Cruises from Boston to Europe: Volendam's route by Greenland and Iceland

Every cruise from Boston to Europe on this schedule is on Holland America's Volendam, and every one goes the northern way, by Newfoundland, Greenland and Iceland. Holland America calls the 35-night version the Legendary Voyage of the Vikings.

This schedule has 3 of these voyages, all leaving in July. On 3 November 2026 fares ran from $4,734 to $9,584 per person, for the cheapest cabin listed with two sharing, taxes and port fees included. The table at the end of this guide lists each one.

What cruises go from Boston to Europe?

Only Holland America's Volendam, in July. It sails a 35-night round trip from Boston on 17 July 2027 and again on 15 July 2028. On 15 July 2028 the first 17 nights of that voyage are also sold as a one-way trip to Rotterdam. No other ship on this schedule sails from Boston to Europe.

	35-night round trip	17-night one way
Leaves Boston	17 July 2027, 15 July 2028	15 July 2028
Ends	Boston	Rotterdam
Days at sea	14	7
Greenland	Paamiut and Nanortalik, then Qaqortoq on the way back	Paamiut and Nanortalik
Iceland	Isafjordur and Akureyri, then Reykjavik, Grundarfjordur and, in 2028, Heimaey on the way back	Isafjordur and Akureyri
Europe	Eidfjord in Norway, Rotterdam, Ireland, Northern Ireland and, in 2028, Scotland	Eidfjord in Norway, Rotterdam
Flight home	No	Yes, from Europe
Lowest fare on 3 November 2026	$9,279 to $9,584	$4,734

Holland America's release for its 2027 season said the 35-day round trip from Boston would visit 20 ports in eight countries, with late-night calls in Dublin and Halifax and an overnight in Reykjavik. Holland America lists Volendam at 1,432 guests and 780 feet long.

What is the route of the Voyage of the Vikings from Boston?

The voyage heads out by Maine, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador to two towns in Greenland, then two in Iceland, Eidfjord in Norway and Rotterdam. The 35-night version comes back by Ireland, Northern Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland and Halifax. These day numbers come from the 2027 itinerary on sale.

• Days 1 to 6. Boston, then Portland on day 2, Sydney in Nova Scotia on day 4, Corner Brook in Newfoundland on day 5 and Red Bay in Labrador on day 6.
• Days 8 and 9. Paamiut and Nanortalik in Greenland, after a day at sea.
• Days 12 and 13. Isafjordur and Akureyri in Iceland, after two days at sea.
• Days 16 and 18. Eidfjord in Norway, then Rotterdam, with days at sea before and between.
• Days 20 to 22. Cobh and Dublin in Ireland, staying in Dublin until 10pm, then Belfast.
• Days 24 to 26. Reykjavik from 1pm on day 24 to 11pm on day 25, then Grundarfjordur.
• Day 29. Qaqortoq in Greenland, after two days at sea.
• Days 31 to 36. St. Anthony and St. John's in Newfoundland, Halifax until 11pm on day 34, and Boston at 7am on day 36.

The 2028 voyage keeps the same route out to Rotterdam. On the way back it drops Cobh and the night in Reykjavik, makes Dublin a day call that ends at 7pm, and adds Stornoway in Scotland and Heimaey in Iceland.

What does a Greenland and Iceland routing mean?

Small ports, many of them reached by tender. Holland America's list of tender ports includes Paamiut, Nanortalik and Qaqortoq in Greenland, Isafjordur and Heimaey in Iceland, and Red Bay, St. Anthony and Stornoway. Holland America says that where a ship cannot dock, guests go ashore in tenders, the ship's smaller boats.

It also means long stretches at sea. The voyage spends two days at sea between Greenland and Iceland, two between Iceland and Norway, and two more between Iceland and Greenland on the way home.

Holland America's Greenland page says the island was settled by Arctic peoples who came from Canada, and later by Norsemen. It also points to the ruins of Qaqortoq's 14th-century Hvalsey Church.

If you use a wheelchair or scooter, read Holland America's tender rules before you book. It says that, unlike most of its ships, Volendam has no elevator to the tender level. It also says wind, swells or extreme tides can stop a transfer from the ship to a tender, that it cannot move a scooter or wheelchair over 100 pounds without its battery, and that the captain makes the final call on helping a guest with limited mobility ashore. Tender ports are marked in each voyage's itinerary detail and on your booking confirmation.

Do you need a passport or visa for a cruise from Boston to Europe?

Plan on a passport book. The one-way trip ends with a flight from Europe, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the passport card is not accepted for international air travel. The round trip leaves the Western Hemisphere, so CBP's closed-loop rule, which lets U.S. citizens use a birth certificate on cruises within the hemisphere, does not cover it.

The voyages also call in the United Kingdom, at Belfast both years and at Stornoway in 2028. The UK government says visitors from the USA usually need an electronic travel authorisation, or ETA, and that each person travelling needs one, including babies and children. An ETA cost £20 when we checked on 3 November 2026. Ask Holland America what it requires for your voyage, and see our cruise documents guide.

How do you get home from a one-way cruise to Rotterdam?

By air, with a passport book. Volendam's 17-night trip of 15 July 2028 is due in Rotterdam at 7am on 1 August 2028, and the cruise fare quoted here does not include a flight. If you would rather come back by sea, the 35-night voyage of the same date is the same trip with the return included.

A one-way also changes how you start. You will not come back to Boston by sea, so leaving a car in cruise parking makes little sense. On the 35-night round trip, parking would run for five weeks, so a drop-off or a ride from Logan Airport is worth pricing first.

How much is a cruise from Boston to Europe?

On 3 November 2026 the 35-night round trips were $9,279 to $9,584 per person, and the 17-night one-way was $4,734, for the cheapest cabin listed with two sharing, taxes and port fees included. Per night, that came to $265 on the round trip and $278 on the one-way.

The one-way fare leaves out the flight home, so compare the two with that added. The Europe destination page lists the same voyages, and cruises of 9 nights or more shows every long trip from Boston.

Are there other transatlantic cruises from Boston?

Not on this schedule. Volendam's July voyages are the only sailings from Boston to Europe we list, and none of them crosses without stopping. Volendam also sails from Boston to Canada and New England in June, July, August and September, which our Canada and New England guide covers.