Lots To Think About Planning A Fall River Cruise With Tauck
We started planning a Fall river cruise with Tauck about a year in advance of our travel. We got our first small taste of river cruising with Viking Cruises on the Yangtze River in China. But a classic European river cruise was on our travel wish list for some time.
There were lots of decisions to make before we booked our river cruise. But once we chose our route between Budapest to Amsterdam and decided to cruise with Tauck River Cruises, we then planned the rest of our trip.
Unlike most of our cruising travel, we landed in Budapest just one day before our cruise started. But we had more flexibility at the end. So we added in a 10 day land trip around Brussels. And booked a nice relaxing beach resort getaway in Portugal before flying home to Toronto.
We were quite happy with the mix of places we planned for our Fall Europe travels. It gave us a great vacation for almost 5 weeks.
What We Considered When Booking A River Cruise
When we first started to think about river cruising, there were fewer cruise lines doing river cruises and the routes were more limited. By the time we finally booked, we had much more choice. Which meant we needed to make some decisions before we picked one.
The first decision was about the river system and itinerary we wanted to cruise. There were lots of options in the traditional river systems in Europe – Rhine, Danube and the Rhone. But river cruising was also popular in Portugal and France. When we visited Egypt the river cruise boats were all empty. But since then, Egypt returned to high cruising popularity. We ultimately decided we wanted to do a classic cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam.
We knew we wanted to do our river cruise in the Fall after the European crowds dropped and when hopefully the river waters were high enough to ensure we cruised the entire way. And lots of companies had the cruise we wanted. So we needed to choose the right river cruise line for us.
We experienced river cruising with Viking on our trip to China and wanted to try a different river cruise line. For this trip, we considered AMA, Scenic, Uniworld and Tauck. We wanted a river cruise with enhanced excursions, good and flexible dining options, classy styling and a reputation for great customer service. In the end, Tauck River Cruises looked like it met all of our needs and offered the perfect cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam.
Deciding On Pre And Post Travel When Planning A Fall River Cruise With Tauck
Airline tickets to Europe were quite expensive so we tried to maximize our time when we visited. For cruises this meant travel before and after the cruise.
For this trip, we had some time constraints in September which meant that we could not leave as early as we normally planned. At a minimum, we generally wanted to be in Europe at least 4 days before major travel to ensure we got on the local time zone and recovered from travel stress. We never planned to arrive the day a cruise started. The risk of delay and resulting stress was just not worth it for us.
For this trip, Tauck included one night in a luxury hotel in Budapest before the river cruise. We tried pricing an Air Canada fight on the days before this and were surprised at the price difference a few days made. Ultimately we settled on a flight that arrived on the day that Tauck had a hotel in Budapest booked for us. We hoped that left us enough time to deal with any issues.
Our river cruise finished in Amsterdam. We visited Amsterdam on other cruises. And we were back in Amsterdam for our booked winter ocean cruise with Viking Cruises for Northern Lights. So we decided not to spend more time in Amsterdam.
I had never visited Belgium although David spent 5 months there as a Naval Officer when he was in the Canadian Navy. So it was an easy choice to add 10 days exploring Belgium. We figured that was enough time to stay in several different spots and see some of this small country.
We considered flying back home from Belgium but ultimately decided to return to Portugal to finish this Fall trip. Portugal was one of our favourite countries. And we knew the weather was still great in October. We debated returning to some of our favourite spots – Porto, Lisbon or the Algarve. But in the end we knew we would be quite exhausted from our travels. So we found a great beach resort on the coast north of Lisbon for an 8 day stay. From there we booked a flight home from Lisbon to Toronto.
We finished the outline for planning a Fall river cruise with Tauck and just needed to book all the details.
Starting Our River Cruise In Budapest
When we booked our flight to Budapest, there were no Air Canada direct flights from Toronto. We looked at different flight connection options and finally chose one connecting through Frankfurt. This was not our favourite airport for transfers so we made sure we planned a long enough stop.
The Tauck river cruise included pickup from the airport for transport to the hotel. This meant we did not have to worry about our own transfers to the hotel at the end of a long day of travel. This was a nice cruise benefit even when Tauck did not book our flights.
Tauck booked us for one night in Budapest at the lovely Matilde Palace Hotel. This Luxury Collection hotel was exactly the pampering treat we expected from Tauck. And when we realized this was a Marriott property, we hoped to get Ambassador Elite benefits as well on this stay.
On our long tour of Central Europe, we spent 5 days in Budapest. We loved this city and found so much to see and do in Budapest on that visit.
For this trip, we had part of a day on our own in Budapest to explore. And after we boarded the Tauck MS Espirit, Tauck had a tour planned to see both the Buda and Pest sides of this city. We are not sure if we want to see how Tauck handled the first city tour or whether we want to explore on our own. We knew there was much we missed on our first visit to Budapest.
Planning a Fall river cruise with Tauck started with our first port in Budapest.
Cruising With Tauck From Budapest To Amsterdam Started With Return Visits For Us
Our 14 day Tauck cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam included some great stops. From Budapest we made a half day stop in Bratislava. This was a return visit for us and we had great memories of our first visit to Bratislava. We planned to head off and explore more on our own.
From Bratislava, our river cruise moved to Vienna. We enjoyed our first visit to Vienna. But we were excited when we learned that Tauck set up a private dinner and live musical performance in the stunning Palais Ferstel. On our second day, we picked an excursion to tour the Schonbrunn Palace. We were excited to go inside since on our first visit we saw most sights in Vienna only from the outside.
In the afternoon we had free time to explore more of the great things to see and do in this charming Austrian city. Of course, we won’t miss the great pastries in Vienna!
We Continued Cruising The Danube In Austria
From Vienna, our river cruise continued along the Danube River in Austria. We had a short walking tour along the narrow cobblestoned lanes in the village of Dürnstein in the heart of the Wachau Valley. Our tour included the 16th-century Baroque houses, a 13th-century Romanesque church, the Rathaus (town hall), the pillory and Kremser Gate. Later that same day, the ship moved for a stop at Melk in Austria and a visit to the 900 year old Abbey.
On the next day we chose to stay on board in the morning before docking in Passau for the afternoon. In Passau, we planned a walking tour to see the Town Hall, the New Bishop’s Residence and St. Stephen’s Cathedral before heading off on our own. The other option for this day was to leave the ship in the morning for a day in Salzburg. But we enjoyed several days in Salzburg on a previous visit so chose Passau instead.
Our early river cruise stops were easy when planning a Fall river cruise with Tauck.
Cruising The Danube To The Main River In Germany
We often had connecting flights through Germany but had not stopped for any length of time. And on a cruise in the Baltics, we enjoyed exploring the fishing village of Warnemunde and visiting the lovely Schwerin Palace in Germany. This gave us a small taste of Germany. But we knew there was so much more to see on a river cruise.
For our first stop in Germany, we visit Regensburg for a walking tour of this medieval city to visit such sights as the Steinerne Brücke (the Stone Bridge) and St. Peter’s Cathedral. We will also get a guided visit to the splendid Thurn und Taxis palace. In the afternoon we can stay in Regensburg for a bit before joining the ship or enjoy a cruise towards the next port of Nurnberg.
We enter the Main Canal the next day and will learn more about the busy commercial Main River waterway during our morning cruise. When we land in Nurnberg, we booked a walking tour to see the new and old parts of this city.
The next day we are in the Bavarian town of Bamberg. On our morning tour in this UNESCO World Heritage Site we will visit the Bamberg Cathedral, two bishops’ residences, the 14th-century Old Town Hall, a former Benedictine monastery topping one of the city’s seven hills, Altenburg Castle, and Klein-Venedig (“Little Venice” – a group of 19th-century fishermens’ houses). We re-join the ship and cruise the Main River for the afternoon and evening.
When we dock in Wurzburg, we had the choice to visit either Wurzburg or Rothenburg. We chose to head out by bus on Germany’s “Romantic Road” to enjoy the medieval town of Rothenburg. It was also known as Rothenburg ob der Tauber or “Red fortress above the Tauber”. Our tour will give us a view of the town’s Gothic cathedral, the Rathaus (town hall) from the Renaissance period, St. James Church and St. Wolfgang’s Church.
We get a bit of a break the next day when we cruise for the full day on the Main River. It will give us a great opportunity to explore the onboard facilities or just watch the lovely scenery go by.
The many German ports on the Danube and Main Rivers offered such a variety of sights. We did our research to help with planning a Fall river cruise with Tauck for this portion of our trip.
Planning A Fall River Cruise With Tauck For The Rhine River Stops Through Germany
The ship then moves from the Main to the Rhine River in Germany. After cruising for the morning, we dock in the charming Rüdesheim. From the ship we take a mini-train for lunch at a traditional wine restaurant. There we will have a guided visit to the Siegfrieds Mechanisches Musikkabinet to see an interesting collection of mechanical musical instruments in a 15th-century castle in Rüdesheim.
Leaving Rüdesheim, we will travel along the scenic Lorelei Valley. This UNESCO World Heritage Site will be something we won’t want to miss seeing.
In the morning we will awake docked in Cologne. A guided tour is offered to show us some of the historic and modern parts of the city. And then we have a little time on our own. The ship will continue its cruise along the Rhine in the afternoon.
We were interested to see the difference in the German ports on the Rhine River when planning a Fall river cruise with Tauck.
Finishing Our Tauck Cruise In Amsterdam
Through the night our ship cruises and docks in Amsterdam for the morning. When we visited Amsterdam the first time, we enjoyed a canal cruise and we wandered around the city. The Tauck Itinerary includes a guided visit to the renowned Rijksmuseum followed by a private lunch on a river cruise. After that we can explore more of Amsterdam on our own.
On our final night, we will enjoy a formal reception and get ready to leave the ship early the next day. Tauck provides transportation to the airport or train station at the end of the trip. We will go to the train station for our travel to Belgium.
Little research was needed for our stop in Amsterdam when planning a Fall river cruise with Tauck. We know will be back to Amsterdam on many trips and will see a little more each trip.
Exploring Belgium For 10 Days
From Amsterdam, we booked a train to Antwerp in Belgium. Since most trains connected through here, we decided to stop for one day and see this port city known for its diamond business. We are booked at the charming boutique Sapphire House Antwerp for one night.
From Antwerp we move by train to Ghent for 4 nights on the canal at the Ghent Marriott Hotel. We know there is lots to see and do in Ghent. But we also have a few day trips planned. One day we plan to take the train to visit Bruges. And on another day, we will book a tour to see the battlefield sites around Ypres.
After a busy visit to Ghent, we take the train for a 4 night stop in Brussels at the Brussels Marriott Hotel Grand Place. Located in the heart of Brussels’ historic centre, this will be a great base for us to explore all the sights in Brussels. We considered a long day trip to Luxembourg. But we are not sure if we will squeeze that in on this trip.
We are excited to visit Belgium together for the first time. David has great memories of beer and “frites” that he wants to share with me! Belgium was a great addition to the itinerary when planning a Fall river cruise.
A Beach Resort Break In Portugal
From Brussels we fly to Lisbon in Portugal and pick up a rental car. We had so many different ideas on how to spend a few weeks in Portugal in October. In the end, we decided we needed a more relaxing stop at the end of this Fall trip to Europe. We enjoyed 2 weeks at a beach resort in the Algarve on a previous trip and found it very relaxing. But we looked for a different location for this beach resort break.
We were still working to meet the requirements to renew our Marriott Ambassador Elite status, so we looked at the Marriott offerings in central Portugal. On our last visit, we had an amazing time at the Ritz-Carlton Penha Longa Resort outside Sintra but it was not available for our timing.
After looking at many properties, we booked an 8 night stay at the Praia DEl Rey Marriott Golf Beach Resort. While we are not golfers, this spacious resort on the Atlantic coast looked like an ideal spot to relax. This year we thoroughly enjoyed our spa getaway at the Sparkling Hill Spa and Resort. So we were tempted by this hotel’s Kalyan Spa and the other renovated amenities (Hydrothermal Area, Vitality and Champagne Pool, Relaxation Pool and Main Pool with water cannon and massage waterfalls).
Having visited this area in Portugal with a stay in the walled city of Obidos , beach outings in Nazarre and exploring around the university city of Coimbra, we knew there was lots to see on day trips from the resort.
Our trip finishes with one night in Lisbon at the Lisbon Marriott Hotel. We have time to return our rental car and are close enough to the airport to depart the next day.
All Finished Planning A Fall River Cruise With Tauck
We are excited now that we have completed planning a Fall river cruise with Tauck. Soon we will be off for this trip.
After we booked the Tauck river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam, we built a great itinerary and extended this Fall visit to Europe. We are delighted to visit Belgium together for the first time. And always loved returning to Portugal and trying new spots.
What else should we consider for planning a Fall river cruise with Tauck? Any tips on the places included in our Itinerary?
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Wow you managed to see so much on this river cruise. I never realised that you could do such a cruise and see so many places. I love how you documented each place by a landmark or the food, Vienna is really a dangerous place for my sweet tooth!
We do have a great river cruise planned. And we were happy to add on some Europe travel after. Looking forward to leaving soon.
Great post! I have helped clients book with Viking and AMA. You inspired me to look into Tauck. Thank you!
We are excited to see how Tauck does this river cruise. And will be interested to see how they deal with the changes from the Danube flooding right now.
I am in the planning stages of this river cruise for next European summer – so thank you for your experiences – I’m so looking forward to doing it myself.
We did a lot of thinking when planning for a Fall river cruise with Tauck. We will certainly share our adventures as we travel.
This sounds like an amazing adventure! It is my dream to do a river cruise in Europe. I hadn’t heard of this company before, so great info. Can you tell me if they include bicycles to borrow from the ship? Thanks!
I will certainly be checking out bicycle rentals when we cruise next week and will provide an update. We know they do bicycle tours in many ports. Having one on board would be great.
Great read! I’ve been thinking about doing a fall river cruise, and this article really inspired me. Cruising with Tauck sounds perfect, especially with stops in cities like Amsterdam, Vienna, and Budapest. The idea of seeing Europe’s fall colors while exploring these iconic cities, combined with smaller, more intimate excursions, sounds like an unforgettable experience. Definitely adding this to my future travel plans!
We are certainly excited about this coming trip. Watching the Danube River levels to see what changes will be made to the river cruise part of our tour. But we expect Tauck will do a great job of making Plan B on this Fall river cruise great!
I want to take a European river cruise at some point, so it was great to read about all you put into planning it. The detail you added is very helpful.
We have done a lot of ocean cruising but this was a bit different. But even with all the planning we could not acccount for the high water levels on the Danube River. We will see what changes are made to our cruise plans.
I have been wanting to go on a river cruise SO BAD! I never even thought to do one during the fall, it sounds magical and I’m sure the fall colors just made it that much more memorable.
We too have been waiting for some time to finally get on a river cruise. So we are quite excited to be on our way soon.
Spending time on the river exploring Europe’s fall colors sounds like a wonderful trip!
We are very excited to soon be on our way for this great Fall river cruise.
European cruise is something my dreams are made up of.
We were so glad to finally get this booked.
So many great places that you get to see on a river cruise, I’d have trouble choosing between the excursions. I have been to a lot of these stops on my own road trip, and while I thought Rothenburg was really pretty, I just loved Wurzburg – we stayed there a few days. That’s the only thing that has put me off river cruises so far, is the limited time you get in each place, but I’m considering trying one now as this looks amazing
We like to cruise – river and ocean – as a way to taste test places for return visits. But I must admit, we rarely take places off the list. We are sure that this river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam will add many spots for return visits.
I just returned from a 12-day walking tour of the Baltic states. The autumn is a wonderful time to visit Europe. Your cruise looks amazing.
The Baltic states in the Fall must look lovely. We were getting Fall colour changes in spurts at home. But I suspect we may be just a bit too early.
You go on the coolest trips! A river cruise seems like such an amazing way to explore Europe. I’d love to do it one day 🙂
It was great to finally get our first European river cruise booked. We just arrived in Budapest and are excited to start this trip.
I have always wanted to do a river cruise in Europe. I think it offers a different (and perhaps less hassle) perspective than road-tripping through Europe, as I did years ago.
We are happy to see so much and only unpack once on this river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. Looking forward to seeing the sights from the river!
A European river cruise is still on my bucket list too. Your fall plans look amazing – especially with Brussels and Portugal, you’ll be crossing all of Europe in just one season! I’m excited to read how it all turns out.
We are quite excited with our Fall travel plans and so happy to finally take our first European river cruise. Will be writing all about it!
This looks like a great experience! I agree that visiting in fall is a great choice cause you’ll avoid the crowds. Will keep this cruise line in mind for the future!
It was great to book this trip for the Fall. Looking forward to some new adventures on this river cruise with Tauck.
Wow! I never knew of this cruise option and it sounds like so much fun and an amazing way to explore Europe different from the road-tripping route. I’m definitely taking this cruise in the future.
This Tauck cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam is taking us through a bunch of places on our travel wish list. So it was the perfect choice for us.
Wow, it sounds like you have the most memorable experience on your cruise! I personally love the Baltic countries and exploring them; there’s so much to see and do in these areas, and the food is so delicious. I need to discover the area next time the same way that you did — it seems much more interesting than just driving around.
We are excited to be exploring the area from Budapest to Amsterdam by river cruise. We are seeing many new spots on this trip.
What an awesome idea, doing a river cruise! With all the interconnected waterways, you really do get to see a lot. It’s good you’re trying to hit as many world heritage sites as possible, I tend to do the same when traveling around Europe! Loved Belgium, my best friend lived in Antwerp so happy to see it mentioned.
We were so happy we picked this itinerary to start river cruising. We sure are loving the trip. And fun to add Belgium when we are done.
Your Fall River cruise with Tauck looked like an exciting and memorable one. Starting from Budapest to Amsterdam you were able to explore some beautiful spots in Austria and Germany. Finally you ended your trip with 10 days in Belgium and a relaxing beach resort stay in Portugal like an icing on the cake.
We just finished up our Tauck river cruise and it was great. And were so happy we added some additional travel after the cruise.
What a great adventure! We have not done any river or sea cruises yet. Your article has inspired me into looking at cruises for future. Tauck sounds perfect for your trip and you get to see so many cities.Travel is so much fun, isn’t it? I think it is the best thing to do in life. Each trip is a true new experience! 🙂
We were so glad we booked this river cruise with Tauck. It was a great part of our Fall travel planning.
I would love to know more about the boat experience and amenities.
We were not quite sure what the river cruise experience would be. But it was everything we hoped it would be.
I have very limited experience with river cruises, the only one I’ve been on being in Egypt, on the Nile. This summer I was in Budapest and have actually seen the boats for river cruises coming into the city and then docking one next to each other. I like that they are quite small so the experience is so much different than on a large cruise ship. I would love to travel from Budapest to Amsterdam on the river, and stop along the way. It looks like Tauck was a great choice for your trip.
We were so excited to plan our first river cruise. It was the anchor for a longer trip to Europe this year. The smaller ships were definitely a big draw.
Those are some amazing tips about river cruising. I can see that you made the right decision, cruising from Budapest to Amsterdam. Good thing that they have a hotel transfer that save you a lot of hustle. Sounds like you hit the jackpot.
We were glad we found the Tauck river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. It provided everything we looked for on our first river cruise. And with so much covered by Tauck, we had few choices to make for planning that part of our trip.
Love how you were able to maximize the trip and the energy that you have to have these pre and post cruise travels.
The stops included in the river cruise were great. Can you share more about the live musical performance in Palais Ferstel?
Happy to know you had a great time in Belgium and in Portugal. Enjoyed reading your post. Will consider Tauck in our future travels.
We will be sharing all of our experiences from this great trip we planned.
I would love to go on a classic European river cruise, what a fantastic way to explore and see different cities. I’ve been on the River Rhine for a day cruise and it was fantastic. Also use to live in Amsterdam so great to see you spent time here and I also loved Bratislava when I visited. Fantastic post, lots of tips. Laura Side Street x
We loved the variety of places we visited on our river cruise with Tauck. The planning helped make sure our trip went well!
We took our first Tauck Rhine Enchantment cruise in Fall of 2018 and we are hooked. Since then we have taken 3 more river cruises. We’re looking forward to the Exploring the Douro Plus Lisbon and Madrid next Fall 2025. Their land trips are amazing too! We visited Scotland in 2019 and will be going to Ireland in Spring 2025. In my opinion, Tauck is the best. More expensive than a lot of the other companies, but you get so much more!
We certainly did enjoy our first Tauck cruise. It was quite expensive but it included everything! That made a difference when we checked out. We are still a bit on the fence for land tours. The pace is quicker than we normally like to travel on land. But we have picked a few out that interest us.