Visiting fascinating sites while traveling in relaxing comfort are hallmarks of a Viking Ocean Cruise. Besides the wonderful onboard experiences, the option of a varied menu of excursions in each port is a key benefit for many. Viking does not disappoint. On Viking’s Empires of the Mediterranean cruise (between Athens and the Venice outskirts), my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the excursions. Viking offers various excursions, including historical sites; local farms and estates; scenic boat rides; factory visits; and active options like hiking or biking. Something for just about everyone. This article outlines the excursions we went on and rates each experience.
There is always one “included” excursion in each port and many “optional” excursions. On our cruise, there were 3-10 “optional” excursions at each destination. We opted to take some “included” and some “optional” trips.
For more details and tips about traveling on Viking Ocean ships, please read Viking Ocean Cruises: The Ultimate Guide. For more details and tips on choosing Viking excursions, please read Viking Ocean Cruises Excursions: What You Need to Know.
Choosing Viking Ocean Excursions
A few key criteria for selecting excursions aboard a Viking cruise ship are outlined below.
Weighing Your Options
When selecting excursions, after deciding on what to see, it’s helpful to weigh:
- the duration of each choice (they typically span anywhere from 2 to 8 hours),
- the activity level (they range from easy to demanding),
- how far a bus ride was to/from an excursion destination,
- costs of excursions, and
- how energetic you usually are.
Activity Levels
- Easy (e): Expect mostly even ground, although there may be a few steps or inclines. There shouldn’t be more than 1.5 hours of walking or standing time.
- Moderate (m): Expect longer walking paths with some steps, uneven ground, or inclines and between 1.5 and 3 hours of total walking or standing time.
- Demanding (d): Expect more challenging activities, including walking, hiking, or water sports, with the possibility of many steps or steep inclines. Some demanding excursions may top 3 hours of walking or standing.
Signing Up for Excursions
Sign up for excursions online at MyVikingJourney.com when your booking window opens. These windows depend on your stateroom category level, as shown below.
- Owner’s Suite—107 days from the sail date
- Explorer Suites—97 days from the sail date
- Penthouse Junior Suites—87 days from the sail date
- Penthouse Veranda Staterooms—77 days from the sail date
- Deluxe Veranda Staterooms—67 days from the sail date
- Veranda Staterooms—60 days from the sail date
Mark the date on a calendar to be ready to book excursions when the window opens. Some excursions fill up quickly.
Some Excursion Overviews and Ratings
This cruise can travel from Venice (Fusina) to Athens or in reverse order, beginning in Athens and ending in Venice (Fusina). Our embarkation point was Athens, so this list of excursions begins from that point. Note that this cruise does not include any time in Venice. If you want to visit that before or after, sign up for an extension to your cruise or tour it independently.
“Your results may vary,” is a famous disclaimer in product sales pitches on TV. I include that because the same is valid for traveling and specific excursions. Let me explain. Your reaction may differ from mine because my ratings are based on my experience that included a specific tour guide. Tour guides differ, of course, in their personal style and the depth of their explanations. Having said that, let’s get to the excursions!
My ratings of excursions are based on 5 stars being the best.
Athens, Greece (Piraeus port)
Tip: If planning to take the “included” tour and want to see the Athens Acropolis, verify if you will be viewing it from below or actually visiting it. I heard some complaints on our trip from passengers who expected to tour the Acropolis but could only view it briefly from a distance on their tour. Things may have changed, of course, but it’s worth verifying if visiting it is essential to you. We had visited Athens in the past, so we opted for a tour of Corinth.
Ancient Corinth & Canal
Duration: 5 hours | Activity Level: medium | “Optional Excursion”
The bus trip took us to the Corinth Canal, which we viewed from a bridge above. This was an engineering feat for the time (19th century) as it created a canal through the Isthmus of Corinth. This was a short stop (with a bathroom break) for viewing and taking pictures.
After visiting the canal, we drove to the archeological site of ancient Corinth for a guided tour of the ruins. We had a detailed briefing on the ruins (whose acropolis predates that of Athens by over 100 years) and then toured the small museum on site. The bus trip was about one hour each way (and is included in the overall excursion time).
Excursion Rating
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Seeing the Corinth Canal was interesting, but the main attraction was the ancient city of Corinth. The tour of Corinth was detailed and included highlights of the ruins that still remain, as well as an overview of the Apostle Paul’s time here. Our group spent time in the small museum (with the tour guide), which helped add some context to the site.
Santorini, Greece
Santorini’s Secret Wine Routes
Duration: 5.5 hours | Activity Level: medium | “Optional” excursion
This excursion takes you by bus to three wineries – and one, Santos, with breathtaking views – to sample their wines and visit their exhibits and shops. You’re welcome to purchase wine to enjoy back on the ship. (Viking bartenders are happy to uncork your wine at no charge.) After our tastings, we went to beautiful Oia for some free time before returning to the port. Note that visiting Santorini requires a tender boat ride from and back to the ship.
Excursion Rating
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ This was a relaxing way to spend a few hours learning about local winemaking with a quick visit to Oia (which can get very crowded during peak season).
Katakolon, Greece
Ancient Olympia & Magna Grecia Farm
Duration: 5 hours | Activity Level: medium | “Optional” excursion
Ancient Olympia is the site of the first Olympiad in 776 BC (and spanning the years to 393 AD). With a local guide, walk through the ruins to view key landmarks like the Temple of Zeus, the Temple of Hera, and the stadium that held over 40,000 spectators. This excellent tour explained the operation of this vast ancient athletic complex.
After touring the ancient site, we drove to Magna Grecia Farm, where we had a guided tour of the facility, wine tastings, and lunch with classic Greek fare and wine. During lunch, we were treated to a traditional Greek dance demonstration and invited to join in. There’s a large store here selling wines, t-shirts, pottery, soaps, and more. You can have your purchases shipped to your home. The bus ride was about 45 minutes from Katakolon to ancient Olympia (and is included in the overall excursion time).
Excursion Rating
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Ancient Olympia was fascinating and entailed a larger expanse than we had originally imagined. It was also interesting to see archaeologists work on uncovering even more treasures. The trip to Magna Grecia Farm was enjoyable, and the lunch was filling.
Corfu, Greece
Panoramic Corfu & Old Town Walking Tour
Duration: 3 hours | Activity Level: medium | “Included” excursion
This tour included a short bus ride to Kanoni to enjoy a scenic view, a walking tour of Corfu’s Old Town, and some free time in town to visit sites, shop, or grab a bite to eat. The tour guide gave us a time to meet back on the bus for a ride to the ship. Otherwise, she said we could walk back to the ship independently and explained how to do that. (The 3 hours included the free time, so the stop for the scenic view and the walking tour didn’t take much time.)
Excursion Rating
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The walking tour was short but informative. I decided to explore on my own and walk back to the ship (which was easy). I visited the Old Fortress, which was interesting and offered incredible views of the Old Town and the Adriatic Sea. Note that there are many stone steps (with railings) to reach the top vantage point for the views.
Overall, I’d give this ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ if you know what else you want to visit in Old Town and want to walk there. I chose this excursion because we had just had 2 days of lengthy excursions, and I didn’t want to be too busy every day.
Kotor, Montenegro
Walking Tour of Kotor
Duration: 1.5 hours | Activity level: medium | “Included” excursion
This was an interesting walking tour of the town, learning about Kotor’s history and stopping at key places.
Excursion Rating
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The tour was great, and it did exactly what we wanted it to: give us an overview of the town. The tour guide also provided ideas for how to spend the rest of our time there. We explored more of the town independently and walked along the bayside promenade (outside the Old Town). All in all, the Old Town is charming, and the whole bay area is breathtakingly beautiful.
NOTE: Had we realized that we would dock right on the edge of the Old Town, be able to walk right off the ship to the Old Town, and be docked there until later that evening, we may have opted to consider a longer excursion somewhere else – knowing that we’d have time to explore the Old Town on our own afterward. However, we were happy with our decision and have no regrets.
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik’s Fortification: A City Wall Walk
Duration: 2.75 hours | Activity level: demanding | “Optional” excursion
After a bus ride to the city walls, a local guide led us on a walking tour of the stone ramparts, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating to the 1200s. This tour was fascinating as we could catch incredible views of the Adriatic Sea, a fortress, and the Old Town within the walls. It was interesting to learn about what life was like long ago – and in modern times – living within an encased community. After descending the stairs, our guide continued the tour along some of the streets in the Old Town.
Excursion Rating
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ This was a very interesting tour – despite the heavy rain pouring down on us! After the tour, we would have liked to stroll the Stradun, Dubrovnik’s main thoroughfare, but the heavy rain made us rethink our plans, and we headed back to the ship.
Note that Viking provided a bus shuttle service from the ship to downtown throughout the day. We could have taken that back at any time before the ship left, but we decided not to. (We were thankful for the heated bathroom floors back on the ship as we could dry our things out afterward. Of course, there are dryers in the onboard launderettes, too.)
Zadar, Croatia
Paklenica National Park Hike
Duration: 5 hours | Activity level: demanding | “Optional” excursion
The hike in picturesque Paklenica National Park included incredible vistas of majestic mountains, caverns, and an old mill – most of the time following a meandering stream. We hiked up many stone steps and inclines, stopped for a snack (a sandwich and a piece of fruit) from the ship, and hiked back down. The hiking guide had trekking poles we could use, and they sure came in handy for me. I found the stone steps a bit slippery and appreciated having extra support while coming down the well-worn stone steps. The bus trip is about 45 minutes one way (and that time is included in the excursion duration).
Excursion Rating
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The hike was so enjoyable because of the incredible scenery, but also for the chance to see mountain climbers in action. (This is a popular destination for mountain climbers, and our guide explained the different ratings for mountain climbing and the gear involved.) It was nice to experience a different excursion, too, as we mainly had spent our time up to this point exploring historical sites.
Koper, Slovenia
Panoramic Slovenian Coast & Farmers Market
Duration: 4.5 hours | Activity level: medium | “Optional” excursion
This excursion involved a bus ride to three towns: Izola (for a photo stop), Piran (for a walking tour and some free time), and Padna (farmers’ market). We spent most of the time in Piran with an enjoyable guided tour and time to visit key sights, stop for a bite at an outdoor café on the busy square, or shop. After Piran, we went to Padna and were given vouchers to “purchase” locally produced bread, cheeses, and meat as well as other edible goods.
Excursion Rating
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ The best part of this excursion was our time in the lovely seaside Piran, which is where we spent the majority of the time. Our visit to Padna was disappointing because the “farmers’ market” was a small area with a few vendors set up just for bus tours. This was not the traditional farmers’ market I had envisioned. And there were no other sights to visit in Padna, as it appeared to be primarily residential.
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Final Thoughts
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our time aboard our Viking Ocean ship and appreciated the extensive excursion options. Overall, we found the local tour guides knowledgeable and interested in providing a positive experience for the guests. We have already booked another Viking Ocean cruise and look forward to exploring many more exciting places in other areas of the world.
Comments
Feel free to share your experiences aboard the Empires of the Mediterranean cruise. Your thoughts could help other cruisers. Thanks! 🙂
