Mountain Cruises
Going on a cruise may not seem like an obvious way to visit the mountains, yet, in certain parts of the world, seeing peaks from the water is the best way in which to appreciate their scale and visit places inaccessible by road or rail.
Alaska
Cruises to Alaska are immensely popular, not least because there's few other ways to get up close with glaciers. Disembark at Skagway and you'll be among many mountains over 2,000 metres. With only about 9 hours there are many ways in which to enjoy the scenery, including a tour to White Pass Summit and a historic railroad journey to Lake Bennett.
Antarctica
There aren't that many options when it comes to transport to Antarctica. While not great for the environment going by cruise ship is less bad than flying (especially if using one of the ships towards the top of this Friend of the Earth report card). Every peak here is, of course, covered in snow but some rise to over 3,000 metres. The most dramatic is, perhaps, 880m Mount Scott.
Montenegro
OK, it's best to head inland to see the many mountains of Montenegro, but sailing into Kotor Bay provides the best views of the Orjen Mountains. 1000m+ peaks surround this beautiful bay and snow remains on their tops until lake spring. Once docked you can take the Kotor–Lovćen cable car to a 1,350-metre-high viewpoint.
Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego
"Where we're going we don't need roads," Doc Brown famously said. He could have been talking about the vast number of fjords and waterways of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, into which expedition cruise lines such as Australis Cruises ship. Such cruises offer many opportunities to step onto remote trails and gaze up at the mountains of the Cordillera Darwin, which has the highest peaks in Tierra del Fuego. Cruises often start or end in Ushuaia which has some spectacular mountains at its back.
Douro Valley
How high does something have to be before we call it a 'mountain'? 610 metres was the answer we decided upon, which makes a cruise along the Douro Valley rich with mountains. Far from roads you'll get to stare up at peaks such as 766m Cumeada from the supreme comfort of a river cruise ship.
(Image courtesy of Rach Sam)
Norway
While views into Norway's fjords from above are impressive nothing quite humbles you like seeing their vast mountainous slopes from the water. There are mountains everywhere and, luckily, ships stay in port long enough to let you explore them in a variety of ways. Geiranger is one of the most popular places to stop, with hiking and biking opportunities among mountains soaring to almost 2,000 metres.