Tauck Opens 2028 River Cruises as New Harmonie Doubles Its Rhône Capacity

October 28, 2026 — Tauck has opened bookings for its 2028 European river cruises, citing strong early demand, and has set out the itineraries for its new Rhône riverboat ms Harmonie, which joins Lumiere and doubles Tauck’s guest capacity on the Rhône.

New for 2028

Itinerary	Length / ship	Route and highlights
Essence of the Rhone	6 days, ms Harmonie	Cruise-only, Lyon to Arles: Lyon’s Old Town, Viviers, Arles; optional pre- or post-stay on the Mediterranean
A Week On… the Rhone	8 days, Lumiere (5-night cruise)	Lyon to Arles: Avignon, the Camargue, Tain-l’Hermitage with a Valrhona chocolate workshop or rail-bike outing
Barcelona, Burgundy & the Rhone	14 days	Three hotel nights in Barcelona plus a nine-night river cruise; runs both ways between Barcelona and Lyon; five wine regions, Château de Cormatin, vineyard cycling
Rhine Enchantment, Italian Lakes to Amsterdam	11 days, select departures	Starts with three nights at the Hotel Splendide Royal in Lugano, Switzerland

Tauck also has five Wellness Departures planned for 2028, after two in 2027, and expects its river cruise capacity to be more than 50% above 2025 levels by 2028. Departure dates and fares: TBA (not given in the announcement coverage).

What it means for airline travelers

Rhône cruises begin or end in Lyon. Lyon (LYS) has its own airport, and Paris is reachable by fast train — useful if your best flight options are into Paris.
Arles end point: Marseille (MRS) is the nearest large airport. Check whether Tauck’s transfers include it before you book flights.
Barcelona combination: it runs both directions, so you may fly into Barcelona (BCN) and home from Lyon, or the reverse — an open-jaw trip.
Lugano start: the nearest major airport is Milan; plan ground transfer time, and if you’re flying standby, arrive a day early.
No travel-industry or interline rates were mentioned.