Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are entirely our own, and we have not been compensated in any way for these opinions.
We have been on several river cruises with Viking, including sailings on the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers. All of the river cruises have been excellent, and if you have not sailed on a Viking River cruise, we encourage you to give it a try. You can find articles about some of our river cruise experiences here, under the Viking Tab.
In October of 2021 we decided to again join Viking on an Ocean cruise, this time in the Mediterranean.
Viking Cruises
Before we discuss the cruise itinerary, you may appreciate some general information about Viking. Founded in 1997, Viking Cruises has grown to be the world’s leading river cruise line and has expanded to include an ocean fleet that now sails around the world. In 2022, Viking launched new expedition voyages, sailing to Antarctica, the Arctic and North America’s Great Lakes. Also in 2022, Viking will expand its destination-focused travel experiences with the launch of Mississippi River cruises. You can see all of their cruise options on their site here.
We have written a few previous articles that you may wish to peruse that will help you understand what to expect when sailing with Viking.
If you would like to understand the differences between sailing with Viking on an ocean cruise as opposed to a river cruise, then this article, Viking Cruises – River versus Ocean can help you understand those differences.
If you would like information regarding life on board one of a Viking’s Ocean ships, we cover those details within our previous article, Iceland’s Natural Beauty – A Viking Ocean Cruise.
We also know that first time cruisers may have many more questions about what to expect during the cruise itself. You can find some additional information in another article, Viking Cruises Frequently Asked Questions
Venice, The Adriatic and Greece – Itinerary
Now that we have discussed some general information, let’s get started with the cruise itinerary. The cruise we sailed on was called the Iconic Adriatic Antiquities. The Iconic Adriatic Antiquities cruise actually consists of two back-to-back ocean cruises. The first cruise and the focus of this article, is Venice, The Adriatic and Greece, which sails from Venice to Athens. You can click this link that covers the second cruise, Journey to Antiquities, which sails from Athens to Rome.
Embarkation
While our ocean cruise started in Venice, we spent Four Days in Florence and Tuscany before traveling to Venice. If you would like more information on that pre-cruise extension, please click on the link to that article.
Upon arriving in Venice, we were taken by bus to the Venice Cruise Terminal for the check-in process. Italy no longer allows cruise ships to dock at the terminal itself. They have determined that the large ships have caused too much damage to the fragile channels and adjacent buildings. As a result, ships must now dock miles away from the city, at less picturesque spots. Our ship was docked in Fusina, about 30 minutes away by bus.
TIP: Cruise ships may be docked at a number of docks up and down the coast, so be sure to check the specific docking information for your cruise before arrival. Some docks can be up to an hour away from Venice. However, you may still need to go to the old cruise port for processing before being bused to your ship for embarkation.
The infrastructure for processing cruise passengers did not exist at Fusina, where our ship was docked, so the embarkation process was still being performed in the Venice Cruise Terminal. Since we traveled while health protocols were still in place, the Italian government conducted an on-site antigen test prior to boarding. It took several hours to be processed by both Italy and Viking before being transferred to the ship. You may want to have a good meal (or take some snacks) before going to the terminal, since the check-in process could be lengthy.
We boarded our ship, the Viking Jupiter, around 2 PM. Upon arrival to our stateroom, we found the Viking Daily newsletter on our coffee table. This newsletter is delivered each evening throughout the cruise and provides information regarding the events for the next day, including meeting times for excursions, along with other general announcements. Above is a picture of the Viking Daily we received on the first day.
After unpacking we headed out to explore the ship and grab a bite to eat. Since it was now around 2:30 PM, the only restaurant open was the pool bar, and there were quite a few people ahead of us. So, we just decided to return to our room and order room service, which is available 24 hours a day.
After a long day, we relaxed in the Explorer’s Lounge for drinks and then had dinner in the World Café.
Ports of Call
We are both outdoors-type people and like to walk/hike, so we tried to select excursions that tended to lean toward more demanding physical activity. However, Viking offers plenty of excursions that are not as physically demanding, but still allow folks to see all the iconic sights. With so many excellent excursions, it was difficult to choose! But in this article, we are recapping only the activities and excursions that we selected for our itinerary.
• Venice
Unfortunately, we really did not have much time in Venice. We selected an excursion that started early in the morning, but the ‘back on board’ time was 1:30 PM, so we really only had the morning for exploring the city. Keep in mind that since the ships are docked so far from the city, the commute to and from the ship can be long, and definitely cuts into your time for seeing Venice. So, if you want more time to explore Venice, we suggest arriving a few days early and exploring Venice on your own.
– At a Glance: St Mark’s Square – We started early (7 AM) and were shuttled back to the Venice Cruise Terminal. From there, we boarded a small boat and cruised to the Palazzo Cornoldi. Viewing the sites from the water provides a great perspective of Venice. Once off the boat, our excellent guide took us across several of the bridges in Venice to St. Mark’s Square. We also visited St. Mark’s Basilica and the grand Campanile Bell Tower, along with the Doge’s Palace. Due to health protocols at the time, we had to be fully escorted, which meant no free time. But the upside was that since we traveled in late October, there were very few tourists and Venice was incredibly empty.
– Sailing Out of Venice – After our tour, we returned to our ship and left port around 2 PM. We chose to have lunch on the Aquavit Terrace so that we could enjoy the spectacular views as we began our cruise. Later that evening, we enjoyed a fantastic dinner at the Italian specialty restaurant, Manfredi’s.
• Šibenik, Croatia – Most of the time the itinerary for this cruise includes a stop in Split, but our itinerary was a bit different, and stopped in Šibenik instead. Since the two towns are less than 60 miles apart, many of the main excursions are available from either port.
– Sailing In to Šibenik – We always love to be on deck when the ship sails in to a new port. Usually it is early morning and the views can be stunning. We loved the sign welcoming us to the town.
– The Krka Waterfalls & the Town of Skradin – The good news if your stop is Šibenik is that the drive to Krka National Park is only about 30 minutes. We had heard a lot of great things about this park and seen some wonderful photos. So, it was high on our list of excursions, and the park did not disappoint!
This excursion is rated as ‘Demanding’, since there are a number of steps both leading down the trail to the waterfalls and then back up the top. These steps can appear daunting, but the guide walked very slowly and stopped frequently. There were a few people who decided not to take the stairs, opting instead to take in the views from the top.
The trail is really a boardwalk that traverses many small streams with what seems like an endless number of pools and waterfalls. Once we reached the bottom, we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the terraced Skradinski Buk waterfalls cascading in front of us. They are truly amazing waterfalls. These 17 cataracts are considered to be among the most beautiful calcium-carbonate waterfalls in Europe, tumbling a total of 150 feet along a 1,312-foot stretch of the river.
After leaving Krka, we took a short drive to the small town of Skradin. Skradin is a lovely town where we visited the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and then had free time to explore the shops and restaurants. We stopped at a small cafe where we sat outside enjoying coffee and a local pastry before our bus ride back to the ship.
– Šibenik Promenade – After lunch we joined the included 1.5-hour walking tour of Šibenik. One of the highlights of the tour was the Cathedral of St. James, a Roman Catholic Church built in the 1400’s. We also walked along the water among the shops and restaurants before returning to the ship.
– Sailing Out of Šibenik – We headed to the Explorer’s Lounge to enjoy the views and a libation as we sailed out of port. It was ‘seafood night’ in the World Café, so later we dined there on crab legs, shrimp and all sorts of delicious seafood dishes.
• Dubrovnik, Croatia – We had heard so much about Dubrovnik over the years, and we were very excited to finally arrive. The approach to the city from the water was gorgeous, especially in the early morning light, as another beautiful sunny day awaited us.
– Dubrovnik’s Fortification: A City Wall Walk – One of the amazing features of Dubrovnik is the 1.5 miles of medieval stone wall encircling the town that is still intact. We ascended the stairway to the top of the wall at the Pile Gate, where the Stradun, Dubrovnik’s famous main street, begins. Our guide led us on a tour of the entire wall, pointing out all of the sites across Dubrovnik. We saw the Minčeta Tower, St. John Fortress, Fort Bokar, and Fort Lovrijenac. This excursion was one of the most beautiful of the entire trip.
TIP: The Fortification Wall Walk excursion is rated as ‘demanding’. While there are steps and the wall walk is 1.5 miles, most of the steps are encountered when ascending to the top of the wall. Once there, there are some steps both up and down as the elevation of the wall changes, but not too many. So, if you go slowly, you will likely be able to handle the steps and will probably find that it is not overly demanding. The views are well worth the effort.
– Dubrovnik Walking Tour – After lunch we joined the included walking tour of Old Town. Starting at Pile Gate, just as we did that morning, we walked down the Stradun, which is a .25-mile marbled main pedestrian way that goes from Pile Gate to the Old Town Port. Incredible architecture, shops, restaurants and historic buildings line the way. We also had plenty of free time to explore a little on our own. Although the excursion is rated as ‘moderate’, it mostly consists of walking on flat surfaces with little elevation changes.
– Game of Thrones – If you are a Game of Thrones fan, there are several sites around Dubrovnik where scenes from the TV series were shot. In fact, you can even book third-party excursions that will take you to many of these locations. On our two excursions, the guides pointed out several of the famous spots. The city of Dubrovnik itself was King’s Landing in the series, and a couple of the other sites we saw included Fort Lovrijenac (the Red Keep) and the Jesuit Steps (the Walk of Shame).
Back on board, we decided once again on the World Café for dinner, since the theme was American BBQ. Again, another delicious meal!
• Kotor, Montenegro – As with most ports of call, we sailed into Kotor early in the morning. The first thing that caught out eye was that the town is surrounded by very tall and steep mountains. After an early World Café breakfast, we headed out for our first excursion.
– Highlights of Montenegro – We decided to start with an optional excursion that would take us out of town on a 5.5-hour tour. We were headed to our first stop, the town of Njeguši. We were wondering what roads we would take as we left the docking area, since the mountains that surround the town are so steep. We thought we might head out along the coast before turning inland.
Much to our surprise however, we headed straight up the switchbacks above town on a road that was not much wider than a single lane. Our guide assured us that our driver was ‘the best’, but it was nonetheless, a bit of a nail-biting ride at first, especially as we passed other buses and large trucks. We barely squeezed by, and on a few occasions, we even had to back up a short distance and move out of the roadway into some bushes. Most of the time we were on the inside of the road (against the mountain). But a few times we were on the outside and looking straight down the mountain.
As you can see, once we reached the top of the mountain, the views were incredible. Luckily, we came back down a different, more relaxed route later in the day.
Reaching the town of Njeguši, which was about one hour from the ship, we were able to walk around the small town and sample some local food. We had a ham and cheese sandwich with a glass of wine. As you can see in the picture, it was a delightfully full glass!
We then continued on for about another hour to Cetinje, Montenegro’s former capital. We had a tour of the town and then visited King Nikola’s Museum. With some free time, we rested at an outside restaurant and had a cappuccino as we enjoyed yet another beautiful sunny day.
Upon leaving Cetinje, we drove south to the coast through the summer resort of Budva before arriving back at our ship.
– Walking Tour of Kotor – After lunch we joined a walking tour of Kotor. Since the ship docked right next to Old Town, it was an easy walk to see some of the historic sites, including Kampana Tower and St Nicholas Church. In the photos, you can also see the steep mountains that surround Kotor.
As we sailed out of Kotor, we had dinner at the Chef’s Table – another incredible meal.
• Corfu, Greece – Another beautiful morning greeted us as we sailed in to the picturesque city of Corfu, Greece. As you can see from the pictures, we had brilliant blue skies all day. After breakfast at the World Café, we headed out for our morning excursion.
– Panoramic Corfu & Old Town Walking Tour – We started early for this 3-hour bus and walking tour of Corfu. One of the first stops was Kanoni, located on a small peninsula just south of town. Kanoni is the perfect spot for viewing Pontikonisi Island, Mouse Island, and the Vlacherna Monastery, as well as the island’s airport down below.
After leaving Kanoni, we traveled to the Old Town and walked along the Esplanade. Here you will see the Old Fortress, Durrell Gardens, and the Palace of St. Michael and St. George. While we did not enter any of these places, the views along the Esplanade were beautiful.
– Old Fortress of Corfu – Viking ran shuttles from the ship into town all day, every 30 minutes. So, after returning to the ship for lunch (on the Aquavit Terrace), we took the Viking shuttle to the Old Fortress. We had seen the fortress on the morning tour and decided to go back to explore.
The fortress dates back to the 16th century and has a very storied history. The fortress is quite easy to explore on your own, though there is a bit of climbing if you want to make it to the top for breathtaking views. From the highest point you have unobstructed views and can even see Albania. If you have some time, we highly recommend it.
As an aside, if you happen to be a fan of the Masterpiece series, The Durrells in Corfu, you may have fell in love with the natural beauty of this lovely island. The views from the top of the Old Fortress provides views very similar to those from the Durrell’s family home in the TV series.
Back on board the ship, we decided on afternoon tea. Tea is usually served every afternoon at 4 PM, and no reservations are necessary. So, be sure to go at least once during your cruise. The food is good and the scones are amazing, but be warned – this late afternoon treat might just spoil your dinner appetite!
• Katakolon (Olympia), Greece – Although the port of call was Katakolon, the reason for stopping there was a trip to Olympia, the site of the original Olympics first held in 776 BC.
– Ancient Olympia – After a 30-minute bus ride we reached the small town of Olympia. Only a short walk from the parking lot are the ruins of where the Olympic Games originally took place. Our guide actually grew up on a hill overlooking the ancient ruins and used to play there as a child. After receiving his degree in archeology, he returned to his hometown and is now a guide. His knowledge of the area was one of the reasons this excursion was so interesting. We viewed the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and once home to a gold-and-ivory statue of the Greek god. We also viewed the remains of the Temple of Hera and the circular Philippeion temple.
We also walked to the original stadium, which had a capacity of 45,000 spectators. Unlike a traditonal stadium, the spectators looked down on the field from sloped lawns on all sides of the field. To realize that we were viewing ruins from almost 2800 years ago was simply amazing.
After viewing the ancient ruins, we walked through the small town of Olympia, where many shops, restaurants and cafés awaited tourists. We picked out a quaint café and had coffee before our trip back to the ship.
The town of Katakolon looked very inviting with all of its shops and restaurants, but with a 1:30 pm departure time, we did not have an opportunity to visit the town. Instead, we had lunch and a bottle of wine on the Aquavit Terrace as we sailed away from the port.
• Athens, Greece – Athens was the last stop for the Venice to Athens itinerary and passengers began leaving very early in the morning for their flights home. It also meant that those passengers had no chance to experience Athens. Fortunately for us, since we were staying on the ship to continue on the next cruise, we had two days to enjoy in Athens. So, with another early start after breakfast, we began our first day in the city.
– Panoramic Athens & Archaeological Museum – Most tours that have ‘Panoramic’ in the name are simply a bus tour, which was true for the first part of this excursion. With so much to see in Athens, a bus tour is a great way to at least get a glimpse of some of the iconic sites. Several times throughout the tour we were able to disembark, view the sites and take photos. We saw Hellenic Parliament and Syntagma (Constitution) Square, the distinctively uniformed Presidential Guard, or “Evzones,” at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as well as views of Panathenaic Stadium and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
After the bus tour, we had a guided tour of the Acropolis Museum. The museum has an extensive collection from the Athenian Acropolis and we had a very knowledgable guide who was very eager to share information and was able to answer just about any question. There were many very interesting exhibits and we enjoyed the visit. However, I do have to say that amount of detail provided by our tour guide was extensive and almost a little overwhelming.
Before we rejoined the bus for the ride back to the ship, we were also able to view the Arch of Hadrian, also known as Hadrian’s Arch. The arch was built to welcome the Roman Emperor Hadrian to the city and to thank him for his support of Greek culture.
Upon boarding the ship, we were greeted with many new, excited passengers as we started the next cruise, on our way to Rome.
We ended the evening with a delicious Asian meal at the Chef’s table and prepared ourselves to explore more of Athens the next day.
While this day marked the end of the first leg of our cruise, you can review the second half of the cruise, Journey to Antiquities, which sails from Athens to Rome.
We hope you found our review of the first half of the Venice, The Adriatic and Greece cruise helpful and informative. And, we hope you join us in the future as we explore some other Viking cruises.
Safe travels!
We I’ll be leaving for this cruise in a bit more than 70 days.
My husband & I both enjoyed reading your blog
Thanks so much for your informative piece.
We look forward to Part II.
Thank you for your comment. Have a great trip.
I enjoyed your blog. We are considering this cruise, so the information is very helpful.
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I’ll be sailing Sept. 2023 from Istanbul to Venice…another combined itinerary, and the second half is actually the reverse of this itinerary so very helpful to have read this and get insight on the excursions. Athens too will be our changeover port so we’ll have 2 days there. I usually avoid the avoid panoramic tours as too general so it’s interesting that you found it worthwhile for your first day in Athens. I’ve been to Athens before but husband has not so maybe that’s a good way to get him oriented. I’ll be interested to know what you did on Day 2 in Athens. We for sure want to see the Acropolis and Plaka. Also, you didn’t mention eating in the Restaurant. Any particular reason or just personal preference. Thanks for another great article.
Thank you for the comment. We are actually in France right now on the France’s Finest cruise, so dont have access to all our information, but we did do the Acropolis and Museum excursion, it was very good. We also did eat in the restaurant several times. I believe the restaurant has the best quality food overall. Safe travels.
Been enjoying your FF posts on FB. What a fine trip! We were supposed to be on a June FF sailing, after 2 pandemic cancellations, and then, wouldn’t you know it, 2 weeks before sailing a weird virus – not Covid- sidelined me so we had to cancel. Beyond disappointed but now rehabbing for next year’s adventure. Happy travels and keep blogging!!
I’d like receive future Viking cruise posts in the future.