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To visitors, Europe is a colorful world of picturesque landscapes, legendary rivers, lush vineyards and hilltop castles. As you travel through Europe with Viking River Cruises, its rich history is arrayed before your eyes—Roman ruins, magnificent monasteries, hallowed universities, rural villages and sophisticated cities, and a vibrant collage of food, music, dance, costumes and languages recalling thousands of years of human history. Traveling with Viking River Cruises gives you the opportunity to experience and learn about all these aspects of your cruise destinations.

Though Europe is the world’s second-smallest continent in terms of area—covering about 2.0% of the Earth’s surface—it is densely populated, housing slightly more than one-ninth of the world’s people. This close inhabitation gives Europe a similarly dense concentration of culture and industry, which our river cruises explore fully. Each river that flows through Europe has shaped both the landscape and the region’s history. European river cruises are the best way to see “the Continent” in depth.

 

Europe has had a major influence on the arts, culture, economics and social movements worldwide, and Viking’s cruises provide the opportunity to witness the birthplace of Western civilization firsthand. The origins of Western democratic society are often attributed to Ancient Greece; the Roman Empire also left its mark on law, language and government. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Europe entered what is known as “the Dark Ages,” during which isolated monastic communities compiled and safeguarded the written knowledge of the ages. Then came an Age of Discovery: a period of exploration, invention, and scientific development which had its roots in Italy but involved many European countries in exploring and building colonial empires. With the Renaissance, ideas of democracy once again took hold, leading to vast upheavals across Europe. The Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain in the late 18th century, facilitating a move away from agriculture and much greater general prosperity. And of course the 20th century brought two World Wars, the division of Europe by the Iron Curtain and its subsequent reunification, and the formation of the European Union.

 

Courtesy of Viking River Cruises