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Romantic Germany

If you have recently returned from this tour, would you please post your review. I am scheduled to go in September and am now having second thoughts about going. I'm concerned that the itinerary has too much free time and is lacking overall substance. I have traveled with Tauck many times and am most satisfied when we are visiting many sites and attractions as much as time permits. Thanks in advance for your comments.

Comments

British

Every year that goes by, Tauck includes more and more free time on tours. I think it will be the same for any tour you book these days.
Our first tour with Tauck in 2003 was one of the Italy ones, we were busy all the time and almost all meals were included. People complained back then that they wanted to experience some meals on their own. I don’t know whether they wanted more free time too. I have several theories, one of which is that more and more people that go on the touris do not have the stamina for a full on tour so down time is scheduled. When we have been on tours with optional extra site seeing, few people go on them, hence, I’ve noticed that on a couple of tours where that has been the case, the extra tour has been dropped in favor of free time. We don’t like this because especially since the Pandemic, most popular sites require timed tickets bought in advance. Not only is that a pain, but it’s hard to judge what time to book them since you do not know for sure when an included attraction before it will end even if you call Tauck to ask, the TD you get might jiggle the schedule around a bit.
My second theory is that free time helps keep the price of the tour down. Whatever it is, on most tours, you are only getting the highlights of most places and if you want more, you add on days at beginning and end or go back as an independent traveler. Or go with a company that does the areas in greater detail on longer tours, which we sometimes now do.

Again, if you have recently returned from this tour, would you kindly post your review.

Kathy M

We were on this tour in 2010. Because of the Passion Play, it was slightly different. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip and did not think that we had too much free time. I think it's good to give you free time because what I want to do is not what others may want. We walk a lot and explore using public transportation. We go into neighborhoods to see how the people in various countries live. As an example, in Munich we went to the Englisher Garten to see the people surfboarding on the river in the park. We had an ice cream cone and walked around. In Dresden we walked along the river. We prefer this to being totally scripted.

Meals are similar. If the tour provides lunch, there is no need to have an included dinner (and vice versa). In Germany you can stop at a stand and have a bratwurst for lunch without taking much time out of your explorations.

This tour includes some top notch highlights. The museums in Berlin are phenomenal. Choose the Pergamon museum. In Munich do not pass up the excursion to Dachau. It's included in the price but is listed as optional because some people do not want to go to a concentration camp. On another tour some people opted out of the visit to Auschwitz.

Any time you have three meals included you are likely traveling a distance and this is the most time effective way to set up the day. If you have a day like that followed by two nights in a specific hotel with dinner in the hotel and only breakfast the next day, you may be given the option of which night you want to have the dinner in the hotel.

I'd suggest that you get out some library books and look at what you'd like to see in the places with significant free time. You can easily craft options that are specific to you.

Take the trip an have fun!

mfrancis

I agree with Kathy M. We did this tour in 2022 for the Passion Play (delayed from 2020 due to Covid) and thoroughly enjoyed it. We didn’t have too much free time, but when we did we were able to explore the cities. We went a day early and did a private walking tour of Frankfurt. We loved Traube Tonbach in the Black Forest and wished we had another day there, it was a very beautiful setting and an opportunity to relax. Dresden and Munich were our favorites; my husband and our friend did a WWII walking tour from Tours by Locals on a free afternoon that they still talk about. The Tauck excursions were outstanding, especially in Berlin. We learned so much from our TD Stephen about the history of Germany. I highly recommend this tour.

MJCinTX, now that you have just returned from your tour, would you please post your review. I've read the itinerary again and still find myself concerned that there are too many days when your just taking a walking tour and nothing more or in the absence of a planned activity, your day is filled with a provided lunch. I appreciate the value of free time but don't take a tour to be my own tour director. I want to be chauffeured around. Please be specific with your response.

British

GM, you can’t demand someone write a review, if you are concerned, don’t go on the tour or speak to Tauck for more thorough answers to inclusions and the time that is actually free.