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2021 sees Viking Venus debut in Northern Europe, Viking return to Istanbul

Eidfjord Norway - 2223
A Viking ship is pictured in Eidfjord, Norway, a stop on 'Viking Homelands,' one of the maiden season itineraries for Viking Venus PHOTO: Viking
Viking’s seventh ocean ship, Viking Venus, will join the fleet in early 2021 for a maiden season in Northern Europe.

The 930-passenger vessel will operate itineraries including ‘British Isles Explorer,’ 15 days between Bergen and London (Greenwich); ‘In Search of the Northern Lights,’ 13 days between London (Tilbury) and Bergen; ‘Viking Homelands,’ 15 days between Stockholm and Bergen, and ‘Into the Midnight Sun.’ 15 days between Bergen and Greenwich.

Five new Mediterranean itineraries

Viking also will expand its offerings in the Mediterranean with five new itineraries that include Istanbul, marking the company’s return to the iconic city. The new eight-day ‘Ancient Mediterranean Treasures’ will sail between Piraeus and Istanbul, with overnight stays in both.

Viking Sky will operate the program, starting in April 2021.

Longer versions of the itinerary include the 15-day ‘Ancient Adriatic Treasures,’ sailing between Venice and Istanbul, and ‘Ancient Mediterranean Antiquities,’ sailing between Civitavecchia (Rome) and Istanbul. Also available are the 22-day ‘Iconic Mediterranean Treasures,’ sailing between Barcelona and Istanbul, and the 29-day ‘Mediterranean’s Iconic Shores,’ which also sails between Barcelona and Istanbul and includes stops in Montenegro and Croatia.

'Privileged Access' opportunities

Viking’s ‘Privileged Access’ offers the chance to tour Istanbul’s Hagia Sofia free of crowds and, in Athens, the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation’s exhibit on British naval icon Vice Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson and a tour of the reconstructed ancient Athenian warship, the Olympias.

Other destinations include Çanakkale for the ruins of Troy and the battlefields of Gallipoli, Kuşadasi for ancient Ephesus, Rhodes with its walled city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; and Crete’s Heraklion for the Palace of Knossos.