Courtesy: Rebecca Bradbury | News Source: cruise-international.com

“We have always had a strong vision for how to help guests explore the world in comfort. For 22 years, we have led the industry in defining what modern river cruising looks like for experienced travellers who have interests in history, art and culture,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.

The four new identical vessels, which will debut in 2020, are inspired by the design of the award-winning Viking Longships. By 2021, they will all be deployed on the cruise line’s eight-day Paris and the Heart of Normandy itinerary.

Viking Fjorgyn, Viking Kari, Viking Radgrid and Viking Skaga each host 168 guests in 84 staterooms. Although they are smaller than other Viking Longships, they feature many of the same features.

Among the similarities are the Aquavit Terrace, a wide variety of stateroom choices and onboard solar panels. Viking’s signature Scandinavian design aesthetic is present across the new ships too.

The vessels are also designed specifically to navigate the Seine and will dock in the centre of Paris next to the Eiffel Tower where the Paris and the Heart of Normandy cruise begins.

The roundtrip takes guests to Giverny, home to the beautiful gardens and farmhouse where Claude Monet lived and worked. It then calls at Rouen to trace the footsteps of Joan of Arc and Arromanches for the D-Day Museum.

Hagen added “We continue to lead because we focus on the destination, and we continue to innovate for our guests, offering them new and different opportunities for learning – and opening doors around the world at places that may otherwise have been difficult to visit.”

Viking will also launchViking Osiris on the Nile in December 2020.