Viking Heimdal: 206 departures, the fullest calendar in our entire Viking fleet
Measured on 25 August 2026: 206 departures, of which 72 from Lyon to Avignon and 40 from Avignon to Lyon. None of the 70 Viking ships we sell offers more. The runner-up, Viking Kari on the Seine, has 193.
The Rhône in a week
Two hundred and fifty kilometres separate Lyon from Avignon, and they cross three different Frances. Lyon first, a city of confluence and a capital of the table, where the bouchons serve what nobody else would dare put on a plate. Then the valley tightening between the Massif Central and the Alps, where the vines of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage cling to granite slopes. Finally Provence, which begins without warning somewhere past Montélimar: the light changes, the roofs flatten, the cicadas take over.
It is the only European river where you feel yourself pass from one climate to another so distinctly in three days of sailing.
The mistral, and what it does
This northerly wind runs down the valley for days at a stretch, most often in spring and autumn. It blows hard, it cools things abruptly, and it scrubs the sky to a blue that nineteenth-century painters came looking for on purpose.
In practice: pack a windbreaker even in June, and know that the sun deck can turn inhospitable for a few hours. In exchange, the light on those days is the best of the trip.
The hull: a Longship, 190 berths
135 metres, 190 guests, 53 crew, 95 staterooms: 25 Standard, 22 French Balcony, 39 Veranda, 7 Veranda Suites and 2 Explorer Suites. One crew member for every 3.58 guests, a ratio belonging to the Longship class — it does not hold across the rest of Viking's river fleet, where it falls to 1.71 on the Nile.
Viking Buri runs the same route with 182 departures, and Viking Delling with 173.
Heimdall, who hears the grass grow
Heimdall guards the Bifröst bridge at the entrance to Ásgard. The texts say he sees a hundred leagues by day and by night, that he hears grass growing and wool lengthening on the backs of sheep, and that he sleeps less than a bird. He was born of nine mothers, the daughters of Ægir, which the sources never explain.
Getting there from Montreal
Lyon receives no direct flight from Montreal: one connection, usually through Paris, Frankfurt or Amsterdam, then a short hop to Lyon-Saint-Exupéry. Marseille, an hour from Avignon by train, also requires a connection. Viking Lofn completes the series on this river with 169 departures.
What happens when you book with us
First a fact you can verify in 30 seconds: from a Quebec address, Viking's reservations site does not answer and sends you to a page inviting you to contact an agent. The agency is not an added intermediary, it is the only route open.
Then a method. A Viking River Cruises advisor confirms in writing the exact fare, what the package covers and what it does not, before any deposit. That is what Quebec consumer protection rules require, and we participate in the compensation fund for travel agency customers.
