viking travel petersburg

Petersburg is located on Mitkof Island in the heart of the Inside Passage and the Tongass National Forest. It is home to over 3,000 permanent residents and known for its busy fishing harbor and Norwegian heritage. Coho Salmon fill the waters around Petersburg in abundance each summer and Norwegian culture is celebrated annually in May at Petersburg’s Little Norway Festival. Petersburg also boasts pristine walking and hiking trails, incredible flightseeing trips over the coastal mountains, beautiful kayaking locations, wonderful whale watching opportunities, and access to LeConte Glacier, the southernmost tidewater glacier in North America. If you want to experience Alaska in the summer without be crowded out by large cruise ships, this is the destination for you!

Petersburg Tours 2024

Contact viking travel to book.

907-772-3818 or 800-327-2571

Whale Watching

Make memories on a tour of Frederick Sound with its snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and marine life. Search for the largest marine mammals; humpback and killer whales. You will venture through Fredrick Sound to see playful marine life, beautiful sea birds, and landscapes! Sit back, relax, and enjoy your comfortable booth seat and take in the scenery.

4-6 hours – 4 person min -- AM tours available

• $380 per person

Half or Full Day Sport Fishing

Petersburg waters are filled with Alaska’s famous salmon, halibut, and a variety of bottom fish. Choose between a salmon or halibut charter and your captain will take you to the best grounds of the day! Fishing licenses, bait, tackle, and safety equipment are included. There are a few processors in town with a range of prices depending on the time of the season. Both processors ship across the country or prepare your fish to be picked up in a freezer box! At the end of the trip, your guide will help coordinate the processing of your fish (processing cost not included).

4 hours -- 3 person min – AM & PM tours available

• $315 per person half day
• $415 per person full day

LeConte Glacier

LeConte Glacier is North America’s southernmost tidewater glacier, combining snow-covered peaks at heights of 4,000+ feet, roaring waterfalls, colossal icebergs, all set among playful seals & sea lions, bald eagles, and the occasional mountain goat. The massive ice field stretches over 120 miles and is active, advancing, and frequently calving. The vessels provided are roomy, have heated cabins, restrooms, elevated seating, and deck space for sightseeing and photography.

4 hours -- 4 person min -- AM & PM tours available

• $275 per person

Glacier Flightseeing

Meet at the floatplane base for your 45-minute flight to nearby LeConte Glacier, the southernmost tidewater glacier in North America. Taxi out into the harbor, then take off into the wind and climb out over Frederick Sound. Watch for seals, eagles, and mountain goats near the hanging glaciers and the creation of icebergs falling off the face of the majestic glacier.

1 hour -- 4 person min/6 person max -- AM & PM flights available

• $298 per person

Ravens Roost Hike

Your tour starts as you shuttle to the Ravens Roost trailhead via picturesque Sandy Beach Road. Your driver and guide, born and raised in Alaska, will explain life in our small village along the way. Arrive at Outlook Park, a covered Nordic-themed timber framed shelter with spotting scopes overlooking Frederick Sound. The shelter was built by a local shipwright and is reminiscent of Norwegian Longboats and stave churches. From here you’ll continue to the trailhead at Sandy Beach Park. Your guide will escort you along Ravens Roost trail through muskeg and rainforest to an overlook of Fredrick Sound and the beautiful Coastal Mountain range. Look for Alaska wildflowers and the bear’s-favorite, Skunk Cabbage along the trail. Great views of Frederick Sound and the Alaska’s Inland Passage archipelago await at a lookout spot one mile up the trail. You’ll return with your guide and continue in the shuttle on a different route back to Main Street to continue your adventure in Alaska’s Little Norway. The hike is 2 miles round trip with approximately 500ft of elevation gain.

2.5 hours -- 4 person min/20 person max -- AM & PM tours available

• $70 per person

Best Of Petersburg

Your driver and guide, born and raised in Alaska, will explain life in our small town. Enjoy the short drive through the community to Sandy Beach. You will be able to get out of the bus for a walk around, photo opportunity, and a chance to hear some local history of this park. Continue along Sandy Beach Road to the Whale Observatory at Outlook Park. Outlook Park is a covered viewing area offering fixed binoculars to look for humpback whales and native birds. You'll board back onto the bus and drive "out the road" as locals call it. You will pass canneries and the Alaska Marine Lines yard where all goods coming into Petersburg arrive. Next stop will be at Falls Creek Waterfall. Falls Creek has an impressive waterfall and salmon fish ladder. Your guide will explain the life cycle of salmon, their role in the local environment, and their importance on the local economy. Along the way back to town you will see and learn about muskeg, bear's-favorite Skunk Cabbage, Alaska wildflowers and berries, and lodgepole pines.

2 hours -- 4 person min/20 person max -- AM & PM tours available

**(Handicap Accessible Tour - Tour bus has a wheelchair lift)**

Historical Walking Tour

After meeting your guide at the docks, guests will walk down historic Sing Lee Alley and onto our downtown Nordic Drive while hearing about the history of Alaska's Little Norway, including the importance of the fishing industry. Small groups of 12 offer you an excellent way to ask questions and get a personalized experience. The tour will then take you to the Clausen Museum where you will have time to explore the current exhibits. Photographs and fishing industry-related items are among the collection’s strengths. Other represented areas include Tlingit artifacts and art, logging and woodworking tools, domestic items, natural resource displays, an extensive rock collection, and artifacts documenting early 20th century businesses and societies.

1 hour -- 12 person max -- AM & PM tours available

• $135 flat rate

Harbor Dock Walk

You will be met by a local guide who is either a retired commercial fisherperson or someone involved in the fishing industry for a walk through the harbors. Commercial fishing is the lifeblood of this coastal community. The three harbors are homeport to over 400 commercial and sport vessels. It’s common to see many types of boats, such as tug-boats, small cruise ships, charter boats, salmon trollers, seiners, gillnetters, long-liners and crabbers. You will often see fishermen at work while you stroll the docks. You will learn about the different types of fishing gear groups and how they work, and find out about the sustainability of the fisheries. You might even hear a story or two from the fishermen preparing their boats.

45 minutes -- 12 person max -- AM & PM tours available

• $135 flat rate per tour

Ohmer Creek Walk

Your tour will begin by driving out the local highway to the Ohmer Creek trailhead, led by your local Alaska Native guide. During this walking tour of the Tongass National Forest you will learn about Alaska Native life and their relationships with local plants and animals used for medicinal and household purposes. Enjoy the views of the forest and ponds along the way and travel across a floating walking bridge. Trails are low incline but can be muddy. Proper hiking footwear & rain gear are recommended. Total walking distance is approximately 2 miles.

4 hours -- 5 person min/22 person max -- AM & PM tours available

• $134 per person

Town That Fish Built

This driving tour stops at breath taking viewpoints that will help the visitors see just why Petersburg is recognized as the town that fish built. Tour guides will pick up guests and begin their tour passing Petersburg’s three harbors illustrating just how much commercial fishing is the backbone of our community. Petersburg has the largest halibut fleet in the world and at one time was the shrimp capital as well. We will then proceed through town sharing the history of Petersburg and talk about the business that built around our fishing fleet and their families. We will pass by processing plants, explaining their work and the impact they have on the town. The tour will then go to the north end of our community to our, Whale Observatory where we could see. The tour will end at our Sandy Beach Recreational Park where stories about local indigenous peoples (Tlingits) and their fish traps that date back thousands of years will be shared.

1.5 hours -- 6 person min/22 person max -- AM & PM tours available

• $35 per person

Sea Kayak Tour

Paddle the Wrangell Narrows from Petersburg out into Frederick Sound or up Petersburg Creek with our experienced guides. Enjoy the stunning scenery of the coast range and the islands. We regularly see sea lions, bald eagles, seals, and a wide variety of seabirds. There is also a chance that you will get to see bears or moose from shore and orcas, humpback whales, or porpoises out on the water. Petersburg Creek hosts salmon runs that encourage animal activity in the area. Icebergs dot the eastern side of Frederick Sound and occasionally float over to the west side in large tides. On clear sunny days you can expect panoramic views of glaciers and Devil's Thumb and even on cloudy days you can see the beautiful glaciers of the coast range to the east. Guides will decide on the direction of travel based on tide and weather conditions of the day.

3 hours – 4 min/6 max

• $165 per person

LeConte Glacier Kayak Tour

Captain Logan will take you in the Tongass Jem up to the LeConte Glacier, the southernmost tidewater glacier in the northern hemisphere. After enjoying the breathtaking scenery and wildlife at the glacier, you will return to the mouth of the bay for a long paddle through the icebergs. You may see whales, harbor seals and their pups (in May), birds, and large iceberg calving events. This is a long day, supported by a warm cabin with a bathroom, and hot drinks. Guests should bring their own food.

7 hours – 4min/6max

• $485 per person

Anan Bear Observatory from Banana Point

Every year, from early July into mid-August, as many as 300,000 salmon return to spawn in Anan Creek. That means the Anan Bear & Wildlife Observatory is a paradise for bears. It is also one of the few places in the world where black and brown bears share the same fishing spot. Anan is located within the Tongass National Forest and has special protected status for two miles on either side of the creek. Anan is only accessible by boat, so your tour begins at Banana Point with a comfortable Jet Boat ride to the shore near Anan Creek. After a half mile hike on the trail you will arrive at spacious observation decks overlooking two cascading waterfalls. The viewing platform overlooks a small waterfall. The bears gather where the fish pool together, attempting to leap over the falls. The bears are interested only in the fattiest parts of the fish, so there’s plenty left for other animals: bald eagles, ravens, otters, harbor seals, and more. The bears are habituated to human presence on the viewing platform, so they simply go about their business of eating and getting fat for the winter. It is truly a spectacular experience.

9 hours -- AM tours available departing from Banana Point

• $450 per person

Stikine River Adventure from Banana Point

This fun, high-speed Shakes Glacier tour takes you to Shakes Lake/Glacier where we explore the icebergs, waterfalls, and great sights of the area. Fun is the name of the game on this glacier tour with some exciting stops. Includes the running of several sloughs on our way up river to Shakes Lake and a different route on the way downstream on your way back to Wrangell.

4 hours -- AM & PM tours available departing from Banana Point

• $310 per person

Shuttle to/from Banana Point

A 11-passenger van will take you on a 45-minute drive from downtown Petersburg to Banana Point.

• $125 flat rate up to 11 (one way)
• $175 flat rate up to 20 (one way)

11 Passenger Van or 20 Passenger Bus Rental (with Driver)

• Call for pricing

Design + Development by Seattle Software Solutions, LLP © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Petersburg is located on Mitkof Island in the heart of the Inside Passage and the Tongass National Forest. It is home to over 3,000 permanent residents and known for its busy fishing harbor and Norwegian heritage. Coho Salmon fill the waters around Petersburg in abundance each summer and Norwegian culture is celebrated annually in May at Petersburg’s Little Norway Festival. Petersburg also boasts pristine walking and hiking trails, incredible flightseeing trips over the coastal mountains, beautiful kayaking locations, wonderful whale watching opportunities, and access to LeConte Glacier, the southernmost tidewater glacier in North America. If you want to experience Alaska in the summer without be crowded out by large cruise ships, this is the destination for you!

Petersburg Tours 2024

Contact viking travel to book.

907-772-3818 or 800-327-2571

Whale Watching

Make memories on a tour of Frederick Sound with its snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and marine life. Search for the largest marine mammals; humpback and killer whales. You will venture through Fredrick Sound to see playful marine life, beautiful sea birds, and landscapes! Sit back, relax, and enjoy your comfortable booth seat and take in the scenery.

4-6 hours – 4 person min -- AM tours available

• $380 per person

Half or Full Day Sport Fishing

Petersburg waters are filled with Alaska’s famous salmon, halibut, and a variety of bottom fish. Choose between a salmon or halibut charter and your captain will take you to the best grounds of the day! Fishing licenses, bait, tackle, and safety equipment are included. There are a few processors in town with a range of prices depending on the time of the season. Both processors ship across the country or prepare your fish to be picked up in a freezer box! At the end of the trip, your guide will help coordinate the processing of your fish (processing cost not included).

4 hours -- 3 person min – AM & PM tours available

• $315 per person half day
• $415 per person full day

LeConte Glacier

LeConte Glacier is North America’s southernmost tidewater glacier, combining snow-covered peaks at heights of 4,000+ feet, roaring waterfalls, colossal icebergs, all set among playful seals & sea lions, bald eagles, and the occasional mountain goat. The massive ice field stretches over 120 miles and is active, advancing, and frequently calving. The vessels provided are roomy, have heated cabins, restrooms, elevated seating, and deck space for sightseeing and photography.

4 hours -- 4 person min -- AM & PM tours available

• $275 per person

Glacier Flightseeing

Meet at the floatplane base for your 45-minute flight to nearby LeConte Glacier, the southernmost tidewater glacier in North America. Taxi out into the harbor, then take off into the wind and climb out over Frederick Sound. Watch for seals, eagles, and mountain goats near the hanging glaciers and the creation of icebergs falling off the face of the majestic glacier.

1 hour -- 4 person min/6 person max -- AM & PM flights available

• $298 per person

Ravens Roost Hike

Your tour starts as you shuttle to the Ravens Roost trailhead via picturesque Sandy Beach Road. Your driver and guide, born and raised in Alaska, will explain life in our small village along the way. Arrive at Outlook Park, a covered Nordic-themed timber framed shelter with spotting scopes overlooking Frederick Sound. The shelter was built by a local shipwright and is reminiscent of Norwegian Longboats and stave churches. From here you’ll continue to the trailhead at Sandy Beach Park. Your guide will escort you along Ravens Roost trail through muskeg and rainforest to an overlook of Fredrick Sound and the beautiful Coastal Mountain range. Look for Alaska wildflowers and the bear’s-favorite, Skunk Cabbage along the trail. Great views of Frederick Sound and the Alaska’s Inland Passage archipelago await at a lookout spot one mile up the trail. You’ll return with your guide and continue in the shuttle on a different route back to Main Street to continue your adventure in Alaska’s Little Norway. The hike is 2 miles round trip with approximately 500ft of elevation gain.

2.5 hours -- 4 person min/20 person max -- AM & PM tours available

• $70 per person

Best Of Petersburg

Your driver and guide, born and raised in Alaska, will explain life in our small town. Enjoy the short drive through the community to Sandy Beach. You will be able to get out of the bus for a walk around, photo opportunity, and a chance to hear some local history of this park. Continue along Sandy Beach Road to the Whale Observatory at Outlook Park. Outlook Park is a covered viewing area offering fixed binoculars to look for humpback whales and native birds. You'll board back onto the bus and drive "out the road" as locals call it. You will pass canneries and the Alaska Marine Lines yard where all goods coming into Petersburg arrive. Next stop will be at Falls Creek Waterfall. Falls Creek has an impressive waterfall and salmon fish ladder. Your guide will explain the life cycle of salmon, their role in the local environment, and their importance on the local economy. Along the way back to town you will see and learn about muskeg, bear's-favorite Skunk Cabbage, Alaska wildflowers and berries, and lodgepole pines.

2 hours -- 4 person min/20 person max -- AM & PM tours available

**(Handicap Accessible Tour - Tour bus has a wheelchair lift)**

Historical Walking Tour

After meeting your guide at the docks, guests will walk down historic Sing Lee Alley and onto our downtown Nordic Drive while hearing about the history of Alaska's Little Norway, including the importance of the fishing industry. Small groups of 12 offer you an excellent way to ask questions and get a personalized experience. The tour will then take you to the Clausen Museum where you will have time to explore the current exhibits. Photographs and fishing industry-related items are among the collection’s strengths. Other represented areas include Tlingit artifacts and art, logging and woodworking tools, domestic items, natural resource displays, an extensive rock collection, and artifacts documenting early 20th century businesses and societies.

1 hour -- 12 person max -- AM & PM tours available

• $135 flat rate

Harbor Dock Walk

You will be met by a local guide who is either a retired commercial fisherperson or someone involved in the fishing industry for a walk through the harbors. Commercial fishing is the lifeblood of this coastal community. The three harbors are homeport to over 400 commercial and sport vessels. It’s common to see many types of boats, such as tug-boats, small cruise ships, charter boats, salmon trollers, seiners, gillnetters, long-liners and crabbers. You will often see fishermen at work while you stroll the docks. You will learn about the different types of fishing gear groups and how they work, and find out about the sustainability of the fisheries. You might even hear a story or two from the fishermen preparing their boats.

45 minutes -- 12 person max -- AM & PM tours available

• $135 flat rate per tour

Ohmer Creek Walk

Your tour will begin by driving out the local highway to the Ohmer Creek trailhead, led by your local Alaska Native guide. During this walking tour of the Tongass National Forest you will learn about Alaska Native life and their relationships with local plants and animals used for medicinal and household purposes. Enjoy the views of the forest and ponds along the way and travel across a floating walking bridge. Trails are low incline but can be muddy. Proper hiking footwear & rain gear are recommended. Total walking distance is approximately 2 miles.

4 hours -- 5 person min/22 person max -- AM & PM tours available

• $134 per person

Town That Fish Built

This driving tour stops at breath taking viewpoints that will help the visitors see just why Petersburg is recognized as the town that fish built. Tour guides will pick up guests and begin their tour passing Petersburg’s three harbors illustrating just how much commercial fishing is the backbone of our community. Petersburg has the largest halibut fleet in the world and at one time was the shrimp capital as well. We will then proceed through town sharing the history of Petersburg and talk about the business that built around our fishing fleet and their families. We will pass by processing plants, explaining their work and the impact they have on the town. The tour will then go to the north end of our community to our, Whale Observatory where we could see. The tour will end at our Sandy Beach Recreational Park where stories about local indigenous peoples (Tlingits) and their fish traps that date back thousands of years will be shared.

1.5 hours -- 6 person min/22 person max -- AM & PM tours available

• $35 per person

Sea Kayak Tour

Paddle the Wrangell Narrows from Petersburg out into Frederick Sound or up Petersburg Creek with our experienced guides. Enjoy the stunning scenery of the coast range and the islands. We regularly see sea lions, bald eagles, seals, and a wide variety of seabirds. There is also a chance that you will get to see bears or moose from shore and orcas, humpback whales, or porpoises out on the water. Petersburg Creek hosts salmon runs that encourage animal activity in the area. Icebergs dot the eastern side of Frederick Sound and occasionally float over to the west side in large tides. On clear sunny days you can expect panoramic views of glaciers and Devil's Thumb and even on cloudy days you can see the beautiful glaciers of the coast range to the east. Guides will decide on the direction of travel based on tide and weather conditions of the day.

3 hours – 4 min/6 max

• $165 per person

LeConte Glacier Kayak Tour

Captain Logan will take you in the Tongass Jem up to the LeConte Glacier, the southernmost tidewater glacier in the northern hemisphere. After enjoying the breathtaking scenery and wildlife at the glacier, you will return to the mouth of the bay for a long paddle through the icebergs. You may see whales, harbor seals and their pups (in May), birds, and large iceberg calving events. This is a long day, supported by a warm cabin with a bathroom, and hot drinks. Guests should bring their own food.

7 hours – 4min/6max

• $485 per person

Anan Bear Observatory from Banana Point

Every year, from early July into mid-August, as many as 300,000 salmon return to spawn in Anan Creek. That means the Anan Bear & Wildlife Observatory is a paradise for bears. It is also one of the few places in the world where black and brown bears share the same fishing spot. Anan is located within the Tongass National Forest and has special protected status for two miles on either side of the creek. Anan is only accessible by boat, so your tour begins at Banana Point with a comfortable Jet Boat ride to the shore near Anan Creek. After a half mile hike on the trail you will arrive at spacious observation decks overlooking two cascading waterfalls. The viewing platform overlooks a small waterfall. The bears gather where the fish pool together, attempting to leap over the falls. The bears are interested only in the fattiest parts of the fish, so there’s plenty left for other animals: bald eagles, ravens, otters, harbor seals, and more. The bears are habituated to human presence on the viewing platform, so they simply go about their business of eating and getting fat for the winter. It is truly a spectacular experience.

9 hours -- AM tours available departing from Banana Point

• $450 per person

Stikine River Adventure from Banana Point

This fun, high-speed Shakes Glacier tour takes you to Shakes Lake/Glacier where we explore the icebergs, waterfalls, and great sights of the area. Fun is the name of the game on this glacier tour with some exciting stops. Includes the running of several sloughs on our way up river to Shakes Lake and a different route on the way downstream on your way back to Wrangell.

4 hours -- AM & PM tours available departing from Banana Point

• $310 per person

Shuttle to/from Banana Point

A 11-passenger van will take you on a 45-minute drive from downtown Petersburg to Banana Point.

• $125 flat rate up to 11 (one way)
• $175 flat rate up to 20 (one way)

11 Passenger Van or 20 Passenger Bus Rental (with Driver)

• Call for pricing

Design + Development by Seattle Software Solutions, LLP © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Viking Travel, Inc.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Viking Travel, Inc. - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

Viking Travel, Inc.

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

VIKING TRAVEL, INC. (Petersburg) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Viking Travel, Inc.

• See all photos

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Viking Travel, Inc. - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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Entrepreneurs in the small Southeast Alaska town of Petersburg built this agency, initially specializing in independent outdoor trips in their own area. Today, besides offering all the usual services of a travel agency, they plan trips for the whole state, offer money-saving airfare packages, and book all the region's ferries without surcharge. Get on their list, and they will book your cabins and vehicle reservations on the first day the system makes them available.

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By Chris Basinger  

Viking Travel charts new path

February 9, 2023

Chris Basinger / Petersburg Pilot

Dave and Nancy Berg passed ownership of Viking Travel on to James and Madeleine Valentine at the start of the new year. From left to right: James Valentine, Madeleine Valentine, Dave Berg, and Nancy Berg.

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The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Viking cruise ship

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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 ocean cruises or river cruises but not both. That gives them a smaller range of itineraries.

For more cruise guides, tips and news, sign up for TPG’s cruise newsletter .

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 any note, from the Douro in Portugal to (until recently) the Volga in Russia.

The company also operates river trips on the Nile in Egypt and the Mekong in Southeast Asia, and it just began river trips on the Mississippi River .

There are 80 river ships in Viking’s fleet — an astounding number. None of its main competitors among river lines catering to North Americans, which include Avalon Waterways, Uniworld and AmaWaterways , have anywhere near that number of vessels.

Related: First look at Viking’s stylish new Nile River ship

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.) However, you’ll find Viking’s nine traditional ocean ships everywhere from North America to Asia and Australia.

Last year, the line began cruising to Antarctica with its first expedition ship — a type of vessel built specifically for travel to remote, hard-to-reach places. Viking now has two such vessels.

Among the line’s voyages, there’s everything from eight-day cruises in the Mediterranean to 138-day 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.

Scandinavia and Northern Europe

Some of Viking’s most interesting itineraries are around Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea, with many beginning or ending in Norway — the homeland of the company’s founder and chairman, Torstein Hagen.

As Hagen once told me, Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea are what the company considers “Viking country” — a region where it wants to dominate.

During summers, in particular, Viking devotes an unusually large number of its ships to itineraries around Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea and other Northern Europe destinations such as Iceland. Many, notably, use the relatively small but famously scenic Norwegian city of Bergen (population 286,000) as a gateway, something no other line is doing. That allows for unusual variations on the typical Baltic Sea or Norwegian fjords cruise.

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 St. Petersburg, Russia, and Helsinki.

Related: The ultimate guide to Viking ships and itineraries

Note that, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Viking has pulled the St. Petersburg stop, as well as stops in Finland and Estonia from the Viking Homelands itinerary; the trips instead feature extra stops in Norway and Denmark. It’s unlikely St. Petersburg will return to the itinerary until the war in Ukraine is resolved.

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 Islands and the Orkney Islands. Though part of the United Kingdom, these archipelagos have ties to Norwegian and Viking history.

Itineraries that will take you from Bergen to Iceland or even as far away as France, Portugal and Spain also are available.

Viking’s Scandinavia and Northern Europe trips range widely in length from just seven nights to a whopping 28 nights.

Among the longest sailings that 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.

In Northern Europe, Viking ships mostly sail out of Bergen, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Copenhagen and London as well as Reykjavik.

The Mediterranean

Viking has grown into a major player in Mediterranean sailings, with more than 30 distinct itineraries that include stops in the region.

The trips include voyages focused specifically on the Western Mediterranean or Eastern Mediterranean and some that include stops across both areas.

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

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

In the Mediterranean, the line’s main hubs are Barcelona; Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) and Venice, Italy; Piraeus (the port for Athens), Greece; and Istanbul.

Related: The complete guide to Viking cabins and suites  

Europe riverways

Viking is, quite simply, the giant of river cruising in Europe — at least among lines that cater to English speakers. The company operates around 70 river ships on a broad swath of the continent’s rivers — far more than any other river line catering to North Americans.

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.

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 recently, Viking also offered cruises on the Dnieper River in Ukraine. The voyages have been suspended since Russia invaded the country in early 2022.

On nearly all of the rivers, the line offers multiple itineraries with lengths ranging from seven nights to as many as 22 nights.

Among 10 different itineraries on the Rhine River 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.

Viking offers some of the most intimate and elegant cruises on the Nile, with three ships including the recently unveiled, 82-passenger Viking Osiris — one of our favorite vessels on the river.

All three 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.

Related: The ultimate guide to Viking’s loyalty program

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 Egyptian Museum and other sites.

Viking Osiris is the first of four sister ships that Viking plans to launch on the Nile by 2025 as it doubles its footprint in Egypt. The vessels offer a clean-lined, Scandinavian-influenced design that mimics the look of Viking’s Europe-based vessels.

Notably, the ship features an entire deck of sprawling suites that rival anything else found on the Nile for luxury and comfort. Each comes with two full-size rooms — 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 — something you don’t always see on Nile ships.

Viking is a newcomer to cruises to Antarctica, but the destination is a big growth area for the line. Viking recently added two new, 378-passenger expedition cruise vessels specifically built to travel to the White Continent.

Dubbed Viking Octantis, the first of these vessels began sailings to Antarctica in February 2022. The second ship in the series, Viking Polaris, has just joined its sister in Antarctica this year. Together, the two ships are already making waves in the market for Antarctica cruises, in part because they have several new and unusual features.

Most notable is The Hangar, an enclosed marina that allows passengers to transfer to two of each ship’s exploratory vessels while still in the protected interior of the ship. A first for an expedition ship, it’s something that is significantly improving the experience for passengers heading out on Antarctica exploration.

Related: The 3 types of Viking ships, explained

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 balcony-like feel.

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.

Viking also offers Antarctica sailings that combine a visit to the White Continent with stops in the Falkland Islands, Uruguay and Brazil.

Viking Octantis, notably, also operated Viking’s first sailings around the Great Lakes this year. In 2023, both Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris will spend their summers in the Great Lakes.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• 15 ways cruisers waste money
• 15 best cruise ships for people who never want to grow up
• What to pack for your first cruise

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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.