Tauck - Budapest Tour

Just wondering how in depth the Tauck tour is in Budapest at the beginning of the Budapest to Amsterdam cruise. Is it just a driveby of the sites or do you go into the Central Market, Fisheman's Bastion or Parliament? Any detail would be appreciated as I plan my addional days in Budapest.

We do a similar Tauck trip in May, ending in Budapest with two nights in a hotel as a part of the trip. Looks to me like there are visits, on our trip, to the market, opera house, and most of the other major sites. We also get two half days to explore on our own. If you have traveled with Tauck before you probably know their reputation is primarily a land tour company. They do a much better job than most at providing unique experiences. We did their Rhine cruise a year ago and loved the fact that the actual walking tours never exceeded 12-15 people to a local guide.

Thanks for the response. Yes, I am aware of Tauck's reputation but on a half-day tour I am interested to know if there is more than just a drive-by...what does a "visit" entail? For example I have a choice of culinary tours before our cruise, one with the central market and one without. If the Tauck tour includes just a very brief stop at that market then I may want to include it on my culinary tour. Has anyone done this Tauck cruise beginning in Budapest?

Our Tauck cruise last year ended in Budapest, so the tours may be different but I can tell you about our experience.On our first day in Budapest, we had a full day tour. Our excursion allocated about an hour for the Central market portion of the tour. We started by sampling various sausages and a pastry and then had time on our own for purchases and roaming around. I found that it was ample time for me to pick up some gifts to take home and to look over much of the merchandise. We were then bused to the castle district, where we had lunch at a local restaurant, a tour of the cathedral and time to wander on our own. Crossing back to the other side of the river, we had a brief bus tour before returning to the hotel. The walking tour the following morning was also excellent, and was followed by a free afternoon before gathering for an excellent cocktail hour and farewell dinner. Budapest is a lovely city and I was pleased with our itinerary there.

Thanks for the reply. I should have clarified that the Budapest tour at the beginning of the cruise is only a half day.