I almost missed this update since the revised levels were within an e-mail about Bridges tours. There are now five (5) categories for both activity and pace levels with explanations of each.
I thought I would post this since several forum members have commented on the levels.
Comments
Thank you so much for pointing this out. I’ll try to post it here. This MAY cut out a lot of people if they bother to find out.
Understanding Activity & Pace on Tauck Journeys
Tauck offers a wide variety of journeys – from relaxed river cruises to adventurous safaris, immersive small ship cruises to culturally rich land tours. Some are more physically active or fast-paced, while others offer a gentler rhythm.
To help you choose the experience that best suits your interests, comfort, and travel style, we've created two simple ratings:
Activity Level — how physically demanding your experience will be
Pace of the Tour — how full or fast-moving your days will feel
Starting with our 2027 journeys, each tour or cruise will be rated on the following scales from 1 to 5 to guide your planning. If you have any questions, our Reservations team or your travel advisor will be happy to help walk you through the details of any itinerary.
Activity Level
How much walking, standing, and physical effort is involved daily
WHAT TO EXPECT
1 Light
(Tauck Baseline) Walking approximately 1–2 miles per day (~2,000–4,000 steps), often on flat or paved surfaces. Includes standing for 30–60 minutes during guided experiences. Guests should be comfortable navigating stairs, cobblestones, and gangways.
2 Moderate
(Some Days) On some days, walking extends to 2–3.5 miles (~4,000–7,000 steps), with occasional stairs, hills, or uneven surfaces. Standing periods may last up to 90 minutes, but this level still includes breaks and lower-effort days.
3 Moderate
(Most Days) Most days involve walking in the 2–3.5-mile range (~4,000–7,000 steps), with frequent stairs, cobblestones, and standing for 90+ minutes. Activity is consistent across consecutive days, requiring stamina and balance throughout the itinerary.
4 Active Most days require — or offer the option to engage in — longer or more strenuous walking (often 4+ miles or 8,000+ steps), extended standing, or varied terrain such as hills, sand, or cobblestones. Guests should be comfortable crouching to climb into and out of more rugged vehicles or small planes frequently. Some days may also include active excursions like biking, kayaking, horseback riding, or water sports. While less demanding alternatives may be available, the core experience typically involves sustained physical effort and is best suited to guests comfortable with a consistently active pace.
5 Highly Active Strenuous activity is built into the core experience. Expect frequent high-effort excursions and limited opportunity to opt out. Tours at this level often include prolonged time in challenging environments such as altitude or wilderness terrain. Activities may involve hiking, biking, rafting, snowshoeing, kayaking, horseback riding, or snorkeling/swimming, sometimes over consecutive days. Designed for travelers who thrive on adventure and are prepared for a physically demanding itinerary.
Pace of the Tour
How full your days are, how often you change locations, and the rhythm of your journey
WHAT TO EXPECT
1 Relaxed
(Tauck Baseline) Two guided experiences on most days, but with a calm rhythm and regular downtime. Includes multi-night hotel stays or continuous nights on a river or ocean cruise. Early starts before 9:00 AM are rare.
2 Balanced
(Typical Tauck Pace) A steady daily tempo with 2–3 guided activities. Most days include early departures balanced with rest periods or scenic downtime. Transitions between cities occur every 2–3 days.
3 Full but Flexible Full days with little downtime. Select days may offer opt-out opportunities or lighter alternatives. Ideal for travelers who want to stay engaged, but with some room to pace themselves.
4 Full & Structured Full days with multiple guided activities. Early mornings are common, and participation in most experiences is expected. Includes a mix of one- and two-night stays.
5 Fast-Paced Dense itineraries with long drives, internal flights, and back-to-back excursions. Early mornings are frequent, and several consecutive one-night stays are possible. Designed for immersive, efficient travel with a faster rhythm and minimal rest time.
Know Before You Go: What to Expect on Every Tauck Tour
Our journeys are designed to connect you to the real world — not just look at it through a window. That means walking through city centers, navigating local terrain, and experiencing life as it's lived in each destination.
MOBILITY EXPECTATIONS: A TAUCK-WIDE BASELINE
To fully enjoy a Tauck tour, you should be able to:
Walk ½ mile to 1 mile at a time (sometimes over cobblestones or uneven ground)
Navigate stairs without handrails, mild inclines, or historic sites with uneven stairs
Stand for 30–60 minutes during guided visits
Climb on and off coaches, boats, and small aircraft independently
Be outdoors in heat, humidity, or rain depending on season and region
Sit comfortably for extended periods of time during motor coach rides, scenic rail journeys, or other modes of transportation (often 1-3 hours at a stretch, sometimes longer)
CRUISING CONSIDERATIONS
To fully enjoy a Tauck cruise, you should be able to:
Walk up and down gangways (which can be steep depending on water level)
Navigate uneven or sloped docks
Walk through other riverboats with additional gangways and stairs (known as double-docking)
Board a tender, a smaller boat used to transport passengers to and from the shore on some small ship cruises
Reach pedestrian-only town centers (up to 1 mile from dock)
Walk up and down stairs, as not all decks are accessible via elevator and not all ships have elevators
REGIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
(these will vary by tour, please contact our Reservations team or your travel advisor for more details)
Europe: Historic cities often have pedestrian-only centers. This may require walking from the coach drop-off point (up to 1 mile), and exploring on foot over cobblestones and uneven pavement.
Africa/Asia: Some regions feature bumpy or unpaved roads, walks over sandy terrain, and experiences that may involve caves, tunnels, or uneven pathways. Guests may also travel by safari vehicles, tuk-tuks, small boats, or other local transport options that require crouching, flexibility and sure footing to get in and out of.
Climate: Summer heat and lack of air conditioning in older buildings can intensify physical strain, even on leisurely tours. In winter climates, slippery or icy conditions may occur, especially in mountainous or northern regions.
Altitude: Select destinations – particularly in the Andes, Alps, national parks or parts of Africa – may involve time at elevations above 6,000 feet. Guests with respiratory, circulatory, or mobility concerns should consult with a doctor before traveling.
Thanks for posting that, British.
Looks like they’re adjusting for the new Roam with Tauck tours aimed at a younger clientele.
kfnknfzk and British very informative...Thanks for posting!
I’m so interesting to see how these Roam tours go! I have had several emails about them, they go live this month. There is so much free time, fancy hotels etc. Both my kids fit the profile but neither would want to spend the money that way, they’ve planned trips themselves for short fast paced tours, it’s easy when you are internet savvy.
Thanks for posting this info. However, what will Tauck do when sometime chooses to ignore the information and books the tour? On my last tour a guest needed constant help. This same woman did Machu Pichu last year. There probably should be some internal system that flagged her. (And, I never once saw her tip anyone for all the assistance she was given. She just demanded the help. It caused her to become ostracized in the group.)
Other companies send people home who are not fit for the tour. Recently, when we book tours, the agent tells us the pace and activity level and asks us if we are up to it. This never used to be the case. Have other people had this experience because when we booked a trip last week, I thought maybe the agent thought we might be ancient since we have taken a lot of tours with Tauck. I pointed out we were young when we started traveling with them.
We traveled with one company once who had someone in a wheelchair. We were told she would be sent home, but she wasn’t, hampered the entire tour. That company lost our custom forever. Another company does flag people.
We just booked the Barcelona to Porto land tour for May 2027, and the agent was very explicit in making sure we understood how much walking is involved. Then I read about the new pace and activity levels, which explained why the agent had detailed all of the walking involved. That was a first—never happened before.
Jan, that is the tour we booked for 2027, you mean Northern Spain, followed by the Portugal tour, first time we have booked a back to back tour.
Maybe Tauck was receiving many complaints about guests on their tours that could not do the minimum that is suggested and expected on these tours and finally put these rules into effect. The test of time will tell. I haven’t seen a clause with any other tour company that one will be sent home if they can’t keep the pace of the tour at the lowest level . I’ve seen guests also request to be placed on the first row on every excursion of the bus and not rotate with the seating system because of their motion sickness.
You know, after reading about so many people here who maybe should not be on the fast paced tours and so on, I felt I would have no qualms going on a Tauck tour when I am almost bedridden. Sorry about my humor. I feel blessed every day that I am fit to travel, well so far….
We have England and the West Country for 2026 and Romantic Capitals for 2027. The England trip is a small group land tour and we were reminded four times during the reservation process about the level 4. I do appreciate this greatly. With small group land tours there is one TD and on days when switching hotel locations there is basically no opt out option. In addition, with the small group size, if you are slowing the pace, it gets noticed quickly. River cruises are a totally different animal. We were not asked about the pace for the Romantic Capital river cruise. River cruises tend to be less active overall but now seem to have more options for active components. If there are options for daily excursions, each has its own activity level associated with it. There is more than one TD which means they can split the group into the 'mellow yellows' if needed and the groups are even subdivide more when split between the local guides. There is always the option to stay on board if you need a day off.
Regarding guest fitness, Tauck maintains "files" on every guest. I don't know what goes in them, beyond dietary restrictions/preferences. If ability to keep up isn't in them, it should be.
I recall one tour I did where there was a middle-aged man with high-functioning autism. The story was he lived with his cousin and it sounded like his cousin needed a break and dumped him on a tour, solo. I was chatting with the TD one day, who had been with Tauck 30+ years. He expressed his concerns about this guy wandering off from the group and he felt like a babysitter. He also said he would report to HQ that this guy must be accompanied on any future tours.
British thank you for the posting, very descriptive.
Tauck tours vary in terms of what is allowed and what isn't in terms of mobility. I saw one tour that allowed wheelchairs as long as they were small collapsible ones. Plus the individual requiring it must be accompanied by someone to deal with them and the wheelchair. The wheelchair had to be pre-approved.
Most don't allow them or motorized scooters either.
That does not stop people turning up with them, believe me.
British, we booked the northern Spain tour for May 14, 2027. We just returned from the southern Portugal and Spain tour. We had planned to spend 4 days in Barcelona post-tour, but due to an unseen recessed tree planter in Madrid, I twisted my ankle and fell hard on my shoulder, so we canceled our Barcelona post-tour activities and came home. Fortunately, nothing was broken, just sprained and badly bruised. So, we decided to book the northern Spain trip and re-schedule our Barcelona activities pre-tour. We are both fit and agile, and like you, grateful we can still take these active trips. Hopefully, the new pace and activity descriptions will better inform guests and deter those who truly are unable to participate.
Jan, so sorry to hear of your fall. I look forward to a review as we go in June!
There has always been the belief that the river cruises we easy going but we found our Brussels to Amsterdam cruise last summer had a lot of walking. Part of that is the issue of coaches not being allowed to bring guests into the center for drop off/pick up. So it's good they are adjusting these guidelines. Of course, all too many people book tours without reading the guidelines or even in some cases reading the itinerary.
I wish Tauck's web site allowed you to search for tours and cruises using the activity level as a filter. It would be very helpful.
Why don’t you suggest that!
How strenuous is Level 3? My wife and I are booking a Seine tour and while we like to walk, we are not what you would call agile at this point in our lives.
If a tour is in 2027 , Activity level 3 is "Most days involve walking in the 2–3.5-mile range (~4,000–7,000 steps), with frequent stairs, cobblestones, and standing for 90+ minutes. Activity is consistent across consecutive days, requiring stamina and balance throughout the itinerary"
For any tour the website page for that tour will give the Activity and Pace level. Next to the number is a tiny ? . Click that and it will explain it. Just be sure you're looking at the correct year. Right under the tour title is a pull down menu Select Year.
Tauck states very clearly about the pace and activity levels of each of their tours as Claudia explains. If you call Tauck, the agent will quote from what you can read.
Everyone’s perception is different. We are friends with a couple who we were once on tour with. They thought the tour was the most difficult they had ever been on for both pace and activity, we thought it was the easiest. This is why it could be a problem asking someone you don’t know as opposed to say a friend who you know exactly how they cope and comparing how they coped with a tour.
If you are concerned about your abilities, then please look for a tour that you feel more comfortable with when you read the description , they are out there and you will not have to worry that you will be able to enjoy and cope with it.
Mr. Schwartz,
You will be in good hands. The groups for the excursions are typically broken up into several groups, including one for those guests who wish a more leisurely pace. The local guides also have a knack for avoiding steps and inclines.
Let the tour directors know your concerns at the start of your tour. I found walking up and down the ramp that connects the ship to the shore to be somewhat uncomfortable because of its uneven surface. Just go slowly and hold the railing. There will be a crew member present to assist.
Be sure to have sturdy walking shoes with good soles for traction.
Have a wonderful journey.
I randomly checked the Activity/Pace levels for river cruises an noticed lots of changes with the 2027 versions. It's hard to tell if the changes are better reflecting actual tours or the tours themselves are being changed. It's been assumed for some time that river cruises were easier than land tours but I found our Belgium/Netherlands cruise last summer definitely required more walking than I'd seen on other cruises just to get from the coach to the sights.
Yes the gang planks can be hard to navigate at times depending on the port configuration and water levels. You can add in additional challenges if there is a ship docked between you and the pier that doesn't allow for transiting straight from your ship's reception area thru theirs (security reasons or they just don't line up the same). You end up having to climb the stairs to the sundeck, walk over a gang plank to their ship, then either over to the pier or down thru their ship.
There's a reason Tauck warns: We regret that this Tauck itinerary cannot accommodate wheelchairs or motorized scooters. Likewise, we regret that we're unable to provide individual assistance to guests with walking difficulties or other personal needs. The responsibility of the Tauck Director who accompanies your trip is to ensure that the larger group enjoys a relaxing and informative journey, and he or she cannot be relied upon to provide ongoing individual assistance to any one guest. Guests requiring such individualized assistance must be accompanied by an able-bodied companion who can provide it.
I have known people on cruises that were mostly wheel chair bound or used a walker. The first basically just stayed on board and enjoyed the ship while the other had 3 other adult family with her to help,.
A big piece of this is the expansion of pedestrian zones and increased restrictions on where tour buses can unload and load increasing the walking distance to the "old town" areas and attractions. I am sure some of this is designed to decrease some of the over tourism.
I think Tauck might consider a number of special tours for loyal customers who perhaps are no longer able to fully participate in all activities. There is certainly a market for this going forwards and it might help retain customers as they get older for a little longer.
Personally, because I am still fit, I want a good pace on my tours, I do not yet want or need to avoid steps that reduce the time I have to enjoy the sites I have paid thousand of dollars to see. I am surely not the only one who feels like this. It does however, make me think that I might chance a tour that I really feel I’m not fit for since I’ve been affected on a number of tours where there are people who do not fit the very plain guidelines that Tauck spells out for each of there tours. O k I’m expecting hate mail for being honest.
In addition to what Ben wrote, many times the configuration of the city itself prevents large buses from accessing city centers. This is especially true for the Netherlands and Belgium.
Returning to Mr. Schwartz’s post, I don’t recall our Seine cruise having any difficult days. The D-Day excursion was a long day, but certainly well worth it.