Tauck’s new river and small ship ocean cruises, plus increased Seine capacity

Tauck’s new river and small ship ocean cruises, plus increased Seine capacity
Edited by Travel Weekly


    Tauck introduces two new itineraries – Istanbul to Athens and Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Sicily – as part of its 2025 plans for its river cruising and small ship ocean cruising. With a busy year ahead, Tauck will also be boosting its capacity on the River Seine.

    In small ship ocean cruising, Tauck will offer both ‘Aegean Voyage: Istanbul to Athens’ from AU$18,170pp, based on double occupancy, plus airfare. It begins with an included three-night stay at the InterContinental Hotel Istanbul and an in-depth exploration of the timeless city.

    After embarking Windstar Cruises’ 312-passenger Star Legend, guests will enjoy an eight-day cruise with Lemnos, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Bodrum, Santorini and Itea as ports of call before disembarking in Piraeus. The itinerary ends with an included two-night stay in Athens at the Grande Bretagne Hotel along with guided Tauck sightseeing in the city.

    Highlights of the two-week journey include a Tauck-exclusive dinner with live music under the stars in ancient Ephesus. There is also guided sightseeing in Athens, including the Acropolis and the National Archaeological Museum, and a guided visit to the archaeological site of Delphi – a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating to the 8th century BC. Add to that a cruise along the Bosphorus in Istanbul, and a choice of excursions in Lemnos, a hidden gem of the Aegean. Tauck will operate six departures in 2025, in April, September and October.

    A scene in Santorini

    Tauck will take in Santorini on its Aegean Voyage.

    Coasting from Rome and beyond

    The new 12-day ‘Rome, the Amalfi Coast & Sicily’, from AU$18,170pp, based on double occupancy, plus airfare, begins in Rome with an included two-night hotel stay highlighted by Tauck-guided sightseeing.

    A seven-day cruise aboard an elegant Ponant Explorer class ship (either Le Dumont d’Urville or Le Bougainville) follows, with shore excursions at Amalfi, Trapani, Palermo, Taormina, Siracusa and Gozo. After disembarking in Valletta, Malta, guests will enjoy an included two-night hotel stay in the city complete with Tauck sightseeing.

    Memorable insider experiences along the way include a choice of visits to privately owned palaces in Palermo and a tour of the Ggantija Temples. Located on the island of Gozo, the temples are a UNESCO World Heritage Site pre-dating the Egyptian pyramids. Other highlights include an optional visit to Schiavi Castle, a private villa featured prominently in The Godfather. There will also be an exclusive farewell dinner in Valletta at the historic La Sacra Infermeria, once the hospital of the Order of the Knights of St. John. Tauck will operate six departures of “Rome, the Amalfi Coast & Sicily” in May, June, September and October 2025.

    Included in the price of both new cruises are all shore excursions, gratuities, onboard alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, including house wines and spirits, airport transfers, luggage handling and more.

    Tauck will operate 20 small ship ocean cruise itineraries next year aboard 18 vessels in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Antarctica.

    Ponant Explorer class ship Le Dumont d’Urville.

    New river and more Seine

    On the rivers of Europe, Tauck will be introducing a new-for-2025 itinerary ‘Romantic Capitals: Paris to Prague’ from AU$14,840pp , plus airfare. The 14-day journey begins in Prague with two nights at the Fairmont Golden Prague Hotel, followed by a nine-day river cruise from Regensburg to Trier along the upper Danube, Main-Danube Canal, Main, Rhine and Moselle. Guests then travel overland to Luxembourg for a walking tour of its capital city before boarding a train to Paris, where their journey concludes with a two-night stay at the L’Hotel du Collectionneur.

    Itinerary highlights include a private evening with a reception and dinner at Schlosshotel Kronberg, a visit to the legendary Nürburgring racetrack, a private boating excursion on the Seine, and an underground walking tour of Prague. Tauck will offer 10 departures of ‘Romantic Capitals: Paris to Prague’ from April to October of next year with sailings aboard its ms Savor and ms Joy riverboats.

    Next year will also see the redeployment of Tauck’s 110m MS Esprit riverboat to the River Seine, following its 2024 operating season along the Rhine and Danube rivers. The move will double Tauck’s capacity on the Seine, and it comes ahead of an anticipated increase in bookings to France following the Summer Olympic Games in Paris later this year.

    Guests live large at Schlosshotel Kronberg.

    Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

    Tauck Australia

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