Aboard Viking Neptune with Viking Ocean Cruises
Cruise Overview
Amsterdam combines the unrivaled beauty of the 17th-century Golden Age city center with plenty of museums and art of the highest order, not to mention a remarkably laid-back atmosphere.
It all comes together to make this one of the world's most appealing and offbeat metropolises in the world.
Built on a latticework of concentric canals like an aquatic rainbow, Amsterdam is known as the City of Canals—but it's no Venice, content to live on moonlight serenades and former glory.
Quite the contrary: on nearly every street here you'll find old and new side by side—quiet corners where time seems to be holding its breath next to streets like neon-lit Kalverstraat, and Red Light ladies strutting by the city's oldest church.
Indeed, Amsterdam has as many lovely facets as a 40-carat diamond polished by one of the city's gem cutters.
It's certainly a metropolis, but a rather small and very accessible one.
Locals tend to refer to it as a big village, albeit one that happens to pack the cultural wallop of a major world destination.
There are scores of concerts every day, numerous museums, summertime festivals, and, of course, a legendary year-round party scene.
It's pretty much impossible to resist Amsterdam's charms.
With 7,000 registered monuments, most of which began as the residences and warehouses of humble merchants, set on 160 man-made canals, and traversed by 1,500 or so bridges, Amsterdam has the largest historical inner city in Europe.
Its famous circle of waterways, the grachtengordel, was a 17th-century urban expansion plan for the rich and is a lasting testament to the city’s Golden Age.
This town is endearing because of its kinder, gentler nature—but a reputation for championing sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll does not alone account for Amsterdam's being one of the most popular destinations in Europe: consider that within a single square mile the city harbors some of the greatest achievements in Western art, from Rembrandt to Van Gogh.
Not to mention that this is one of Europe's great walking cities, with so many of its treasures in the untouted details: tiny alleyways barely visible on the map, hidden garden courtyards, shop windows, floating houseboats, hidden hofjes(courtyards with almshouses), sudden vistas of church spires, and gabled roofs that look like so many unframed paintings.
And don’t forget that the joy lies in details: elaborate gables and witty gable stones denoting the trade of a previous owner.
Keep in mind that those XXX symbols you see all over town are not a mark of the city's triple-X reputation.
They're part of Amsterdam's official coat of arms—three St.
Andrew's crosses, believed to represent the three dangers that have traditionally plagued the city: flood, fire, and pestilence.
The coat's motto ("Valiant, determined, compassionate") was introduced in 1947 by Queen Wilhelmina in remembrance of the 1941 February Strike in Amsterdam—the first time in Europe that non-Jewish people protested against the persecution of Jews by the Nazi regime.
Oslo is the capital of Norway and is also its largest city, situated at the head of Oslo Fjord and surrounded by hills and forests.
Home to some 50 museums and full of galleries, cafés, a sculpture park and the Royal Palace, this vibrant city with its handsome 19th-century buildings and wide streets has much to offer.
Its history dates back 1,000 years, and includes a rich seafaring heritage that ranges from the Viking era to Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon Tiki expedition.
Discover more about this exciting city on our varied selection of excursions.
It all comes together to make this one of the world's most appealing and offbeat metropolises in the world.
Built on a latticework of concentric canals like an aquatic rainbow, Amsterdam is known as the City of Canals—but it's no Venice, content to live on moonlight serenades and former glory.
Quite the contrary: on nearly every street here you'll find old and new side by side—quiet corners where time seems to be holding its breath next to streets like neon-lit Kalverstraat, and Red Light ladies strutting by the city's oldest church.
Indeed, Amsterdam has as many lovely facets as a 40-carat diamond polished by one of the city's gem cutters.
It's certainly a metropolis, but a rather small and very accessible one.
Locals tend to refer to it as a big village, albeit one that happens to pack the cultural wallop of a major world destination.
There are scores of concerts every day, numerous museums, summertime festivals, and, of course, a legendary year-round party scene.
It's pretty much impossible to resist Amsterdam's charms.
With 7,000 registered monuments, most of which began as the residences and warehouses of humble merchants, set on 160 man-made canals, and traversed by 1,500 or so bridges, Amsterdam has the largest historical inner city in Europe.
Its famous circle of waterways, the grachtengordel, was a 17th-century urban expansion plan for the rich and is a lasting testament to the city’s Golden Age.
This town is endearing because of its kinder, gentler nature—but a reputation for championing sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll does not alone account for Amsterdam's being one of the most popular destinations in Europe: consider that within a single square mile the city harbors some of the greatest achievements in Western art, from Rembrandt to Van Gogh.
Not to mention that this is one of Europe's great walking cities, with so many of its treasures in the untouted details: tiny alleyways barely visible on the map, hidden garden courtyards, shop windows, floating houseboats, hidden hofjes(courtyards with almshouses), sudden vistas of church spires, and gabled roofs that look like so many unframed paintings.
And don’t forget that the joy lies in details: elaborate gables and witty gable stones denoting the trade of a previous owner.
Keep in mind that those XXX symbols you see all over town are not a mark of the city's triple-X reputation.
They're part of Amsterdam's official coat of arms—three St.
Andrew's crosses, believed to represent the three dangers that have traditionally plagued the city: flood, fire, and pestilence.
The coat's motto ("Valiant, determined, compassionate") was introduced in 1947 by Queen Wilhelmina in remembrance of the 1941 February Strike in Amsterdam—the first time in Europe that non-Jewish people protested against the persecution of Jews by the Nazi regime.
Oslo is the capital of Norway and is also its largest city, situated at the head of Oslo Fjord and surrounded by hills and forests.
Home to some 50 museums and full of galleries, cafés, a sculpture park and the Royal Palace, this vibrant city with its handsome 19th-century buildings and wide streets has much to offer.
Its history dates back 1,000 years, and includes a rich seafaring heritage that ranges from the Viking era to Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon Tiki expedition.
Discover more about this exciting city on our varied selection of excursions.
Cruise Itinerary
Aboard Viking Neptune
Launch Year: 2022 Length: 2444 Width: 310 Currency: EUR Capacity: 930 Crew Count: Deck Count: Cabin Count:
Expand your horizons on this comfortable, award-winning ship design, intimate and thoughtfully created by experienced nautical architects and designers to enrich your interaction with your destination in every way.
Viking Neptune Facilities
Viking Neptune Includes
Cabin Details
Our intimate, all-veranda ships offer a wide variety of staterooms for your selection. From Veranda Staterooms to the abundance of extra perks and amenities in our spacious Explorer Suites, there’s no finer way to travel. And whichever stateroom you choose, you will find it beautifully designed in the understated elegance for which Viking is known.
