The fast-growing Vikings is one of the most diverse itineraries on any cruise route.
The California-based company not only provides ocean cruises in every corner of the world, but also provides river cruises for many of the world’s major rivers. This is very different from most cruise routes. Usually, cruise lines can run ocean or river cruises, but not both.
The Vikings occupied a particularly large area of European river travel, from the Danube and the Rhine in Central Europe to Douro in Portugal, almost every European river sailed extensively.
The company also operates river travel on the Nile River in Egypt and the Mekong River in Southeast Asia, and has recently begun traveling along Mississippi Rivers.
As of the summer of 2025, there were 82 riverboats in the Viking fleet, which is an amazing number. Its main competitors have no ships close to that number of vessels in the river lines that supply North Americans, including the Avalon Waterway, Uniworld and Amawaterways.
Among marine cruise destinations, the Vikings had important operations in Scandinavia and Nordic Europe and considered their homes. (The company was founded by the Norwegian family.) However, you will find 12 traditional sea boats from the Vikings to all over North America to Asia and Australia. In 2022, the route also began cruising to Antarctica using its first expedition ship, a type of ship dedicated to traveling to remote, hard to reach places. The Vikings now have two such ships.
On the voyage of this line, from an eight-day cruise in the Mediterranean to a 138-day global trip. Choice overwhelmed? Here are the five best Viking cruise destinations, and this route can truly provide you with a memorable vacation.
Scandinavia and Nordic
Some of the most interesting itineraries of the Vikings were near the Scandinavian Peninsula and the Baltic Sea, many of whom started or ended in Norway – Torstein Hagen, the founder’s home and chairman.
As Hagen once told me, Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea are the reasons why the company considers the “Viking Nountry” that it wants to rule.
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Especially in summer, the Vikings traveled around Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea and other Nordic destinations (such as Iceland) with a very large number of ships. Many people use the relatively small but scenic Norwegian city of Bergen (population 286,000) as a portal, which is other behavior. This allows abnormal changes to occur during a typical Baltic Sea or Norwegian fjord cruise.
The most popular route in the region, “Viking Homes”, is a two-week one-way trip between Bergen and Stockholm, combining days to explore the fjord areas on the west coast of Norway, as well as more typical Baltic cruise destinations such as brother Hagen and Tallinnia, Estonia.
Related: The Final Guide to Viking Ship and Itinerary
Please note that before Russia invaded Ukraine, these itineraries also included visits to St. Petersburg, Russia – a weapon attraction for cruises in the Baltic region for a long time. But, like other cruise brands, Viking stopped all calls in Russia after the war began, and St. Petersburg was unlikely to return to the itinerary until the conflict was resolved.
Viking also offers a 14-night trip, including several stops at the northernmost end above the Arctic Circle. The one-way route between Bergen and London is known as the “Sun Entering Midnight”, which is unique because it combines the call of Farth-North Honningsvag with the Norwegian Tromso and visits Scotland’s remote Shetland and Orkney Islands. Despite being part of the UK, these island chains have long-standing ties to Norway and Viking history.
It also offers a trip to take you from Bergen to Iceland and even as far as France, Portugal and Spain.
The length of Vikings’ Scandinavian and Nordic trips range from just seven nights to a length of up to 28 nights.
Among the longest voyages of the Vikings, including Nordic calls, is a one-way 28-night voyage between Bergen and New York City. Travel includes stops in Norway, Iceland, Greenland and Canada.
In Northern Europe, the Vikings mostly sailed from Bergen, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Copenhagen, London and Reykjavik.
Mediterranean
The Vikings have grown into a major player in Mediterranean sailing, with more than 30 different itineraries including stops in the area.
These tours include sailings specifically for the Western Mediterranean Sea or the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, and some of them include parking in both areas.
The latter is typical of the series’ 14-night “Mediterranean Antiquities” route, a one-way trip between Athens, Greece and Barcelona and stops in Greece, Turkey, Italy, Italy, Monaco, France and Spain.
More concentrated Mediterranean itinerary includes the series’ nine-night “Mediterranean Empire”, with voyages between Venice, Italy and Athens mostly concentrated on stops on the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea in Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro.
In the Mediterranean, the main hubs of this line are Barcelona, Civitavecchia (port of Rome) and Venice, Pilaes (port of Athens) and Istanbul.
Related: Viking Cruise Cabin and Suite: A Guide to Everything You Want to Know
European River
The Vikings are simple, the giants who cruise the European rivers – at least in the lines suitable for English speakers. As of the summer of 2025, the company operated more than 70 riverboats in the vast rivers of the continent, far exceeding any other river line that caters to North Americans.
Overall, the line accounts for about half of all river cruises conducted by North Americans in the region. The next biggest player on the European River Cruise is the North American, the Amawaterways are less than half the size.
Among the European rivers that had important existence in Europe were the Rhine, mainly the Danube. The Seine River, Rona, Dodoen, Galone and Guirond in France; Douro in Portugal; and Moore and Elber in Germany. Until Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the Viking also provided a cruise to Ukraine’s Dnieper River.
On almost all rivers, this line offers multiple itineraries, ranging in length from seven nights to up to 22 nights.
Across the 10 different itineraries on the Rhine, just seven nights of “Rhine Vacation” from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland, and 22 nights of “European sojourn” from Amsterdam to Bucharest, Romania. The latter added a few days of travel to the Rhine and the Danube River.
Nile River
The Vikings offer some of the most intimate and elegant cruises on the Nile, with seven ships on the river as of this summer and five scheduled to debut on the river in the next two years.
All of these Viking ships on the Nile, apart from the two older ships (Viking RA and MS Antares), are new, especially part of the fashion series, which just started its debut in 2022.
All seven of the Vikings’ Nile boats operate the same seven-night Nile cruise, and the Vikings’ Vikings paired with a hotel in Cairo (three nights before the cruise, three nights one night) to create an 11-night trip to the Pharaoh and the Pyramids.
The cruise section of the tour includes a visit to the historic temples of Luxor, Karnak, Esna, Dendner and Abu Simbel, as well as a visit to the King’s iconic valley. Accommodation in Cairo brings a visit to the pyramids of Giza, Egyptian museums and other ruins.
Five of the new series of Viking ships that debuted in 2022 offer a clean, Scandinavian-influenced design that mimics the appearance of Viking’s European ships.
It is worth noting that these boats have a sprawling suite throughout, which can compete with anything else found on the Nile with luxury and comfort. Each of these suites has two full-size rooms – a large living room with a residential feel, and a neighborhood bedroom with walk-in closets and bathroom. Each suite also has an outdoor balcony with two seats, which you don’t always see on a Nile boat.
Antarctica
The Vikings are relatively newcomers to cruise to Antarctica, but the destination is a huge growth area for the route. Viking recently added two new 378 passenger expedition cruise ships, designed specifically for heading to the White Continent.
These ships are known as Viking Octantis, and the first of them began sailing to Antarctica in 2022. The second ship in the series, Viking Polaris, made its debut shortly thereafter. The two ships jointly caused waves in the Antarctic cruising market, partly because they had several new and unusual characteristics.
Most notably the hangar, which is an enclosed dock that allows passengers to transfer to two exploration vessels per ship while still in the protected interior of the ship. This is the first of an expedition ship, which can greatly improve the experience of passengers heading to Antarctic for exploration.
Related: 3 Types of Viking Ship
Another first time on another Polar Expedition cruise ship, each cabin of Viking Octagon and Viking Polaris has floor-to-ceiling glass walls that slide from the top to create a balcony-like feel.
The Vikings offered several Antarctic itineraries, a typical trip that started at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and then flew to Ushuaia, Argentina, boarded one of two expedition ships, heading towards the Antarctic and back. The longer version of this trip was on an Antarctica with 13 nights and extra days.
Viking also offers Antarctic voyages, which will visit the White Continent with the Falkland Islands, Uruguay and Brazil.
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