Viking Kvasir: 122 departures, and the only one of our ships to work the Scheldt
Measured on 25 August 2026: 30 departures from Antwerp to Amsterdam, 28 from Amsterdam to Antwerp, out of 122 in total. The remaining 64 follow other routings that the calendar sets out date by date.
A route apart: the Netherlands and Belgium
She is the only one of the eleven ships we sell in the Rhine basin to link Antwerp with Amsterdam. The trip does not climb a great river inland: it sails a country of deltas, side channels, canals and sea locks, a few metres above — and sometimes below — sea level.
The difference from the classic Rhine is real. On Basel-Amsterdam you look at castles and sloping vineyards. Here you look at water, sky, mills and port cities. It is flatter and less spectacular in the postcard sense, but it is also the Europe that invented landscape painting.
Tulip season
Departures from late March to mid-May coincide with the bulb bloom in the region between Leiden and Haarlem. The Keukenhof gardens open only about eight weeks a year, which makes that window narrow and heavily booked. The bloom shifts from year to year with the winter: nobody can guarantee a peak to the week, and it is better said in advance. Viking Alruna calls at Amsterdam in the same season on her Rhine route.
A 135-metre hull, like the other forty-nine
The ship holds 95 staterooms for 190 guests and 53 crew. The split is fixed from one Longship to the next: 25 Standard, 22 French Balcony, 39 Veranda, 7 Veranda Suites and 2 Explorer Suites.
The ratio of 3.58 guests per crew member belongs to this class. On Viking's Nile ships it falls to 1.71, and two of them carry more crew than travellers.
For the classic Rhine, Viking Kara offers 151 departures and Viking Eir 80.
Kvasir, born of the gods' spittle
At the end of the war between Æsir and Vanir, the two sides seal the peace by spitting into the same vessel. From that mixture Kvasir is born, the wisest being in the world. Two dwarves murder him, mix his blood with honey, and obtain the mead that makes a poet of whoever drinks it.
Getting there from Montreal
Amsterdam is linked to Montreal by direct flights on several carriers, which makes it one of the simplest embarkation points in the whole European river fleet. Brussels, 45 minutes by train from Antwerp, requires a connection.
What happens when you book with us
First a fact you can verify in 30 seconds: from a Quebec address, Viking's reservations site does not answer and sends you to a page inviting you to contact an agent. The agency is not an added intermediary, it is the only route open.
Then a method. A Viking River Cruises advisor confirms in writing the exact fare, what the package covers and what it does not, before any deposit. That is what Quebec consumer protection rules require, and we participate in the compensation fund for travel agency customers.
