The back story
Fleet: 69 Viking Longships (Rhine, Main, Danube); 6 Douro, 6 Seine and 2 Elbe ships; 12 Nile ships; Viking Saigon and Viking Tonle (Mekong); Viking Brahmaputra and Viking Ganges (India); Viking Mississippi (vikingrivercruises.co.uk ship pages, Oct 2026) · Guests per ship: 52 (Viking Ra) to 190 (Viking Longships) in Europe and Egypt; 386 on Viking Mississippi (vikingrivercruises.co.uk, vikingcruises.co.uk) · What’s included: Return flights from London and selected regional airports, one excursion in every port, all onboard meals, beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner, Wi-Fi, port taxes and onboard gratuities (vikingrivercruises.co.uk, Oct 2026) · Age policy: No children under 18; no casinos (vikingrivercruises.co.uk, What Viking Is Not) · Founded: 1997 (vikingcruises.co.uk, About us) · Sails: Rhine, Main, Moselle, Danube, Seine, Rhône, Douro, Elbe, Dordogne, Garonne and Gironde; the Nile; the Mekong; the Mississippi; the Brahmaputra from 2027
-
V
The back story
Viking River Cruises·In depth
From a handful of river ships in 1997 to the long, low Longships that now define a Rhine or Danube cruise for thousands of travellers each summer.
The fleet
Who it suits. On a budget: First-timers who want one price to cover the essentials: an eight-day Rhine Getaway or Danube Waltz from £1,695 in a Standard Stateroom (vikingrivercruises.co.uk, Oct 2026), with an excursion in every port, wine and beer at lunch and dinner and the onboard gratuities included. Mid-range: A Veranda Stateroom or a two-room Veranda Suite (275 sq ft on the Longships), where the fare adds noon embarkation and you can step outside as the Danube or the Rhine slides past. Luxury: The Explorer Suites: 445 sq ft with a wraparound balcony at the stern of every Longship, 677 sq ft on the new Nile ships and 735 sq ft on the Mekong, each with the Silver Spirits beverage package, in-suite breakfast, laundry and private transfers included.
-
V
190 guests
Viking River Cruises·River ships · Longship class·€€€
Sixty-nine near-identical sister ships on the Rhine, Main and Danube, each with the Aquavit Terrace at the bow and a two-room suite at every turn.
-
V
106 guests
Viking River Cruises·River ships · Douro class·€€€
Six smaller Longships custom-built for Portugal’s Douro: Viking Gyda, Helgrim, Hemming, Osfrid, Sol and Torgil.
-
V
168 guests
Viking River Cruises·River ships · Seine class·€€€
Six ships with custom hulls and engines for the Seine, docking in central Paris a short walk from the Eiffel Tower.
-
V
98 guests
Viking River Cruises·River ships · Elbe class·€€€
Viking Astrild and Viking Beyla, with customised hulls and engines built for the historic Elbe.
-
V
82 guests
Viking River Cruises·Nile ships·€€€€
Viking-owned ships built for the Nile, including Viking Osiris (2022) and Viking Thoth (2025), with a pool on the sun deck and an Aquavit Terrace.
-
V
52 guests
Viking River Cruises·Nile ship · all suites·€€€€
An all-suite Nile ship for just 52 guests, refurbished in 2017, with a pool and two Jacuzzis on the sun deck.
-
M
62 guests
Viking River Cruises·Nile ship · classic·€€€€
A classic Nile ship owned and operated by Viking, refurbished in 2018, with staterooms from 290 to 829 sq ft.
-
V
80 guests
Viking River Cruises·Mekong ships·€€€€
Two 80-guest sister ships designed for the Mekong, with a pool, an open-air Sky Bar and a spa.
-
V
80 guests
Viking River Cruises·River ships · India·€€€€
Identical 80-guest sister ships built for India’s Brahmaputra, where Viking begins sailing in 2027.
-
V
386 guests
Viking River Cruises·River ship · North America·€€€
Viking’s American river ship, sailing between New Orleans and St Paul since 2022 with 193 all-outside staterooms.
