Viking Cruises Presents "Great Homes, Gardens & Gin"

I was a big fan of the Downton Abbey, the British period drama series that aired on PBS for six seasons. And when I recall watching Downton Abbey, it brings to mind Viking River Cruises…  I dare to say that due to its sponsorship of the series, Viking River Cruises became a household name! So I was not surprised to see that Viking has partnered with Focus Features, Universal Pictures and

Carnival Films for the release of the new full-length film Downton Abbey, which by the way, was wonderful!

For years Viking has offered a variety of ways for its guests to experience life at Highclere Castle, the filming location of Downton Abbey. In celebration of the movie, the company developed a new Pre/Post Cruise Extension, “Great Homes, Gardens & Gin”  which was designed to give guests an exclusive look at several country estates that have served as the settings of the Downton Abbey series.

The extension includes a Viking's Privileged Access tour of Highclere Castle, the main filming location of "Downton Abbey" and current home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, as well as visits to Broughton Castle (filming location for "Wolf Hall"), Chavenage House, Highgrove House (private home of Charles, Prince of Wales) and the Bombay Sapphire Distillery.

The new five-day extension will be available in 2021 on Viking’s Rhine Getaway river cruise itinerary and British Isles Explorer ocean cruise itinerary.