Walking Estimates - Rick Steve's 21 Day European Tour

We haven't taken Rick's tour, but did pattern our own trip after Rick's schedule, starting in Paris and flying home from Rome. We took four weeks rather than three and as we were independent travelers could always tailor our day to how we felt. We too are seniors, both of us between your ages and either walk daily or do a treadmill routine at a gym. The first few days were exhausting, but exhilarating and we gradually rounded in to much better physical condition than when we started our trip. If neither of you are over weight or have serious medical issues I would encourage you to go.

Good choice for your first time European vacation (it was mine also and is still my favorite after 5 more RS tours). On the 6 RS tours I have taken, all have involved "walks" rather than "hikes". I would definitely extend your neighborhood walks to maybe twice what you do now. The biggest hurdle for me wasn't the length of the daily walks but the amount of time on my feet, so much time is just spent standing. You will have to climb stairs (some times lots of them) on that tour so you should start practicing stair climbing
if you haven't already. Send me a private massage if you need more advice. charlie

I've been on 2 RS tours. They are "walks" not "hikes" unless you count Hadrian's Wall in England as a hike. I'm 61 and made it okay with some little breathing breaks. It is not the walk or even being on my feet a lot, it was steps, hills, uneven terrain/cobblestones that make it more difficult.

On my last tour, we had to walk quite a distance in Vienna and Salzburg with luggage because the bus could not get near the hotel. Vienna was the last stop so we had everything to carry. Take a rolling bag! If you take the daily 2 mile walks you should be fine unless it is completely flat. You might want to add some elevation to your walks.

I will advise on the tour of Mad King Ludwig's castle, ride the little bus up (you still have to walk a way after the bus) or you may be too tired for the tour to enjoy it. I have heard several people comment on it. You can walk down but walking down is also strenuous because it is steep and requires a different type of walking.

I am 67 and went on a tour of Israel last year. It was fast pace and a lot of walking up and down hills. I made it just fine except there were a few uphills that I chose not to do.

I would recommend this folding PackSeat that folds down to 15 inches x 4 inches and the seat height is 21 inches. I attached it to the top of my day back pack with velcro.

Here is the link:

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___64467

Using a PackSeat enables you to sit down anytime you wish. The tour I was on was for senior citizens and about half had folding seats.

I would advise you to go at your own pace and enjoy the trip.

I took my 12 yr DD on a RS Family tour this past summer. It was 14 days long,, but follows almost the same routing and sightseeing stops as the 21 day tour, the Paris to Rome leg(in reverse).

I did not find the walking half as bad as I thought it might be.. and everyone on the tour did fine. Our youngest was only 7( she was almost 8) and the rest of us adults were mostly between 40-55 or so.
One lady found some the walk up to Neuschwienstien hard( she was a bit plump.. ) but everyone else did ok there. I would second previous posters advice though, DO take the tram up,, it is steep, but not a hike , just a steep road.

PACK LIGHT,, goodness, if this is the only thing you listen to on this board,, it would be enough. Take as little as you can. Period. Wash stuff in sinks. Do laundry,, but do not over pack. Wear comfy shoes.

When we went to Venice,, you have to leave the bus on the mainland and take a boat ride over .. and then walk to hotel.. The BEST advise ever was given to me by one lady who had done this RS tour before.
She told me , since we are only in Venice for 2 nights, to only bring ONE of our suitcases, not one each. So , I took only 2 days worth of clothing for each of us,, and packed it in one case, then the other case( which was now quite full)we left on the bus in what they call " deep storage" .The tour guide thought this was a great idea and suggested it to other families also. In Venice the little bridges has stairs built into them, so you have to carry your case up and down them. this lighter suitcase was the answer to many of us parents, ( I was travelling alone with a child, and I knew it would exhaust me to carry my suitcase and hers over the stairs.

You need to contact the RS ,, online here , and ask for the FREE tour DVD, it shows exactly how the 21 day tour will work,, and in fact it exagerates the walking a bit, we found it easy. On the DVD there was a lady who said she had knee surgery ,, but she manages fine.

Good luck

I've done two RS tours (17 day Italy and 14 day Ireland). On the Italy tour, the advertised walking was pretty accurate. On the Ireland tour, there was less walking than advertised, but not by much. The only "hikes" I did were on my own free time (Cinque Terre = 8 miles, Dingle Peninsula = 9 miles, plus plenty of long city hikes). The guides are very honest about the day's activities - you are typically welcome to opt out of the heavier days (we had many who stayed on the bus or skipped out on strenuous days). They just need to know where you are and that you're on your own.

As prior posters have mentioned, it's not just distance but standing - you might have a 2 hour visit to a museum where you are standing the entire time. Cobblestones and uneven surfaces are part of the deal in Europe, and in my opinion are more havoc on my hip joints than any long hike. And there are plenty of stairs, everywhere, and you can never count on an elevator. At least twice in Italy and once in Ireland, we hauled our bags over 10 city blocks from the bus to hotel. Packing light is essential. Also packing ibuprofin is a good idea.

So, if you are planning the trip, start planning your fitness regime in preparation. Work up to at least a couple days of five miles each. Take stairs instead of elevators. While you're at it, break in your shoes! You'll be glad you did.

I've taken Rick's 21-day tour and highly recommend it. I agree with the others about the bag; figure there are times you'll have to haul it several hundred yards, and at pretty much every hotel you'll be carrying it up a few flights of stairs.

I'd say you need to plan to be on your feet in 3-4 hour stretches, either standing or walking, at least 2x a day on the non-travel days. And its probably more than 2 miles. For example in Amsterdam we walked from the train station to the Van Gogh museum which is over 2 miles alone. And we visited other museums, had a nice walking tour of the city, etc.

And don't forget there are hills. The castle on the Rhine, up a hill. Rothenburg wasn't flat. Rome has hills and stairs. Italian hill town, goes without saying. Switzerland, you're staying in the Alps. Etc.

On my trip there were many people in their mid/late 60's, even one guy in his 70's. So its doable, and the pace isn't a jog. But you really DO need to be an active person.

You ought to call RS's company and talk to one of their reps; they can spend a bit more time describing the tour and helping you decide if its right for you. Its a fantastic trip, I hope you can take it!

Be ready for a lot of walking. Get in shape by walking before your trip. The more prepared you are to walk and climb stairs the more you will enjoy your trip. I think mall walking or just spending days shopping at the mall are good preparation for the type of walking you will be doing (mostly slower paced with lots of stopping and looking).

When you are in Europe, pace yourself. Be ready to say "enough" to preserve your health for another day. When you have gone as far as you can for one day, take a taxi back to your hotel and rest up for tomorrow. It's better to make an early day of it than lose the next day or two recovering from overdoing it.

Don't waste your energy, save it for the sites you want to see. If you aren't particularly interested in a site (or shopping), find a place to sit and rest (but don't do that at every site).