It’s difficult to keep a count of the number of vessels operated by Viking River Cruises, with regular fleet expansions announced. As of today, the river cruise line operates dozens of river vessels sailing throughout Europe, China and Southeast Asia, made up mostly by the distinctive Viking Longships.
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Modern, sleek and inspired by Scandinavian design, these exceptional ships are named after legendary Norse mythology figures to showcase the brand’s heritage. One example is the Viking Longship Atla, named after an iconic Norse water goddess, often associated with the legend of mermaids – a fitting theme for the Viking fleet, symbolic of ancient wisdom and water exploration.
The history of Viking River Cruises can be traced back to the mid 1990’s when its chairman and founder, Torstein Hagen, took a life-changing river cruise that inspired him to found his own river cruise company, marketing an immersive river travel experience to a mature target audience.
The initial fleet launched with four river vessels purchased in 1997, before acquiring a large portion of the long-established KD River Cruises in 2000 to bring the total number of vessels to 26. That means, even 25 years ago, it owned more vessels than any other river cruise line, and this allowed valuable access to convenient docking ports across Europe.
2004 saw expansion into China with Yangtze River Cruises and cruise tours which took in such key Far East cities as Shanghai and Beijing, closely followed by Southeast Asia and a range of Mekong itineraries. Following this continued growth, 2015 was the launch of Viking’s first ocean vessel – Viking Star – marking an exciting debut in ocean travel.
