Viking cruise vacation spot information: The very best itineraries on the line

Quick-growing Viking has one of the vital 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 provides river cruises on lots of the world’s main rivers. That is notably completely different from most cruise strains; usually, cruise strains function both ocean or river cruises, however not each.

Viking has a very giant footprint with regards to European river itineraries, with a variety of sailings on almost each European river of notice, 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 just lately started river journeys alongside the Mississippi as nicely.

As of the summer time of 2025, there have been 82 river ships in Viking’s fleet — an astounding quantity. None of its principal rivals amongst river strains catering to North People — 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 house turf. (The corporate was based by a Norwegian household.) However you may 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 things from eight-day cruises within the Mediterranean to 138-day around-the-world voyages. Overwhelmed with decisions? Listed here are the 5 greatest Viking cruise locations the place the road can really 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 desires to dominate.

Throughout summer time specifically, Viking devotes an unusually giant variety of its ships to itineraries round Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea and different Northern European locations resembling 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 resembling Copenhagen and Tallinn, Estonia.

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Notice 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 provides 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 far-off as France, Portugal and Spain are additionally accessible.

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 provides 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 principally 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 Japanese Mediterranean, in addition to a couple of 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 principally think about stops alongside the japanese aspect of the Adriatic Sea in Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro.

Within the Mediterranean, the road’s principal hubs are Barcelona, Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) and Venice, Piraeus (the port for Athens) and Istanbul.

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Europe riverways

Viking is, fairly merely, the large of river cruising in Europe — at the least, amongst strains that cater to English audio system. As of the summer time of 2025, the corporate operated greater than 70 river ships on a broad swath of the continent’s rivers — excess of every other river line catering to North People.

In all, the road accounts for about half of all river cruises taken by North People within the area. The subsequent largest participant in Europe river cruises for North People, AmaWaterways, is lower than half the dimensions.

Among the many rivers in Europe the place Viking has a significant presence are the Rhine, Most important 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 provided cruises on the Dnieper River in Ukraine.

On almost all of the rivers, the road provides 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 Most important and Danube rivers to days on the Rhine.

The Nile

Viking provides a few of the most intimate and chic cruises on the Nile, with seven vessels on the river as of this summer time and 5 extra scheduled to debut over the following two years.

Excluding two older vessels (Viking Ra and MS Antares), all these Viking ships on the Nile are a part of a new and significantly trendy 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 lodge 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 enduring 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 front room 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 an enormous progress space for the road. Viking just 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 out there for Antarctica cruises, partly as a result of they’ve a number of new and weird 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 provides a number of Antarctic itineraries, with the everyday journey beginning with an evening at a lodge 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 further days in Antarctica.

Viking additionally provides Antarctica sailings that mix a go to to the White Continent with stops within the Falkland Islands, Uruguay and Brazil.

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