Curator’s statement
For our first trip to Europe as a family of four (parents and teenagers age 13&16) we wanted the best of both worlds: To enjoy time as a family with self-paced days to ourselves, but also touring with a group so we could enjoy someone else being the tour director. We did not want to rent a car, another benefit of traveling with a group. With Tauck, not only did they have exciting activities, we had some really incredible behind-the-scenes experiences. The hotels on our Tauck tour were all five-star luxury accommodations. This is certainly a highlight of booking with Tauck.
I consider my family social and we enjoy meeting new people. A highlight was connecting with the other members of the group. It was admittedly a surprise bonus part of traveling with a Tauck, built-in friends for our kids!
We decided to extend our stay on the front and back end of the tour to make the most of our time in Europe. In total, we were gone for 15 days. The Tauck tour was eight days in the middle. Tauck's land tours are known for their small group sizes, which average 15–24 guests, and are designed to allow travelers to experience destinations up close. Tauck is all-inclusive. Meaning your meals, excursions, accommodations, transportation and tips are all included.
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Ahead of connecting with our eight-day Tauck tour, we planned on flying into Zurich, Switzerland a few days in advance. Due to travel delays out of Dallas, we ended up having a 36-hour London layover because of a missed connection. If there’s anything true about travel, it’s that you have to be flexible and expect the unexpected. Fortunately, we were able to locate our luggage at Heathrow and make the most of it. We stayed at JW Marriott Grosvenor’s House London for one night with a late checkout the next day, and grabbed a hop-on hop-off Toot Bus Tour to see the sites in London! An unexpected but fun addition to our trip.
I highly recommend arriving a few days in advance of your Tauck Tour or cruise to avoid missing the tour should you encounter travel delays.
Tauck takes care of transfers from your arrival location to the beginning of your tour. This could be from the airport or hotel if you do a pre-stay. Our tour began in Engelberg, Switzerland. Tauck arranged for pickup at our hotel in Zurich (Hotel Storchen). Zurich to Engelberg is about one hour 15 min by car.
Day 1: Kempinski Palace, Engelberg was our first Tauck hotel, where we had a welcome dinner and met and greeted the other members of our tour.
Day 2: The buffet breakfast at Kempinski Palace was amazing! If weather permits, opt to dine outside with views of the alps.
We rode a cable car up Mt. Titlis to experience the Cliff Walk, Glacier Cave, zip line, the Ice Flyer down to a glacial park where our kids rode snow sleds and tubes.
That evening we were bussed to Lucerne and had the option of a historical walking tour or time on our own, and then a dinner boat cruise.
Day 3: We were shuttled to Andermatt from Engelberg to catch the Glacier Express. Andermatt to St. Moritz is a 5-hour scenic train ride. We were able to enjoy the dining car on the Glacier Express.
Day 4: From our beautiful hotel in St. Moritz, The Kempinksi Grand Hotel des Baines, we were bused to the Morteratsch Glacier. After this, we could choose between a scenic hike or Rock Climbing. My family opted for rock climbing. Following this, we had a beautiful lunch at a Cheesery. Then our group played Alpine Games in teams. If you weren’t exhausted from the morning's events, you could take a mountain bike ride. Dinner was on our own in St. Moritz.
Day 5: Leaving St. Moritz, we boarded our bus for Austria. First stop was Area 47 Water Park. You could opt to do white water rafting or enjoy the water park. Our family split up and did both.
The hotel for this leg was Aqua Dome Tirol, Langenfeld, Austria. A fun treat for kids and adults alike who enjoy thermal spas and water parks.
Day 6: The next morning we were bused to Innsbruck, Austria and a behind-the-scenes look at the Downhill Ski Jump experience at Bergisel Ski Jump, where the olympics have been hosted. We then had the option to do a walking tour of Innsbruck or take time for ourselves to discover the city. We opted to walk around on our own.
Day 7: Bayerischer Hof-Munich. When we arrived in Munich, our bus picked up a local tour guide and we had a historical walking tour of Munich. Later that evening, the entire Tauck group tour had a farewell dinner at Bayerischer Hof, which was an incredible evening to cap off our tour. Our stay that night was included in the tour as well as breakfast the next morning, where we spotted US movie stars Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russel!
"On our own" days: We then had three more nights in Munich to enjoy on our own.
Need to know
Tauck is an American company that will be celebrating 100 years of operation in 2025.
They offer fully guided land journeys, small group trips, river cruises and small ship journeys. Their Tauck Bridges division centers around family journeys. Tauck does an incredible job incorporating activities that the public may not have access to. On this particular itinerary, we had early access to Mt. Titlis, behind the scenes at the Bergisel Ski Jump training center, and First Class dining car on the Glacier Express.
Other behind-the-scenes activities on some of their itineraries include private Sistine Chapel viewing, dinners in castles and luxury experiences that your family will cherish forever!
This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Europe. In need of further inspiration? Check out Emily Brown’s guide, Essential Travel Tips for Europe.
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Jennifer McGuire
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