Quick-growing Viking has one of the crucial various arrays of itineraries of any cruise line.
Not solely does the California-based firm provide ocean cruises in virtually each nook of the world, it additionally affords river cruises on most of the world’s main rivers. That is notably completely different from most cruise traces; usually, cruise traces function both ocean or river cruises, however not each.
Viking has a very massive footprint in terms of European river itineraries, with a variety of sailings on practically each European river of observe, from the Danube and Rhine in Central Europe to the Douro in Portugal.
The corporate additionally operates river journeys on the Nile in Egypt and the Mekong in Southeast Asia, and it lately started river journeys alongside the Mississippi as properly.
As of the summer season of 2025, there have been 82 river ships in Viking’s fleet — an astounding quantity. None of its fundamental opponents amongst river traces catering to North Individuals — which embrace Avalon Waterways, Uniworld and AmaWaterways — have anyplace close to that variety of vessels.
Amongst ocean cruise locations, Viking has a significant presence in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, which it considers its residence turf. (The corporate was based by a Norwegian household.) However you will discover Viking’s 12 conventional ocean ships all over the place from North America to Asia and Australia. In 2022, the road additionally started cruising to Antarctica with its first expedition ship — a sort of vessel constructed particularly for journey to distant, hard-to-reach locations. Viking now has two such vessels.
Among the many line’s voyages, there’s all the pieces from eight-day cruises within the Mediterranean to 138-day around-the-world voyages. Overwhelmed with decisions? Listed below are the 5 finest Viking cruise locations the place the road can actually give you a memorable trip.
Scandinavia and Northern Europe
A few of Viking’s most fascinating itineraries are round Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea, with many starting or ending in Norway — the homeland of the corporate’s founder and chairman, Torstein Hagen.
As Hagen as soon as advised me, Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea are what the corporate considers “Viking nation” — a area the place it needs to dominate.
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Throughout summer season particularly, Viking devotes an unusually massive variety of its ships to itineraries round Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea and different Northern European locations reminiscent of Iceland. Many notably use the comparatively small however famously scenic Norwegian metropolis of Bergen, Norway (inhabitants 286,000) as a gateway, one thing no different line does. That permits for uncommon variations on the everyday Baltic Sea or Norwegian fjords cruise.
The road’s hottest route within the area, “Viking Homelands,” is a two-week-long, one-way journey between Bergen and Stockholm that mixes a number of days of exploring the fjord area of Norway’s west coast with extra typical Baltic cruise locations reminiscent of Copenhagen and Tallinn, Estonia.
Associated: The last word information to Viking ships and itineraries
Observe that, till Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, these itineraries additionally included a go to to St. Petersburg, Russia — lengthy the marquee attraction of a cruise within the Baltic area. However like different cruise manufacturers, Viking stopped all of its calls in Russia after the conflict started, and it is unlikely St. Petersburg will return to the itinerary till the battle is resolved.
Viking additionally affords a 14-night itinerary that features a number of stops within the northernmost a part of the nation above the Arctic Circle. Dubbed “Into the Midnight Solar,” the one-way route between Bergen and London is exclusive as a result of it combines calls in far-north Honningsvag and Tromso, Norway, with visits to Scotland’s distant Shetland and Orkney archipelagoes. Although a part of the UK, these island chains have longstanding ties to Norwegian and Viking historical past.
Itineraries that take you from Bergen to Iceland and even as distant as France, Portugal and Spain are additionally out there.
Viking’s Scandinavia and Northern Europe journeys vary extensively in size from simply seven nights to a whopping 28 nights.
Among the many longest sailings Viking affords that embrace calls in Northern Europe are one-way, 28-night voyages between Bergen and New York Metropolis. The journeys embrace stops in Norway, Iceland, Greenland and Canada.
In Northern Europe, Viking ships largely sail out of Bergen, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Copenhagen, London and Reykjavik.
The Mediterranean
Viking has grown into a significant participant in Mediterranean sailings, with greater than 30 distinct itineraries that embrace stops within the area.
The journeys embrace voyages centered particularly on both the Western or Jap Mediterranean, in addition to just a few that embrace stops throughout each areas.
Typical of the latter is the road’s 14-night “Mediterranean Antiquities” routing, a one-way journey between Athens, Greece, and Barcelona with stops in Greece, Turkey, Italy, Monaco, France and Spain.
Extra centered Mediterranean itineraries embrace the road’s nine-night “Empires of the Mediterranean” voyages between Venice, Italy, and Athens, which largely consider stops alongside the japanese facet of the Adriatic Sea in Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro.
Within the Mediterranean, the road’s fundamental hubs are Barcelona, Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) and Venice, Piraeus (the port for Athens) and Istanbul.
Associated: Viking cruise cabins and suites: A information to all the pieces you wish to know
Europe riverways
Viking is, fairly merely, the large of river cruising in Europe — not less than, amongst traces that cater to English audio system. As of the summer season of 2025, the corporate operated greater than 70 river ships on a broad swath of the continent’s rivers — way over every other river line catering to North Individuals.
In all, the road accounts for about half of all river cruises taken by North Individuals within the area. The subsequent largest participant in Europe river cruises for North Individuals, AmaWaterways, is lower than half the dimensions.
Among the many rivers in Europe the place Viking has a significant presence are the Rhine, Predominant and Danube in Central Europe; the Seine, Rhone, Dordogne, Garonne and Gironde in France; the Douro in Portugal; and the Moselle and Elbe in Germany. Till Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Viking additionally supplied cruises on the Dnieper River in Ukraine.
On practically all of the rivers, the road affords a number of itineraries with lengths starting from seven nights to as many as 22 nights.
Amongst 10 completely different itineraries on the Rhine alone, choices vary from a seven-night “Rhine Getaway” from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland, to a 22-night “European Sojourn” from Amsterdam to Bucharest, Romania. The latter provides journey on the Predominant and Danube rivers to days on the Rhine.
The Nile
Viking affords a number of the most intimate and chic cruises on the Nile, with seven vessels on the river as of this summer season and 5 extra scheduled to debut over the following two years.
Aside from two older vessels (Viking Ra and MS Antares), all these Viking ships on the Nile are a part of a brand new and significantly fashionable collection that simply started debuting in 2022.
All seven of Viking’s Nile ships function the identical seven-night Nile cruise itinerary that Viking pairs with a four-night keep at a resort in Cairo (three nights earlier than the cruise and one evening after) to create an 11-night “Pharaohs and Pyramids” tour of Egypt.
The cruise portion of the tour consists of visits to the historic temples of Luxor, Karnak, Esna, Dendera and Abu Simbel, in addition to a go to to the long-lasting Valley of the Kings. The keep in Cairo brings a go to to the pyramids of Giza, the Egyptian Museum and different websites.
The 5 vessels within the new collection of Viking ships that started debuting in 2022 provide a clean-lined, Scandinavian-influenced design that mimics the look of Viking’s Europe-based vessels.
Notably, the ships characteristic a complete deck of sprawling suites that rival the rest discovered on the Nile for luxurious and luxury. Every of those suites comes with two full-size rooms — a big lounge with a residential really feel and an adjoining bed room with a walk-in closet and toilet. Every suite additionally has an out of doors balcony with seating for 2 — one thing you do not all the time see on Nile ships.
Antarctica
Viking is a relative newcomer to cruises to Antarctica, however the vacation spot is a giant development space for the road. Viking lately added two new 378-passenger expedition cruise vessels particularly constructed to journey to the White Continent.
Dubbed Viking Octantis, the primary of those vessels started sailings to Antarctica in 2022. The second ship within the collection, Viking Polaris, debuted quickly thereafter. Collectively, the 2 ships have made waves available in the market for Antarctica cruises, partly as a result of they’ve a number of new and strange options.
Most notable is The Hangar, an enclosed marina that enables passengers to switch to 2 of every ship’s exploratory vessels whereas nonetheless within the protected inside of the ship. A primary for an expedition ship, it is one thing that considerably improves the expertise for passengers heading out on Antarctica exploration.
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In one other first for polar expedition cruise vessels, each cabin on each Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris has floor-to-ceiling glass partitions that slide partially open from the highest to create a balconylike really feel.
Viking affords a number of Antarctic itineraries, with the everyday journey beginning with an evening at a resort in Buenos Aires, Argentina, earlier than a flight to Ushuaia, Argentina, to board one of many two expedition ships for an 11-night cruise to Antarctica and again. An extended model of the journey options 13 nights on board one of many ships and additional days in Antarctica.
Viking additionally affords Antarctica sailings that mix a go to to the White Continent with stops within the Falkland Islands, Uruguay and Brazil.
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