Four Tauck directors, 130 guests, and the palace opens just for you.
Tauck has run guided tours since 1925, and its river cruises are that company on the water: 130 guests on ships built for 190 (Joy, Grace, Esprit, Savor, Inspire and Sapphire), four Tauck directors on board, and every excursion, meal ashore, drink and gratuity already in the price, with private after-hours evenings in places like a Viennese palace or a Rhine castle. It sails the Rhine, Danube, Rhone, Seine and Douro for 7 to 14 nights, with Christmas market sailings and the family Tauck Bridges departures in summer, and it suits travelers who want the place explained properly and nothing to pay for once they board. SmartCruiser lists all 337 Tauck river departures with taxes and fees included, and a Tauck specialist who has sailed these ships helps you choose the river, the ship and the date; where a departure shows fares by phone, we quote it the same way, taxes and fees included.
Three ways to sail with Tauck
Pick a style and the list below filters to it; every card shows taxes and fees in the price.
Rhine and Danube
- Amsterdam to Basel, Budapest to Vienna, or both over 14 nights on the Amsterdam to Budapest crossing
- Private events in castles and palaces after the day visitors have gone
- Christmas market sailings in late November and December
Best for: first river cruises, anniversary trips, anyone who likes a Tauck land tour
Seine and Rhone
- Paris to Normandy with the D-Day beaches, Giverny and Rouen
- Lyon to Avignon and Arles: Burgundy, the Cotes du Rhone and Provence
- Tauck pairs both with hotel nights in Paris or on the Riviera
Best for: food and wine, art history, pairing a cruise with Paris
The Douro
- Porto round trip into the port-wine terraces on Tauck’s smallest ship, 84 guests
- Salamanca in Spain, quinta tastings and a Lisbon stay on most departures
- Mild weather March to November and no low-water worries
Best for: second river cruises, wine lovers, travelers who want the smallest ship
Every Tauck river departure, priced live
Every Tauck river sailing, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included, with full sorting by river, month, length and price. Tauck fares already include every excursion, drink and gratuity, so the number you see is close to the number you spend. Book with SmartCruiser and a Tauck specialist handles the details from the first call to the day you sail.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery Tauck river sailing
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Where Tauck sails
Pick a river and the list above filters to it; the 14-night Amsterdam to Budapest departures appear under both the Rhine and the Danube.
Lines you may also like
If you are weighing Tauck, these are the all-inclusive and premium lines we price against it most often.
When to go
Tauck sails late March to early January; the family Bridges departures are in summer and the Christmas markets sell out first.
Tauck questions we answer every day
What is included in a Tauck river fare?
Just about everything: every excursion with a choice in most ports, all meals on board and the meals Tauck hosts ashore, wine, beer, spirits and soft drinks all day, gratuities to the crew and the Tauck directors, airport transfers, Wi-Fi, and the private after-hours events. Flights and optional pre- and post-cruise hotel nights are the main extras.
How big are the ships and the cabins?
Tauck ships are standard 135-meter Rhine and Danube vessels that would normally carry 190 guests; Tauck sails them with 130. That means 300-square-foot staterooms on the top deck, 225-square-foot cabins with French balconies on the middle deck, and 150 to 225 square feet on the lower deck, where the clever loft cabins have a raised seating area with a tall opening window. The Douro ship carries 84 guests.
Who does Tauck suit?
Travelers who want to understand what they are looking at. The Tauck directors handle every detail, the groups ashore are small, and the private events get you into places that are closed to everyone else. Most guests are 55 to 75 and well traveled; the Bridges departures in summer welcome families with children 8 and up.
What happens with high or low water?
A few weeks a year, usually late summer or early spring, a stretch of the Rhine or Danube cannot be navigated. Tauck moves you by coach or to a sister ship, and because touring is its business, the land days tend to be handled better than on most lines. The Seine, Rhone and Douro are rarely affected.
Do I need a passport or visa?
A US passport valid at least three months beyond your return date. No visa is needed for stays under 90 days in the EU and Switzerland, though the ETIAS travel authorization will apply once it launches. We send the current rules with your confirmation.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on this page includes cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses, and on Tauck the excursions, drinks and gratuities are in there too. Flights and optional hotel extensions are extra. Where a departure shows fares by phone, we quote it the same way, with taxes and fees included.
Talk to a Tauck specialist
Tell us the river and the dates and we compare the Tauck departure with the other all-inclusive lines, ship by ship and date by date, with taxes and fees in every price. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.