{"id":242696,"date":"2026-05-27T20:00:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T20:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/viking-cruise-destination-guide-the-best-itineraries-at-the-line-the-points-guy\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T20:00:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T20:00:55","slug":"viking-cruise-destination-guide-the-best-itineraries-at-the-line-the-points-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/viking-cruise-destination-guide-the-best-itineraries-at-the-line-the-points-guy\/","title":{"rendered":"Viking cruise destination guide: The best itineraries at the line – The Points Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Fast-growing Viking<\/a><\/span> has one of the most diverse arrays of itineraries of any cruise line.<\/p>\n

Not only does the California-based company offer ocean cruises in almost every corner of the world, it also offers river cruises on many of the world’s major rivers. That’s notably different from most cruise lines; typically, cruise lines operate either ocean or river cruises, but not both.<\/p>\n

Viking has a particularly large footprint when it comes to European river itineraries, with a wide range of sailings on nearly every European river of note, from the Danube and Rhine in Central Europe to the Douro in Portugal.<\/p>\n

The company also operates river trips on the Nile<\/a><\/span> in Egypt, the Mekong in Southeast Asia and the Mississippi River in the United States<\/a><\/span>, and it soon will launch its first river trips in India.<\/p>\n

As of the spring of 2026, there were 90 river ships in Viking’s fleet \u2014 an astounding number. None of its main competitors among river lines catering to North Americans \u2014 which include Avalon Waterways, Uniworld and AmaWaterways \u2014 have anywhere near that number of vessels.<\/p>\n

Among ocean cruise destinations, Viking has a major presence in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, which it considers its home turf. (The company was founded by a Norwegian family.) But you’ll find Viking’s 12 traditional ocean ships everywhere from North America to Asia and Australia. In 2022, the line also began cruising to Antarctica with its first expedition ship \u2014 a type of vessel built specifically for travel to remote, hard-to-reach places. Viking now has two such vessels.<\/p>\n

Among the line’s voyages, there’s everything from seven-night cruises in the Mediterranean to 169-night around-the-world voyages. Overwhelmed with choices? Here are the five best Viking cruise destinations where the line can truly offer you a memorable vacation.<\/p>\n

Scandinavia and Northern Europe<\/h2>\n
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Bergen, Norway. RYHOR BRUYEU\/GETTY IMAGES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some of Viking’s most interesting itineraries are around Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea, with many beginning or ending in Norway \u2014 the homeland of the company’s founder and chairman, Torstein Hagen.<\/p>\n

As Hagen once told me, Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea are what the company considers “Viking country” \u2014 a region where it wants to dominate.<\/p>\n

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During summer in particular, Viking devotes an unusually large number of its ships to itineraries around Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea and other Northern European destinations such as Iceland. Many notably use the relatively small but famously scenic Norwegian city of Bergen, Norway<\/a><\/span> (population 294,000) as a gateway, something no other line does. That allows for unusual variations on the typical Baltic Sea or Norwegian fjords cruise.<\/p>\n

The line’s most popular route in the region, “Viking Homelands,” is a two-week-long, one-way trip between Bergen and Stockholm that combines several days of exploring the fjord region of Norway’s west coast with more typical Baltic cruise destinations such as Copenhagen and Tallinn, Estonia.<\/p>\n

Related: The ultimate guide to Viking ships and itineraries<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Note that, until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, these itineraries also included a visit to St. Petersburg, Russia \u2014 long the marquee attraction of a cruise in the Baltic region. But like other cruise brands, Viking stopped all calls in Russia after the war began, and it’s unlikely St. Petersburg will return to the itinerary until the conflict is resolved.<\/p>\n

Viking also offers a 14-night itinerary that includes several stops in the northernmost part of the country above the Arctic Circle. Dubbed “Into the Midnight Sun,” the one-way route between Bergen and London is unique because it combines calls in far-north Honningsvag and Tromso, Norway, with visits to Scotland’s remote Shetland and Orkney archipelagoes. Though part of the United Kingdom, these island chains have longstanding ties to Norwegian and Viking history.<\/p>\n

Itineraries that take you from Bergen to Iceland or even as far away as France, Portugal and Spain are also available.<\/p>\n

Related: Why I love Viking ocean ships for exploring the world<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Viking’s Scandinavia and Northern Europe trips range widely in length from just seven nights to a whopping 28 nights.<\/p>\n

Among the longest sailings Viking offers that include calls in Northern Europe are one-way, 28-night voyages between Bergen and New York City. The trips include stops in Norway, Iceland, Greenland and Canada.<\/p>\n

In Northern Europe, Viking ships mostly sail out of Bergen, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Copenhagen, London and Reykjavik.<\/p>\n

The Mediterranean<\/h2>\n
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ALASTAIR MILLER\/VIKING CRUISES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Viking has grown into a major player in Mediterranean sailings, with more than 30 distinct itineraries that include stops in the region.<\/p>\n

The trips include voyages focused specifically on either the Western or Eastern Mediterranean, as well as a few that include stops across both areas.<\/p>\n

Typical of the latter is the line’s 14-night “Mediterranean Antiquities” routing, a one-way trip between Athens, Greece, and Barcelona with stops in Greece, Turkey, Italy, Monaco, France and Spain.<\/p>\n

More focused Mediterranean itineraries include the line’s nine-night “Empires of the Mediterranean” voyages between Venice, Italy, and Athens, which mostly concentrate on stops along the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea in Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro.<\/p>\n

In the Mediterranean, the line’s main hubs are Barcelona; Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) and Chioggia (near Venice) in Italy; Piraeus, Greece (the port for Athens); and Istanbul.<\/p>\n

Related: Viking cruise cabins and suites: Everything you want to know<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Europe riverways<\/h2>\n
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\"Viking<\/div>
Viking longship in Durnstein. VIKING<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Viking is, quite simply, the giant of river cruising in Europe \u2014 at least, among lines that cater to English speakers. As of the spring of 2026, the company operated more than 70 river ships on a broad swath of the continent’s rivers \u2014 far more than any other river line catering to North Americans.<\/p>\n

In all, the line accounts for about half of all river cruises taken by North Americans in the region. The next biggest player in Europe river cruises for North Americans, AmaWaterways, is less than half the size.<\/p>\n

Among the rivers in Europe where Viking has a major presence are the Rhine, Main 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. Until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Viking also offered cruises on the Dnieper River in Ukraine and on Russian waterways.<\/p>\n

Related: TPG’s guide to Europe river cruising<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

On nearly all the rivers, the line offers multiple itineraries with lengths ranging from seven nights to as many as 22 nights.<\/p>\n

Among 10 different itineraries on the Rhine alone, offerings range from a seven-night “Rhine Getaway” from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland, to a 22-night “European Sojourn” from Amsterdam to Bucharest, Romania. The latter adds travel on the Main and Danube rivers to days on the Rhine.<\/p>\n

The Nile<\/h2>\n
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GENE SLOAN\/THE POINTS GUY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Viking offers some of the most intimate and elegant cruises on the Nile, with eight vessels on the river as of this spring and six more scheduled to debut over the next two years.<\/p>\n

With the exception of two older vessels (Viking Ra and MS Antares), all these Viking ships on the Nile are part of a new and particularly stylish series<\/a><\/span> that just began debuting in 2022.<\/p>\n

All seven of Viking’s Nile ships operate the same seven-night Nile cruise itinerary that Viking pairs with a four-night stay at a hotel in Cairo (three nights before the cruise and one night after) to create an 11-night “Pharaohs and Pyramids” tour of Egypt.<\/p>\n

The cruise portion of the tour includes visits to the historic temples of Luxor, Karnak, Esna, Dendera and Abu Simbel, as well as a visit to the iconic Valley of the Kings. The stay in Cairo brings a visit to the pyramids of Giza, the new Grand Egyptian Museum and other sites.<\/p>\n

Related: The ultimate guide to Egypt cruising and cruisetours<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The six vessels in the new series of Viking ships that began debuting in 2022 offer a clean-lined, Scandinavian-influenced design that mimics the look of Viking’s Europe-based vessels.<\/p>\n

Notably, the ships feature an entire deck of sprawling suites that rival anything else found on the Nile for luxury and comfort. Each of these suites comes with two full-size rooms \u2014 a large living room with a residential feel and an adjacent bedroom with a walk-in closet and bathroom. Each suite also has an outdoor balcony with seating for two \u2014 something you don’t always see on Nile ships.<\/p>\n

Antarctica<\/h2>\n
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VIKING CRUISES<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Viking is a relative newcomer to cruises to Antarctica, but the destination is a big growth area for the line. Viking added two 378-passenger expedition cruise vessels<\/a><\/span> in 2022 that were specifically built to travel to the White Continent and has two more of these ships on order for delivery in 2030 and 2031, respectively.<\/p>\n

Dubbed Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, the first two ships in this series made waves in the market for Antarctica cruises, in part because they have several new and unusual features.<\/p>\n

Most notable is The Hangar, an enclosed marina that allows passengers to transfer to small boats for exploration while still in the protected interior of the ship. A first for an expedition ship, it’s something that significantly improves the experience for passengers heading out on Antarctica excursions.<\/p>\n

Related: The 3 types of Viking ships, explained<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In another first for polar expedition cruise vessels, every cabin on both Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris has floor-to-ceiling glass walls that slide partially open from the top to create a balconylike feel.<\/p>\n

Viking offers several Antarctic itineraries, with the typical trip starting with a night at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, before a flight to Ushuaia, Argentina, to board one of the two expedition ships for an 11-night cruise to Antarctica and back. A longer version of the trip features 13 nights on board one of the ships and extra days in Antarctica.<\/p>\n

Viking also offers Antarctica sailings that combine a visit to the White Continent with stops in the Falkland Islands, Uruguay and Brazil.<\/p>\n

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Fast-growing Viking has one of the most diverse arrays of itineraries of any cruise line. Not only does the California-based company offer ocean cruises in almost every corner of the world, it also offers river cruises on many of the world’s major rivers. That’s notably different from most cruise lines; typically, cruise lines operate either […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":242697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-242696","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}