Best of Germany Austria and Switzerland activity level?

We did this tour 9 or 10 years ago when we were in our mid 70's and with similar health and stamina status. We did not have any difficulty with the walking. On RS tours much of the walking is really "strolling" with many stops for guides to talk. A lot of the walking is from the parking lot to the museum or whatever. Like maybe a quarter of a mile at a time. I didn't count steps and never noticed being particularly tired. In Murren, in particular, there are optional hiking activities that we did not participate in.

I strongly encourage you to figure out how to pack light. We have taken 6 RS tours with a carry on and a backpack each. No problems but it was a challenge the first time. Occasionally there is a fairly long walk from where the bus can park to the hotel, often on cobblestones. These are not fun even with only a carry on.

I have not taken that particular tour, but have been on 10 other RS tours. The walking tours are not forced marches! Even on the most “strenuous” days, it’s more like walking for a while, stopping to hear the guide talk, walk some more, take a break, walk again, have some free time to explore on your own (or sit in a coffee shop!), etc. I am 73 and don’t exercise all that much at home, but have not had any problems on these tours.

It’s up to you how much you participate on the tour - it’s your trip! You can skip almost anything as long as you inform the guide so he’s not worried about you. For instance, on a city walking tour, you could take a taxi back to the hotel if you get tired. Obviously when the group is changing locations and hotels, you have to go along, but even then, you could wait at a cafe for the group to return to the bus (you can’t actually wait ON the bus because this is the driver’s break time and he usually keeps the bus locked). I will say, however, that the guides and activities are so great, you won’t want to miss a thing!

I find that the days I walk the most are often days with a lot of free time where I pack in a lot of extra sightseeing. This is what I like about RS tours, a nice balance of organized activities and free time. You, of course, can do as much or as little as you want during free time.

As to luggage, a smaller suitcase is really best as you sometimes have to move it yourself several blocks to and from the hotel. This is the trade-off for staying right on the heart of older European cities and towns. As long as you can handle your own luggage, you can bring whatever you want, and I have seen some people on these tours with very large suitcases. However, I have traveled for as much as five weeks with a 21” rolling suitcase (I still check it on the airplane because I hate dragging it around the airport and lifting it over my head) and a large tote. Most hotels where you stay for two nights will do laundry for a price (I splurge on this often). You can also do sink laundry (I don’t, except for very small items) or use local laundromats (kind of fun in Europe). Your tour leader will give advice on this.

Very helpful to get input from folks who have actually been on this tour.

I took this tour in 2016 when I was 67. I was doing this back to back with a Road Scholar hiking tour so I had trained and upped my walking to between 5-8 miles. I did not find this tour particularly strenuous. One of the full days in Switzerland has the potential to be the most strenuous but you are on your own those days so you can choose how much you want to do. As it was, I did an easy hike on one of the days with 2 other solo women, one of whom was not a hiker so we did an easy trail (mostly paved!).

You always have the ability to opt out of activities except on a transit day and generally those activities are not strenuous, just enough to get you off the coach for a short while.

I'm a light packer so can't really address your question about a full suitcase. What size do you mean? 28"? or bigger? On the night we spent in Hallstatt we had to manage our luggage from the bus to a boat across the lake, then from the dock up to the hotel. On departure we had to roll them thru town to the bus parking lot. There is plenty of room in the bus's luggage bay as it is a 50-person bus that has up to 28 people on it.

I pack light because I add time before or after a tour and need to be able to handle my luggage on and off trains. When I took the tour it started in Trier so I stayed a few days in Paris and took the train to Trier, changing at the Saarbrucken station.

I took this tour last June. I didn't think it was particularly strenuous. It was a bit of an uphill trek to one of the castles, but you can take a small bus up to it for a euro or two. About a third of the group did that. In Murren, everything you choose to do is pretty much optional. The most strenuous activity was rolling out suitcases uphill to the hotel. Even that wasn't overly steep. As for general walking daily, there are lots of stops.

Take everyone's advice about packing lightly. A couple of our hotels didn't have a lift (or if it did, it was tiny - think: one person with one roll-on bag). You'll be happier with a lightweight bag when you're lugging it up several flights of stairs. With that said, if you want a larger suitcase, go for it! No one will stop you :)

Have fun - it's a great tour!

Kristen