LOS ANGELES — Viking has opened the books on its 2026 season of European river voyages.

The early opening, says the river cruise line, is in response to strong demand among North American travellers. The 2024 season is already nearly sold out 2024 season and the 2025 season is also selling well.

To entice travellers to book early, Viking’s Holiday Sale runs now through Dec. 31, 2023 and includes up to free international airfare, special fares and a $25 deposit on all 2026 European river voyages, as well as other river, ocean and expedition voyages.

The 2026 season will include a wide range of popular itineraries in Europe, including:

• Danube Waltz (8 days, Budapest-Passau): This itinerary includes such highlights as a soothing steam at a Budapest thermal bath, a waltz lesson at a Viennese dance school, an exclusive visit to Göttweig Abbey as well as time in lesser-known Central European cities like Bratislava and Passau. 
• Rhine Getaway (8 days, Amsterdam-Basel)): Guests will sail from Amsterdam to Basel on this comprehensive journey, during which they’ll sample white wines of the region, savour the cuisine of Alsace, and explore the grand cathedrals and medieval towns of the Middle Rhine.
• Paris & the Heart of Normandy (8 days, Paris roundtrip): While on this journey, guests will dock in the heart of Paris to admire views of the Eiffel Tower, visit Normandy’s beaches, and explore the house and gardens where Claude Monet lived and worked in Giverny.
• Lyon & Provence (8 days, Lyon-Avignon): Highlights of this itinerary, which sails along the Rhône, include an Arles painting class, truffle hunting in Lyon, and a visit to Avignon’s Palace of the Poes, the world’s largest Gothic palace.
• Portugal’s River of Gold (10 days, Lisbon-Porto): Guests will explore two of Iberia’s oldest university towns – Coimbra, Portugal and Salamanca, Spain – during this cruise. Other highlights include a visit to port warehouses in Porto and a hotel stay in Lisbon.

Viking recently announced that it will welcome an additional 10 Viking Longships to its river fleet by the end of 2026. Currently under construction, eight of the new vessels will sail Viking’s itineraries on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers, while two additional Longships will join the fleet on the Seine River. To meet strong demand, five of the new vessels will be delivered in 2025, with the remaining five to be delivered the following year.