Cruises visiting Franz Josef Land (Russia)

Lost in the heart of the Russian Arctic, Franz Josef Land rises up, imposing and majestic, out of the icy waters of the Barents Sea. The volcanic archipelago was named in honour of the Austrian-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and offers up sumptuous landscapes sculpted by glacial erosion. Particularly difficult to reach because of the ice floe and still completely unknown until 150 years ago, this group of islands remains relatively unexplored today. Home to extremely rich wild life, it was declared a natural sanctuary and is today part of the Russian Arctic National Park.