How they travelled

Ships that opened the map

The longship is the best-known Viking ship type. Nat. Mus. Denmark Viking ships reached as far as Greenland and the American continent in the west, and the Caliphate in Baghdad and Constantinople in the east. Nat. Mus. Denmark

Trading vessels ranged up to large ocean-going ships with a cargo capacity of up to 60 tons. Nat. Mus. Denmark

The Gokstad ship

One surviving ship, carefully measured, stands in for a lot of guesswork about speed and size.

The Gokstad ship is 23 metres long and about 5 metres wide. Mus. of the Viking Age It is clinker-built, with 16 strakes of overlapping planks. Mus. of the Viking Age There are 16 oar holes on each side, and the ship was wide enough for two men to share each oar. Mus. of the Viking Age

The ship could probably reach speeds of up to 11 knots, or about 20 kilometres per hour. Mus. of the Viking Age It was likely built around the year 890 in the Oslo Fjord region. Mus. of the Viking Age It is constructed of oak, with some elements of pine. Mus. of the Viking Age

In October 2025 the ship was carefully transported to the new Museum of the Viking Age. Mus. of the Viking Age

Clinker building — overlapping planks, iron nails — is also how a Manx burial ship at Balladoole was put together, in the same tradition.