Viking is celebrating that France and Portugal have now reopened to American travellers, as of last week, both countries now allow vaccinated visitors from the U.S. to arrive without further restriction.
Additionally, the European Union today recommended that its member countries begin lifting restrictions on American travellers, with a formal announcement expected on Friday. These positive developments come as Viking prepares to restart its European river operations in July 2021, starting with some of its most popular itineraries in Portugal and France.
Offered exclusively for vaccinated guests as part of Viking’s Welcome Back collection, limited space is still available on these river sailings with departures as early as July 2021.
Viking successfully restarted operations in May and has been sailing in England with British guests since May 22. Nearly 100 percent of guests on these sailings provided exceptionally high ratings. Yesterday, the company welcomed American guests back on board in Bermuda for the first of eight sailings of Bermuda Escape. Later this month, Viking will launch Welcome Back sailings around Iceland and in the Mediterranean.
With new summer and early fall 2021 sailing dates now available Viking’s Welcome Back river voyages in France and Portugal include:
River Departures – Voyages Beginning in July 2021
Portugal’s River of Gold (10 days; Lisbon to Porto) – Experience the renaissance of Lisbon, newly invigorated with trending galleries and restaurants. Explore two of Iberia’s oldest university towns: Coimbra, Portugal and Salamanca, Spain. Roam the port warehouses of Porto. Enjoy traditional cuisine, wine and fado singing. Cruise the Douro River Valley, the world’s oldest demarcated wine region and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our 10-day cruisetour includes a hotel stay in Lisbon and the added bonus of a visit to Spain. Multiple sailing dates July through October 2021.
Paris & the Heart of Normandy (8 days; Paris to Rouen to Paris) – Explore Giverny and visit the beautiful gardens and charming farmhouse where Claude Monet lived and worked – the setting that inspired many of his masterpieces. Trace the footsteps of Joan of Arc in Rouen. Walk hallowed ground at Normandy’s American Military Cemetery and World War II beaches. Savor Normandy cuisine. This 8-day cruise along the Seine River celebrates history, art, food and customs in the country’s most dazzling urbane and pastoral settings. Multiple sailing dates July through December 2021.
Lyon & Provence (8 days; Avignon to Lyon) – Tap into your inner van Gogh at an Arles painting class. Discover Roman Provence at Les Arènes amphitheater and the Pont du Gard. Explore Avignon’s Palace of the Popes. Excite your palate in Lyon, capital of French gastronomy. Savor Beaujolais wines. Hunt for truffles and see how chèvre cheese is made. Come witness the beauty that inspired artists like Cézanne and Chagall on this 8-day Rhône cruise. Multiple sailing dates July through November 2021.
France’s Finest (15 days; Paris to Avignon) – Pay your respects at Normandy’s World War II beaches. Walk in Joan of Arc’s footsteps at Rouen. Luxuriate in Paris’s sophistication. Savor Lyon’s culinary heritage. Toast the Beaujolais vineyards. Explore Avignon’s Palace of the Popes. Celebrate the Provençal lifestyle. Art, cuisine, style, joie de vivre—if you love everything Français, this is for you: a 15-day journey that combines our popular Paris & the Heart of Normandy and Lyon & Provence cruises into one tour de force. Multiple sailing dates in August and September 2021.