Viking Announces July Return for European River Cruises

Viking is bringing back river cruises to Europe in July.

The cruise line announced the return of select itineraries in Portugal, France and along the Rhine as part of its "Welcome Back" collection of trips, on Wednesday, for vaccinated passengers.

The cruises available are some of Viking's most popular including an eight-day cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, a 10-day voyage from Lisbon to Porto, and multiple journeys in France ranging from 8 to 15 days.

"The response to our initial Welcome Back ocean voyages has been overwhelmingly positive," Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking, said in a press release this week. "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."

Courtesy of Viking

Viking's announcement comes immediately after the European Union announced that borders would reopen to vaccinated travelers, including those from the U.S.

Viking has already relaunched some of its ocean itineraries. The cruise line's newest ship, "Viking Venus," was named this week and is currently on its maiden voyage along the coast of England. Other itineraries in Iceland, Bermuda and the Mediterranean will launch in the coming weeks.

Related: Every Cruise Line Requiring Passengers to Be Vaccinated Before Boarding

The cruise line plans to announce more itineraries in more destinations, "with the goal of announcing further 2021 sailings as soon as possible."

All Viking cruises adhere to new COVID-19 policies, which require all passengers and crew to be fully vaccinated before boarding. Guests will also undergo saliva PCR testing during boarding and "frequent" testing throughout their journeys.

Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at caileyrizzo.com.