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Sydney, Australia (19 August 2024) In 2025, Tauck will celebrate its 100th anniversary and 35 years of operating tours in Europe, by launching four new land journeys in Italy, Switzerland, France and England. The quartet of new itineraries includes “A Week In… Piedmont” and “A Week In… Switzerland”, both of which expand the company’s popular “A Week In…” collection of eight-day tours. Additionally, Tauck will offer two extended itineraries: the 11-day “England and the West Country” and the 14-day “Paris, Dordogne & Bordeaux”.

 “Tauck will be 100-years-young in 2025, but we’re certainly not slowing down in any way,” said Tauck CEO Dan Mahar. “In fact, our commitment to innovating and enhancing our global portfolio of land tours, river cruises, small ship ocean cruises, and Tauck Bridges family adventures is stronger than ever.”

 The launch of these four new land tours comes amid a surge in Tauck’s European business. Europe remains the company’s most popular destination, with bookings for 2025 showing double-digit growth, percentage-wise, compared to the same time last year. In total, Tauck will offer 39 land tours to Europe in 2025, including five Tauck Bridges itineraries designed specifically for families. 

 GROWTH IN SMALL GROUP TRAVEL; SHOULDER SEASON DEPARTURES INCREASING BY 50%

 In recent years Tauck has actively reduced the average group size of its land tours in Europe (and elsewhere), with the introduction of its popular Small Group departures averaging 24 guests each, and more recently, with its Smaller Group trips averaging just 15 guests. With the reduced group sizes, Tauck guests are able to enjoy more intimate and interactive engagement within the destination, and have access to people, places and experiences unavailable to larger groups.

 Also for 2025, Tauck is boosting its shoulder season departures by 50%, primarily during the fall months of October and November. Mahar noted that fall is a wonderful time to visit Europe, as temperatures are cooler, crowds are fewer, and wine producers across the continent are engaged in their annual grape harvest. Along with the advantages to Tauck’s guests, adding departures during the shoulder season also benefits local communities in Europe, added Mahar, as destinations are far better able to welcome additional visitors in the fall and spring versus during the peak summer travel season. “Expanding our shoulder season departures – and hosting more of our guests in Europe during the spring and fall – is a true win-win that benefits everyone,” said Mahar.

Tauck’s four new European land tours are:
“A Week In… Piedmont” (eight days, from $10,590 AUD* per person, double occupancy plus airfare)
  • Accommodations:
    • Nights 1 & 2: Principi di Piemonte in Turin
    • Nights 3-5: Il Boscareto Resort & Spa in Serralunga d’Alba
    • Nights 6 & 7: Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees & Spa in Stresa
  • Itinerary highlights:
    • A wine tasting, cooking demonstration and lunch at the Slow Food University in the Langhe Hills, where the natural slow food movement began
    • A truffle-hunting excursion with specially trained dogs, followed by a chef-hosted cooking class amid vineyards and nut trees
    • A wine tasting lunch in the Gavi region, in the cellar of an award-winning Piedmont winery
“A Week In… Switzerland” (eight days, from $11,490 AUD* per person, double occupancy plus airfare)
  • Accommodations:
    • Nights 1 & 2: Lausanne Palace in Lausanne
    • Nights 3-5: Grand Hotel Beau Rivage in Interlaken
    • Nights 6 & 7: Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern in Lucerne
  • Itinerary highlights:
    • A visit to Europe’s highest peak, Jungfraujoch, to savor panoramic views and enjoy lunch
    • A rail excursion aboard the Golden Pass Train through the breathtaking Swiss Alps
    • A walking tour and chocolate tasting in Lucerne’s picturesque Old Town, followed by a wine tasting at a nearby vineyard
“England and the West Country” (11 days, from $13,290 AUD* per person, double occupancy plus airfare)
  • Accommodations:
    • Nights 1 & 2: Estelle Manor in Eynsham
    • Nights 3 & 4: The Gainsborough Bath Spa in Bath
    • Nights 5-7: Fowey Hall Hotel in Fowey
    • Nights 8 & 9: Bovey Castle in Newton Abbot
    • Night 10: Fairmont Windsor Park in Windsor
  • Itinerary highlights:
    • A guided tour of Chavenage House, a 400-year-old Cotswold manor home
    • A visit to the Morgan Sports Car factory for a guided tour, and a chance to pilot one of the high-performance sports cars produced there
    • A private cooking class at the Philleigh Cooking School
“Paris, Dordogne & Bordeaux” (14 days, from $17,890 AUD* per person, double occupancy plus airfare)
  • Accommodations:
    • Nights 1-3: Sofitel Paris Baltimore in Paris
    • Nights 4 & 5: InterContinental Lyon – Hotel Dieu in Lyon
    • Nights 6-8: Hotel les Glycines in Dordogne
    • Nights 9-11: Hotel Burdigala by Inwood Hotels in Bordeaux
    • Nights 12-13: Hotel du Palais Biarritz in Biarritz
  • Itinerary highlights:
    • An early-opening private visit to 12th-century Chateau de Beynac, one of the best preserved and most famous feudal castles in Perigord
    • An expert lecture, accompanied by aperitifs, on the Dordogne’s prehistoric sights, followed by dinner prepared by a chef from a Michelin-starred restaurant
    • A private tour and tasting at historic Chateau de Ferrand (dating back to 1702)
For more information on Tauck, email SalesAUS@tauck.com, contact your local travel professional on 1800 962 043, or visit the website at www.tauck.com.au.
*Fares and special offers are subject to change and availability.  Terms and conditions apply.