Viking to Restart European River Sailings in July
by Jessica Montevago
The "Welcome Back" collection now includes river itineraries in Portugal, France, and along the Rhine.
Viking will restart its European river operations in July with select itineraries in Portugal, France and along the Rhine.
The announcement follows European Union decision Wednesday to reopen its borders to vaccinated Americans and other travelers.
The first five European river itineraries now available in July include: Rhine Getaway (8 days; Amsterdam to Basel), Portugal’s River of Gold (10 days; Lisbon to Porto), Paris & the Heart of Normandy (8 days; Paris roundtrip), Lyon & Provence (8 days; Avignon to Lyon) and France’s Finest, a 15-day journey that combines the northern and southern France itineraries.
The sailings will be available exclusively to vaccinated guests.
“The response to our initial Welcome Back ocean voyages has been overwhelmingly positive. It is clear that many people are eager to get back out into the world, and I would like to thank all of our destination partners for their support as we plan our return to service,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.
As part of Viking’s Welcome Back collection, the European river cruises join voyages in England, Iceland, Bermuda and the Mediterranean. Viking Venus and Viking Sea will homeport in the Maltese capital city of Valletta beginning in July and sail two different 11-day roundtrip itineraries in the Mediterranean. The Bermuda and Iceland sailings start next month. On the Bermuda Escape itinerary, the Viking Orion will homeport in Hamilton for eight-day roundtrip itineraries. On the Iceland’s Natural Beauty itinerary, the Viking Sky will homeport in Reykjavik for eight-day roundtrip itineraries.
Earlier this week Viking also named its newest ocean ship, Viking Venus, in England—and the ship is currently sailing her maiden voyage along the coast of England with Chairman Torstein Hagen on board.
The company said it is actively working on developing additional Welcome Back itineraries in a variety of other destinations, with the goal of announcing further 2021 sailings as soon as possible.
