About Viking
Our history
"We had a vision that travel could be more destination-focused and culturally enriching. We wanted to offer experiences designed for the thinking person."
Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking
Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking
Viking was founded in 1997 with the vision that travel could be more destination focused and culturally immersive. In 2000, the company purchased Europe’s KD River Cruises in order to grow its fleet, to leverage 40 years of river cruising experience and to acquire rights to prime docking locations in key European cities.
The company expanded into the American market in 2000, establishing a sales and marketing office in Los Angeles, California. Since then, Viking has grown to be the leading small ship travel company, offering river, ocean and expedition voyages on all seven continents.
With an operational office in Basel, Switzerland, Viking provides destination-focused itineraries for curious travelers. Each journey includes a shore excursion in every port and an onboard and onshore enrichment program that provides deep immersion in the destination through performances of music and art, cooking demonstrations, informative port talks and carefully selected guest lecturers.
Viking currently operates a fleet of state-of-the-art ships that have received numerous accolades since their launch from industry experts and travelers alike. We have more than 250 awards, including being rated at the top of our categories for oceans, rivers and expeditions by both Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler. No other cruise line has ever received these same honors by both publications at the same time.
