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Collette vs Tauck
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of Collette and Tauck.The Low Down
While new to the Australian market in 2017, Collette have actually been operating since 1918. Offering coach touring and small group explorations around the world, you won't find too many Aussies and Kiwis on their trips yet, but clients of ours that haven taken the plunge over the last season have come back with very positive reviews. Collette is very popular in the US and now has offices and support in Australia, Canada and the UK too. Collette market their trips as 4 star accommodation with 5 star service and inclusions - so if that sounds like your cup of tea, then how about this - Collette also includes a roundtrip home to airport chauffeur service for those within a 40km radius of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Darwin, Cairns and Hobart airports.
New to the Australian market in 2017, Tauck began operations in the US over 90 years ago. Offering premium river cruises, land tours, small ship cruises, family adventures and small group journeys around the world. You won't find too many Aussies and Kiwis on their trips yet, as they have only recently opened an office Downunder, but Tauck are renowned for the quality and inclusiveness of their trips, whether they are on land or water. Stats
No. of Trips
192
No. of Departures
6,246
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$410
Accommodation
4 Star
Budget
Premium
No. of Trips
199
No. of Departures
3,005
Avg. Trip Length
11 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$818
Accommodation
4.5 - 5 Star
Budget
Premium & Luxury
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
At Collette, we consider everyone who travels with us to be our personal guest. Every moment matters to us because we know it matters to you. This may be because at heart we are a family owned company that has been in business for 100 years. It may be because our team are passionate about sharing their own love of travel and uncovering mysteries.
Choosing Collette comes with benefits that take your guided travel experience to another level. Our inclusive tours provide you more value for your money and more of what makes travel special. Let us show you the world!
We believe that when you travel, you should never settle for ordinary. You deserve to travel in good company, with someone who cares. We believe that good value sells itself – you should get what you pay for, and then some, in one upfront price with virtually everything included. Leave your worries at home; we take on all the planning, all the logistics. To you, it’s peace of mind travel, to us, it’s 90+ years of integrity.
Wherever we travel, we’re all about taking you to explore the world’s treasures….discover people and cultures you may not have known existed…and experience extraordinary, life-changing moments. Since 1925, we’ve built our company on the personal referrals and recommendations of our guests. We can think of no higher testament to our journeys and commitment to customer satisfaction – and no better way to tell you what we do than through their words.
Recent Reviews
4.5
Incredible Tour of Tuscany & Umbria with Collette 0
Tuscan & Umbrian Countryside
Donna, QLD, Australia, Oct 2025
Just got back from the most incredible trip through Tuscany and Umbria with Collette, and I honestly can’t stop smiling! Everything about this tour was fantastic — the places we visited, the food, the people, and the whole vibe. I was travelling solo, but it didn’t feel that way for long. There was such a great mix of people, and by the end of the trip,... read more we all felt like family. Our tour manager was amazing — super organized, fun, and full of great stories and local knowledge.
The itinerary was spot on — a perfect balance of sightseeing, relaxing, and soaking up the culture (and the wine!). Huge shoutout to Hannah from Global Journeys for making everything so easy from start to finish. She handled all the details and made sure the whole process was smooth and stress-free. If you’re thinking about visiting Italy, I can’t recommend Collette and Global Journeys enough. Honestly one of the best travel experiences I’ve ever had!
The itinerary was spot on — a perfect balance of sightseeing, relaxing, and soaking up the culture (and the wine!). Huge shoutout to Hannah from Global Journeys for making everything so easy from start to finish. She handled all the details and made sure the whole process was smooth and stress-free. If you’re thinking about visiting Italy, I can’t recommend Collette and Global Journeys enough. Honestly one of the best travel experiences I’ve ever had!
Just got back from the Old World Sicily & Malta tour with Collette, and overall it was a fantastic experience! The itinerary was amazing — stunning places, great food, and the perfect mix of sightseeing and downtime. I was travelling solo, but honestly, it never felt that way. There was such a great group of people, and by the end, we all felt like... read more family. So many laughs and fun moments along the way! Our tour manager was a really lovely guy, but it was his first tour with Collette, so he was still finding his way a bit. He tried hard (and even used Google a few times to help out, which gave us all a chuckle!). While it wasn’t quite up to the same level as my previous Collette tours, he had a great attitude and was genuinely kind.
Huge shoutout to Hannah from Global Journeys — she was absolutely amazing! She made the whole process so easy from start to finish, handled everything perfectly, and kept me in the loop the whole time. All in all, it was an incredible trip — great company, beautiful destinations, and so many laughs. I’d definitely travel with Collette again and book through Global Journeys in a heartbeat! 💖✨
Huge shoutout to Hannah from Global Journeys — she was absolutely amazing! She made the whole process so easy from start to finish, handled everything perfectly, and kept me in the loop the whole time. All in all, it was an incredible trip — great company, beautiful destinations, and so many laughs. I’d definitely travel with Collette again and book through Global Journeys in a heartbeat! 💖✨
A good tour. Damiano was a good tour director, was very helpful when we got stuck in Milan after our train to Zurich was cancelled due to flooding. Got to Zurich but again missed the first day of the tour. Some hotels were disappointing. The meals together were OK nothing special. Thought we should of had professional guides in some cities instead of... read more Damiano being guide. His English is ok but maybe a guide would of been better.
The highlight of this tour was the trip on the Bernina Express. The scenery was 'wow' factor around every corner. The tour was very well organised and ran smoothly. The bus driver, Enzo, was an incredibly careful driver, especially as some of the roads were very high, with difficult bends. The main guide, Dario and local guides were all excellent.... read more The hotels were of superior quality. As a suggestion, it would have been preferable to have one less day (3 night stay) in Lake Maggiore and instead stay one night at Lake Como, as we drove straight past and only caught glimpses of the Lake.
The visit to the cheese farm before reaching Lake Maggiore should be reviewed. It was a little disorganised and too long, although in fairness, it was their first time in hosting tours. The conclusion of the tour in Lucerne meant that all passengers had the additional cost of taxis to Zurich, for the flight home, as Lucerne does not have an international airport. Perhaps the tour could have terminated in Zurich, were it commenced.
The visit to the cheese farm before reaching Lake Maggiore should be reviewed. It was a little disorganised and too long, although in fairness, it was their first time in hosting tours. The conclusion of the tour in Lucerne meant that all passengers had the additional cost of taxis to Zurich, for the flight home, as Lucerne does not have an international airport. Perhaps the tour could have terminated in Zurich, were it commenced.
Happy to leave a review- it was fantastic- very well organised, great host (Marco). This year marks a Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church (every 25 years), a time of grace, renewal, and pilgrimage. One of the most moving experiences was crossing the Four Holy Doors in Rome - at St Peter’s Basilica, St John Lateran, St Mary Major, and St Paul Outside... read more the Walls. These doors are only opened every 25 years. Two of the highlights for me was processing the pilgrimage cross across St Peter’s Square and attending the Papal audience.
In Assisi, I walked in the footsteps of St Francis and St Clare, whose lives of humility, service, and joy continue to inspire. The town itself radiates peace, and visiting the Basilica of St Francis - where his tomb lies - was a moment of huge reflection. My only criticism- we didn't have enough time in this town. We had a three course lunch - lovely - but would be better to grab a sandwich and see more.
From the grandeur of the Vatican to the quiet beauty of Assisi, I was struck by the artistry, devotion, and centuries of prayer embedded in these sacred spaces. Standing beneath Michelangelo’s dome in St Peter’s, standing in the Sistine Chapel, praying in the crypts of saints, and witnessing the living faith of pilgrims from around the world (including half a million young people who were in Rome at the same time for World Youth Day!).
As a Principal in a Catholic school, this pilgrimage wasn’t just a personal journey - it was a professional and spiritual renewal. It reminded me of the sacred responsibility I have to nurture faith, learning, and community. I return with a renewed sense of purpose, ready to continue building a school where every child is known, loved, and inspired and where we nurture hearts, minds and spirits. Thank you for organising.
In Assisi, I walked in the footsteps of St Francis and St Clare, whose lives of humility, service, and joy continue to inspire. The town itself radiates peace, and visiting the Basilica of St Francis - where his tomb lies - was a moment of huge reflection. My only criticism- we didn't have enough time in this town. We had a three course lunch - lovely - but would be better to grab a sandwich and see more.
From the grandeur of the Vatican to the quiet beauty of Assisi, I was struck by the artistry, devotion, and centuries of prayer embedded in these sacred spaces. Standing beneath Michelangelo’s dome in St Peter’s, standing in the Sistine Chapel, praying in the crypts of saints, and witnessing the living faith of pilgrims from around the world (including half a million young people who were in Rome at the same time for World Youth Day!).
As a Principal in a Catholic school, this pilgrimage wasn’t just a personal journey - it was a professional and spiritual renewal. It reminded me of the sacred responsibility I have to nurture faith, learning, and community. I return with a renewed sense of purpose, ready to continue building a school where every child is known, loved, and inspired and where we nurture hearts, minds and spirits. Thank you for organising.
Best tour I have been on. Tour Manager Claudia from Collette was excellent. Bus was comfortable and hotels 4 star. Tour was well organised with daily updates from Claudia including summary of day’s activities and next day. I loved all of the tour. Highlights was gin factory, winery, picnic at Monchique, Algarve caves Cruise, Lagos, Cascais and Sintra.... read more Highly recommended for all ages and great value. I look forward to my next adventure with Collette.
4.6
Spirit of the Desert with Tauck 22
Spirit of the Desert: The National Parks of the Southwest
Janet and Alfred , CA, United States, May 2025
Just a bare glimpse (see our photo) of our amazing Tauck journey “The Spirit of the Desert”. It was fabulous!!! Colorado River, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce at sunrise (2 of those), Zion, and the clouds lifting over the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Thank you, a million times over! It was wonderful! I hope you have the opportunity to do it. Happy tr... read moreails.
Warsaw, Budapest, Vienna and Prague 3
Warsaw, Budapest, Vienna & Prague
Sugie and George, Korea, May 2023
The poor weather (rain, cold and wind) was a distraction throughout the tour which, unfortunately, had a negative effect on many of the venues. It made the tour guides jobs particularly difficult. Not Tauck's problem but, nonetheless, it was unfortunate as it negatively impacted the tour. When we booked this tour, we compared it to another Tauck Eastern... read more European tour referred to as a Jewish Heritage Tour. As we are are not of Jewish faith, we felt that this tour would not be meaningful to us. In hindsight, we are not sure that the tour we chose would have been much different from the Jewish Heritage Tour. Most of the members in our tour group were in fact Jewish and the focus of the tour definitely was on the Jewish faith and the Holocaust. I would like to suggest that Tauck make more of an effort to differentiate between these two tours. There is much to consider in an Eastern European tour that does not focus so highly on the Jewish heritage.
On a very positive note, the local tour guides were excellent, very knowledgeable, courteous and friendly. Our Tauck Tour Guide was also excellent with extensive experience in Eastern Europe. One final negative comment, unfortunately. Even though we realize that Tauck does not make hotel room assignments, we feel that they can do a much better job of influencing the hotels on our stay to provide rooms that are more comparable to the cost of our tour. We have not once during our Tauck tours been assigned a hotel room with a view of anything but rooftops of adjacent buildings or a view of another section of the hotel itself. That's not what we feel we deserve for the money we pay for these tours. On a closing note, we are booked on our next Tauck tour to Portugal in October and plan to book a follow-on Tauck tour to New Zealand on 2024.
On a very positive note, the local tour guides were excellent, very knowledgeable, courteous and friendly. Our Tauck Tour Guide was also excellent with extensive experience in Eastern Europe. One final negative comment, unfortunately. Even though we realize that Tauck does not make hotel room assignments, we feel that they can do a much better job of influencing the hotels on our stay to provide rooms that are more comparable to the cost of our tour. We have not once during our Tauck tours been assigned a hotel room with a view of anything but rooftops of adjacent buildings or a view of another section of the hotel itself. That's not what we feel we deserve for the money we pay for these tours. On a closing note, we are booked on our next Tauck tour to Portugal in October and plan to book a follow-on Tauck tour to New Zealand on 2024.
Denali was spectacular and thoroughly enjoyed the plane ride up over Denali. The trip into the park was also great and we did see some bears and Dall sheep way off into the distance. The Lodges were all Princess Lodges and were very crowded. Quite a number of us caught COVID so didn't make the cruise which was very disappointing but enjoyed what we... read more did see.
Tauck Capital Cities Plus Niagara Falls 4
Canada's Capital Cities plus Niagara Falls
Veronica, NSW, Australia, Aug 2022
Thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We had a great Tour Director and everything was well organised. She gave very informative information on the places we were visiting and had a great sense of humour. The accommodations were fabulous and there was a great group of people on the tour.
Overall, a wonderful experience. We must start with kudos to both Jemma and Hannah for all the support, help and advice you gave us throughout the booking process. Yes, we will book with you again and are now looking at Tauck tours to Australia, New Zealand and or Tasmania in 2023.
Our tour to Ireland was number one on our Bucket List and we were... read more not disappointed. Vincent, our tour guide was a treasure of information on Ireland's history and overall knowledge of the political, economic and societal struggles that have plagued Ireland's history. Also, his knowledge of each of the sites we visited on tour was extraordinary. He truly deserves to be a "Keeper" for Tauck.
There are, however, two recommendations for consideration that would change our overall rating to five stars instead of four. First, the Westin Dublin was not what we expected of our accommodations. It was below the standard of other Westin hotels we have used over the years. Unfortunately, we had complaints that we registered with our tour guide and the hotel management. Compared with all other hotels we stayed in during our tour, the Westin was at the very bottom.
Secondly, the amount of time we spent on the limousine bus was excessive. We covered a huge amount of The Republic of Ireland's and Northern Ireland's geography and transit times to each destination were often at times too long. Due to the necessity to keep on track with our itinerary, we felt that the amount of time we were allotted at some of our stops was minimized. Again, a wonderful experience that took Bill back to his Irish roots!
Our tour to Ireland was number one on our Bucket List and we were... read more not disappointed. Vincent, our tour guide was a treasure of information on Ireland's history and overall knowledge of the political, economic and societal struggles that have plagued Ireland's history. Also, his knowledge of each of the sites we visited on tour was extraordinary. He truly deserves to be a "Keeper" for Tauck.
There are, however, two recommendations for consideration that would change our overall rating to five stars instead of four. First, the Westin Dublin was not what we expected of our accommodations. It was below the standard of other Westin hotels we have used over the years. Unfortunately, we had complaints that we registered with our tour guide and the hotel management. Compared with all other hotels we stayed in during our tour, the Westin was at the very bottom.
Secondly, the amount of time we spent on the limousine bus was excessive. We covered a huge amount of The Republic of Ireland's and Northern Ireland's geography and transit times to each destination were often at times too long. Due to the necessity to keep on track with our itinerary, we felt that the amount of time we were allotted at some of our stops was minimized. Again, a wonderful experience that took Bill back to his Irish roots!
River cruising with Tauck from Germany to Vienna 4
Christmas Markets Along the Danube - Eastbound
Heather, QLD, Australia, Dec 2019
Fantastic company and nice staff on board. We never had to ask for anything... it was all offered on a plate. Very good service and Global Journeys handled the booking and delivered all the required paperwork.
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13 Days Ljubljana to Zagreb
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