Viking Celebrates the Start of its 2025 European River Season with Three Brand New Voyages
Spring has sprung and with it Viking is taking a cue from nature and offering its guests new beginnings and novel adventures. Viking is celebrating the start of its 2025 European river season as its award-winning fleet of Viking Longships embark on voyages across the continent’s most scenic waterways.
Viking’s River Voyages in Europe:
This season, Viking is proud to announce its expansion of destination-focused offerings via the introduction of seven new European river sister ships which host 190 or fewer guests.
Below are the three new itineraries Viking embarks on this year, plus some of our other beloved Viking voyages.
Three Brand New River Cruises
From March through December, Viking offers three new itineraries on the Rhine, Main, and Seine rivers:
The Rhine & Main Explorer is an 11 day voyage from Nuremberg to Basel. The itinerary explores the hidden gems of southern Germany, Switzerland, and France, including Basel, Switzerland’s capital of culture, Frankfurt’s dynamic cityscape, and the quaint medieval towns of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. Turreted castles, rolling vineyards, and a fascinating blend of old and new await Viking’s guests!
Christmas on the Rhine & Main is an 11 day itinerary from Nuremberg to Basel which captures the magic of Europe’s Christmas markets along the Rhine and Main rivers. Guests can wander through festive stalls in Basel and Karlsruhe, explore Strasbourg’s Alsatian traditions, and Nuremberg’s legendary Christkindlesmarkt all while sipping mulled wine and enjoying handcrafted holiday treats.
Viking’s Christmastime in Paris & Normandy is an 8-day Paris roundtrip adventure in which guests celebrate the holiday season in the “City of Light” then take in the serene landscapes of Normandy, explore the charming riverside town of Rouen, and soak in the cheerful atmosphere of Christmas markets before returning to Paris to take in dazzling world-famous holiday illuminations.
Viking’s Spectacular River Cruises
The Rhine Getaway (8 days; Basel – Amsterdam) allows guests to travel one of Europe’s most beloved rivers, dotted with turreted fortresses, grand cathedrals, historic cities, medieval towns and stunning scenery of the Middle Rhine—a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Within terraced vineyards dating back to Roman times, guests savor renowned white wines and sample the culinary traditions of Alsace. Calls in Amsterdam, Cologne and Basel, round out a once in a lifetime journey.
Danube Waltz (8 days; Budapest – Passau) offers guests the chance to soak in a Budapest thermal bath, learn to waltz at a Viennese dance school, sample Austro-Hungarian cuisine in Vienna and Budapest, glimpse daily monastic life on an exclusive visit to Göttweig Abbey, and gaze upon the Wachau Valley’s beauty. Lesser-known Central European cities like Bratislava and Passau are also included.
Romantic Danube (8 days; Budapest – Regensburg) offers visits to Budapest’s Castle District, Göttweig Abbey, and Salzburg, as well as the chance to make dumplings with Wachau Valley apricots and spend two days in Vienna including a concert featuring works by Mozart and Strauss.
Paris & the Heart of Normandy is an 8 day Paris roundtrip journey with views of the Eiffel Tower and visits to the Normandy beaches, plus the charming house and gardens where Claude Monet lived and worked. This trip celebrates history, art, food, and customs in France’s most compelling town and city settings.
Grand European Tour is a 15 day Amsterdam to Budapest adventure in which guests visit a 900-year-old castle with views of the Rhine Valley, learn the Viennese waltz, visit Melk’s Benedictine Abbey, and sample the culinary delights of Austria’s Wachau Valley.
The Rhine, Main, and Danube Rivers offer scenic views of windmill-dotted waterways in Holland and stunning landscapes in Hungary.
Portugal’s River of Gold is a 10-day Lisbon to Porto experience of Salamanca, Spain, Lisbon, and two of Iberia’s oldest university towns: Coimbra, Portugal. Traditional cuisine, wine, and fado singing is enjoyed as guests cruise the Douro River Valley, the world’s oldest demarcated wine region and a UNESCO Site. The journey includes a hotel stay in Lisbon and the added bonus of a visit to Spain.
Looking Ahead: 2026 European River Season
Viking’s 2026 European river season now includes even more ways of exploring the region via the addition of four more sister ships in the Viking Longships fleet. In 2026 Viking adds four new, fully guided, three or four-night Pre and Post Extensions that feature Privileged Access® to museums, local cuisine dining, vineyard visits, cooking classes, and scenic rail travel. Additionally, we offer more time to personalize your journey with optional excursions, including:
Best of Holland which features Delft’s Royal Dutch Delftware Manufactory, the Hague’s landmarks, the masterpieces on display at the Mauritshuis Museum and Rijksmuseum, plus Gouda’s historic sites.
Best of Belgium includes three of its most captivating cities: Brussels, Bruges, and Antwerp, Europe’s legendary diamond capital.
Reims & Champagne features lush vineyards with a taste of champagne and exquisite cuisine, plus a visit to the grave of Dom Pérignon, and the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Champagne region. Included are Reims Cathedral and the Châteaux de Vaux-le-Vicomte, an inspiration for Versailles.
St. Moritz, Lombardy & Alpine Train includes a journey aboard the Bernina Express along a UNESCO World Heritage Site route through the Alps and Northern Italy. Chur, Saint Moritz, and Milan are highlights.
Swiss Alps & Scenic Train is a journey through the Swiss Alps as travel by train on the scenic GoldenPass railway. Lake Geneva and the beautiful Jungfrau region wait to be explored!
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