Best Of
Re: What sites are included in Best of Ireland Dublin city tour day?
If you like Irish history, and have free time, go to the GPO and Kilmainham Gaol.
Re: Northern Lights
Statistically, the Northern Lights are more frequent now than they will be in 2 years. We are currently at the peak of the 11 year sunspot cycle. Solar disturbances occur more often at the peak of the cycle, when there are more sunspots..
MotherOfPoodles - I saw the Northern Lights during the summer I spent in central Maine, when I met the classmate of yours that we talked about. I happened to be in the right place at the right time. It also helped that I was there for 6 weeks. That was also close to the peak of the sunspot cycle in the early 80s.
Re: Laundry Service on Tauk Tours
The horror at the thought of hand washing clothing. Apparently this is the image some have. Hilarious.

Re: Budapest to the Black Sea review
During Blue Danube the tour visited the Budapest Opera House. We did not see a full performance however we were treated to a mini performance of Don Giovani performed by two company performers on a landing of the grand staircase .

AlanS
Re: Portugal/Spain - March/April 2025
In my experience, the tour directors always give suggestions for dining and attractions in the free time. You do need cash for the tips. I can't answer your third question.
Re: Portugal/Spain - March/April 2025
Hello David. We tend to call the person leading the tour the Tour director, and the local people who lead the local tours as the tour guides. So I’m thinking you mean tipping the Tour director. It is most usual to pay them in cash and Tauck says in dollars. The Local guides are tipped by Tauck. Sometimes the tips for bus drivers are also covered by Tauck, especially when there are different drivers throughout the tour. This will be explained in your final documents, you will see whether the driver is included or not.
The Tour directors almost always give suggestions for restaurants and attractions but it’s best to Google ‘ Things to see and do in….fill in the blanks, before you go incase you need to buy tickets on lime in advance.
British
Re: Portugal/Spain - March/April 2025
Yes the tour director will often give restaurant recommendations. They will usually be fairly nice restaurants which is great if that's what you want on the nights you need to find your own dinner. We prefer to go lighter on those nights as the Tauck provided dinners are extensive - starter, main, and dessert. After a few days eating like that a simple salad starts sounding pretty good. I use google to locate restaurants within easy walking of the hotel. Type in the name of the hotel, click on the small map that should pop up next to other info on the hotel, then on the left side of the screen click on the Nearby button and enter what you're looking for. These days, most restaurants have online menus so you can see if it's what you're interested in.
The concierge at the hotel is also a good source of restaurant advice.
Re: Portugal/Spain - March/April 2025
Dave and Marci,
You picked a fabulous tour for your first Tauck journey! It is our favorite of the European land tours taken with Tauck.
Regarding Marbella, Hotel Don Pepe sits right on the Mediterranean and offers many dining options, as well as the opportunity to swim or just relax poolside. I can't offer assistance with boat tours since we chose to walk to the nearby old town area then returned to the hotel to take advantage of all its amenities.
Yes, the tour director—hopefully, you will have Patrica H.—will hand out dining suggestions ranging from fine dining to reasonably priced 'mom and pop' eateries offering regional cuisine.
The food on this tour was always plentiful and the wine free-flowing. If you wish, I will be happy to offer some suggestions for things to do and/or places to dine at in the other cities you will visit. Just let me know.
kfnknfzk
Re: Northern Lights
We tried to get on this trip about 6 weeks ago and they were sold out. Maybe it has opened up.....We decided to go and see the Northern Lights in Fairbanks.



