germany. Featured on Tauck’s new “Danube Kingdoms: Bavaria, Austria & Hungary” itinerary, Palais Pallavicini was constructed in 1784 and has been the home of the Pallavicini family for more than 180 years. The palace has hosted luminaries including Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert, and it served as a major filming location for the classic 1934 film The Thin Man. Tauck guests will enjoy an exclusive evening at Palais Pallavicini that includes a reception, gala dinner and classical music selections by performers in period dress.
Guests on Tauck’s new 10-day Three Rivers: Danube, Main & Rhine cruise will be treated to an evening at 130-year-old Schlosshotel Kronberg. The former residence of German Empress Victoria Friedrich, Schlosshotel Kronberg housed a US Army officers club during the post-World War II occupation of Germany. It was also the temporary home of General Dwight D. Eisenhower for a seven-year period after the war, during which time he designed the on-site, 18-hole golf course still in use today.
Other new inclusions, depending on their itinerary, may include lunch at the summit of the Zugspitze (Germany’s highest peak at nearly 10,000 feet), at historic Weltenberg Abbey near Regensburg, and at a private ranch in the Camargue region in Provence. Tasting tours are also on tap in a number of cities and towns, including Frankfurt, Strasbourg, and Chalon-Sur-Saône, France.
Tauck guests will also have an opportunity to quench their thirsts during wine tastings in Burgundy and the Lavaux region of Switzerland, on a craft beer tour in Dusseldorf, during a brewery tour in Antwerp, and with a tasting of local brandies and apple ciders in Normandy.
Special access and memorable moments crafted for Tauck guests extend beyond food and wine experiences too, and include early pre-opening admission to the home, gardens and studio of Impressionist painter Claude Monet in Giverny, France, a guided excursion into the rock-cut tunnels beneath Nüremberg, and a stroll across the Peak Walk by Tissot, a high-altitude suspension bridge connecting two Swiss peaks and offering stunning views of the Matterhorn, Mont-Blanc and Jungfrau.
All of Tauck’s special dining and tasting experiences are included in the price of the company’s river cruises, as are all shore excursions, all gratuities, all onboard beverages (including all beer, wine and spirits), airport transfers, luggage handling and much more.
Tauck’s full portfolio of 2024 river cruises can be viewed at www.tauck.com.au.
