Exploring Europe by boat, cruising down one of the continent’s main rivers, is an increasingly popular way to experience the Old World in modern times. And one of the top operators to do this with is Viking Cruises, which turns 20 this year, and has won numerous awards including a reader’s choice award by USA Today 10Best.

The company lets you explore the timeless beauty and grace of Europe on a number of different cruises including on the Rhine, Danube and Seine. The multi-day trips take you through countries  like Austria, Germany, France, and Switzerland, past verdant vineyards, ancient castles and modern cities. It’s a unique way to see the continent, especially if you’ve traveled to Europe before and are looking for a different perspective.

Founded by Torstein Hagen in 1997 after purchasing for ships in Russia, Viking Cruises has grown a lot in the last two decades. Today the company, which began with European riverboat tours, has expanded beyond the continent, and now offers destination-centric river and ocean cruises around the world. Trips are designed with special interests — from geography to history and culture — in mind, and each journey includes daily shore excursions as well as deep immersion on ship in the destination through music and art performances, cooking demonstrations, informative port talks and carefully selected guest lecturers.

Viking River Cruises award-winning Longships offer a variety of stateroom categories and true two-room suites with full-size verandas. Onboard amenities include a restaurant, bar & lounge, library and expansive sun deck. The ships feature an elegant Scandinavian design and “green” features, such as solar panels, an onboard organic herb garden and energy-efficient hybrid engines for a remarkably smooth ride.

River cruises range from 8 to 23 days, with itineraries featuring Europe’s Rhine, Main, Danube, Seine, Rhône, Douro, Moselle, Elbe, Dordogne, Garonne and Gironde Rivers. The company also runs trips down Russia’s Volga, Neva and Svir Rivers, and further afield down the Nile in Egypt, the Yangtze in China and the Mekong through a few Southeast Asian countries.

To see the best of Europe, consider the 15-day Grand Europea Tour, which begins in Amsterdam and ends in Budapest and takes in four countries along the way. On this tour you’ll travel by river boat along the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers between the windmill-dotted waterways of Holland and the stunning landscapes of Hungary. Along the way you’ll stop to sample food and wine in Austria’s Wachau Valley, learn how to waltz in Vienna and linger in Budapest’s famed Café Gerbeaud.

In 2015, Viking also introduced its first ocean ship with the christening of the 930-guest all-veranda Viking Star. And today ocean cruises range from 8 to 15 days, with itineraries designed to maximize the amount of time travelers spend in destinations that range from Scandinavia and the Baltic; the western and eastern Mediterranean; the British Isles; and North America and the Caribbean, as well as combination cruises of those itineraries lasting up to 50 days.