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For more than a decade, Viking River Cruises has taken discerning travellers on voyages of discovery along the great rivers and waterways of Europe, Russia, Ukraine and China. From thriving cities to charming villages and timeless pastoral landscapes to extraordinary natural wonders and fascinating historic sites, Viking River Cruises offers authentic, cultural encounters and deeply rewarding travel experiences —all graciously underpinned with world-class accommodation and amenities, impeccable service, and unparalleled industry experience.

Viking is the world’s leading river cruise company, with a fleet of 21 deluxe ships and more destinations than any other river cruise line. Viking River Cruises has also consistently been the recipient of industry awards, customer accolades, and praise from travel agents. A multiple recipient of the prestigious Travel + Leisure ‘World’s Best’ award, Viking River Cruises has also made the Conde Nast Traveler (US) 'Gold' List on numerous occasions and was voted ‘Best River Cruise Line’ by CruiseCritic.com for two consecutive years.

River cruising is one of the fastest-growing trends in travel, perfect for experienced or novice travellers alike. Once you’re settled aboard your Viking River Cruises ship, you’ll glide along the world’s most legendary rivers and watch the world come to you.

Unlike a coach tour where you spend more time on the road than in your destination, or an ocean cruise with endless hours at sea, with Viking River Cruises you’ll visit a port a day on virtually every itinerary. You’ll be surrounded by ever-changing scenery right in the heart of your destination. And our intimate ships (averaging just 150 guests) often dock right in the town centre, allowing you to walk off your ship into the heart of your destination.

Picture yourself gliding along the legendary rivers of some of the world's most fascinating countries, exploring the same waterways adventurers did centuries ago. Maybe one minute you're wandering the cobblestone streets of ancient Rüdesheim, chatting with the villagers about the local wines, and the next you're enjoying a concert in cosmopolitan Vienna. As with travellers of bygone days, you'll discovermysterious pagodas clinging to the cliffs of the Yangtze, romantic villages along the Danube or the majestic onion-domed churches of imperial Russia.

Your river cruise journey not only takes you to popular sites and destinations in Europe, Russia & Ukraine or China, but right into the heart of many of the country's small villages, providing a special 'insider's' perspective. Before long, you no longer feel like a visitor as you become completely immersed in a different culture.

In China, Viking cruise tours feature a combination of land stays in 5-star hotels and a cruise on the best ships sailing the Yangtze. On every itinerary, you'll see China's ancient wonders, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Terra Cotta Warriors and China's very lifeblood, the mighty Yangtze, as well as bustling modern Shanghai.

European cruises journey to many destinations ranging from quaint riverside towns to great historic cities. Choose to explore Holland's tulip fields, or indulge your taste for fine wines and cuisine in the culinary mecca of French Burgundy. Perhaps you'd prefer to explore World War II history on a trip to Nuremberg or through northern France to the Normandy beaches. If you love art and architecture, opt for a cruise that includes the masterpieces of Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum and the grandeur of Cologne's Dom, one of Europe's tallest Gothic cathedrals. Whatever your passion, we have an itinerary designed especially for you.

You’ll enjoy your home away from home onboard deluxe ships. River-view cabins, excellent dining, regional specialities and the amenities of a fine hotel, together with the friendly service from your English-speaking crew, ensure your comfort during your journey.

Viking River Cruise itineraries are designed to give you the best balance between time ashore, scenic cruising, and visits to a variety of places. Typically you’ll have at least one tour a day—morning or afternoon—with the balance of the day cruising through scenic countryside. Depending on your itinerary, on some days you will have longer tours that include lunch ashore, or you may have two tours (morning and afternoon) with lunch onboard your ship at mid-day. You’ll experience some cruising at night, and some itineraries include full days of scenic cruising.

In Europe and Russia, all meals are prepared onboard by European chefs, and consist of European-style food. In China, your meals are prepared by both European and Chinese chefs, and Swiss hotel management oversees your dining experience.

Breakfast is typically a buffet featuring fresh fruit, juices, pastries, eggs, cheeses and cold cuts or cereal; you can also order from featured “hot selections” of the day.

Lunch usually includes soup, a salad/sandwich bar, choice of entrée and dessert.

Dinner is a multi-course meal with a choice of entrées (typically including one regional speciality relevant to your destination).

In China, you’ll have Western-style lunches and dinners as well as family-style Chinese menus designed by celebrity chef Martin Yan.

All of the Viking River Cruise ships (except in Ukraine) are open-seating, meaning you may sit where you like. Table reservations are not accepted so that you are free to meet other passengers and make new friends.

Viking River Cruises offer onboard programmes to enhance your understanding of your destinations, including lectures, demonstrations and theme dinners with regional specialities. Depending on your itinerary, a folkloric group or local musicians may come aboard, or other activities may be hosted by your Cruise Manager. All ships have libraries and internet access; TV's with local & English programming are in all cabins except on Russia and Ukraine ships. On itineraries where your ship stays in port during the evenings or overnight, you may choose to enjoy a show, coffee, or dinner ashore on your own.

Viking River Cruises believes that travellers are able to appreciate their destination the most when they can dress comfortably. It is recommend you bring comfortable
walking shoes and modest, casual clothing for exploring ashore. Dinner attire is casual, open-necked shirts, dresses; no suits or ties are required. Captain’s Welcome Dinners and Farewell Nights are dressier but not formal.

Viking River Cruise cabins all include private bathrooms with showers and air conditioning/heat. Cabins on the Chinese ships all have private balconies. Many cabins have hotel-style beds and windows that open. All ships in Western Europe and China have in-room televisions offering local and some English programming. Russian and Ukrainian ships have a public colour television and a supply of movie videos. All ships have in-room phones for calling cabin-to-cabin except those in Russia and Ukraine; European cabin phones can also be used for ship-to-shore calls. Hairdryers and in-room safes are also provided on most ships. Internet service is available on all ships. For details specific to your ship, please see the ship and cabin information section for your itinerary.

All tours and shore excursions are included in your cruise price unless noted as “optional.” You will typically have an included tour each day. Information and pricing for “optional” tours will be available in detail onboard.

Some of your excursions are designed as panoramic tours or are shorter walking tours intended to give you an overview. Other excursions may focus on a particular attraction. Meals are generally served onboard ship or in a local restaurant.

Depending on the day’s schedule, you may be able to stay longer in the city or attraction to explore on your own. Your Tour Escort will let you know when you have this option. On some tours, coaches will drop off passengers for the walking portion of the tour, returning later for the return trip. Passengers typically cannot remain on the coach.

Our shore excursions include walking tours, panoramic coach tours and sometimes a combination of both. They often require a fair amount of walking, since many of Europe and Asia’s areas of interest are best accessed on foot. Some tours may require that you be on your feet for an extended period of time. Because of greater distances and more ancient sites, excursions in China can be more demanding than the European ones. To enjoy all of your excursions, you should be in good physical condition and able to walk easily over uneven pavement, cobblestone streets, or up and down stairs and inclines. You are free to skip a tour at any time.