Where the river splits
Before you board in Memphis
Memphis ends one cruise and starts another, so you may be arriving or leaving here. Either way, the ship is downtown and the best of the city is within a short ride.
- Beale Street Landingwhere all multi-day overnight cruises dock in Memphis
- $25National Civil Rights Museum, adults; closed Tuesdays
- 10 minutesfrom downtown to Graceland, by Graceland's own account
- 11 am and 5 pmthe Peabody duck march, daily
- BerthBeale Street Landing, downtown
- AirportMEM; Graceland says 10 minutes to town
- All-aboardYour line confirms the time
- Nights beforeOne; two for Graceland and Stax
- Best forCivil Rights Museum, Beale Street, the ducks
In short
Memphis in thirty seconds
The ship is at Beale Street Landing, downtown. The city's tourism board says every multi-day overnight cruise docks there, and names Viking and ACL.
Memphis works three ways. It ends Viking's 8-day Delta Explorer, starts its Ohio and Cumberland routes, and fills two days of the 22-day Odyssey. ACL's 9-day Lower Mississippi starts here and runs to New Orleans.
MEM is a short cab ride from downtown. The airport publishes no fare for it, so agree the price at the Concourse B queue.
Give the city a night before the ship. The Civil Rights Museum alone takes up to two hours, and it is closed Tuesdays.
The berths
One landing for the overnight ships
Beale Street Landing is the only dock that matters for a river cruise. The sightseeing and dinner boats use a different one.
Beale Street Landing, downtown
The tourism board states that in Memphis all multi-day, overnight cruises dock here. Dinner and sightseeing boats use Cobblestone Landing at 45 S. Riverside Drive, so don't send a car there.
Viking River Cruises, American Cruise Lines
SourceMemphis is an end of the line for Viking's Delta Explorer, a start for its Ohio and Cumberland routes, and a two-day stay on the Odyssey (days 8 and 9). Both lines build a hotel night into some products, so ask which.
Memphis on the Mississippi. Open the Memphis card on the river map for the lines, the season and nearby calls.
Getting there
From MEM to downtown
Memphis International sits close to downtown. The airport doesn't publish a fare for the run, so we'd settle that on the curb.
Fly into
Memphis International Airport MEM
Graceland puts itself ten minutes from downtown and three from the airport; the airport itself publishes neither a distance nor a downtown fare.
- Taxi
Cabs at Concourse B
Taxis queue at the curb outside Concourse B baggage claim, from 6 am until one hour after the last arrival. Bluff City Taxi and City Wide Taxi are the listed companies.
Source - Taxi
Uber and Lyft
The airport has a separate ride-hail page. We'd compare the app price with the cab queue before you leave baggage claim.
Source - Bus
MATA Route 28
Stops at baggage level, weekdays 5:45 am to 6:29 pm, Saturdays 8:45 am to 5:29 pm and Sundays 8:45 am to 4:29 pm. Not suited to luggage.
Source - Line transfer
Side by side
- TaxiCabs at Concourse BTime—Cost—Most arrivals with luggage
- TaxiUber and LyftTime—Cost—Travellers who prefer an app
- BusMATA Route 28Time—Cost—Carry-on only, daytime
- Line transferWith the lineTime—Cost—Viking Air buyers and ACL guests
What the lines say about transfers
- VikingGround transfers with a Viking Air purchase.
- American Cruise Lines (not reviewed)Hotel lobby to ship on boarding morning, where its hotel stay applies; ask what it does on Memphis departures.
The day before
A day in Memphis before the ship
Downtown holds most of this, with Graceland and Stax a short drive out. Six that fit a day; book the first ahead.
The night-before planner
How many nights before you board?
Where are you coming from?
And for Memphis itself?
- 01
National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel
450 Mulberry Street. Adults pay $25, the museum is open 9 am to 5 pm with last ticket at 5:15, and it is closed Tuesdays and on major holidays. Timed tickets are sold online. Plan 1.5 to 2 hours, and confirm the Tuesday closure for your date.
Source - 02
The Peabody ducks
Five resident mallards march through the Grand Lobby of The Peabody at 11 am and 5 pm daily. The tourism board dates the tradition to the 1930s.
Source - 03
- 04
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
926 E. McLemore Avenue. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm with last admission at 4, and closed Mondays. Adults pay $20; ages 7 to 12, 62 and over, military and AAA members pay $16.
Source - 05
Beale Street and ribs
The tourism board calls Beale Street the blues hub and names B.B. King's, Blues City Cafe and Wild Bill's, a juke joint open Friday and Saturday nights. It recommends Rendezvous for dry ribs and Gibson's Donuts for a first stop.
Source - 06
Sun Studio
The tourism board recommends it for music fans. Check hours and admission with the studio before you plan around them.
Source
Extra days, booked ahead
Things to do in Memphis
A free afternoon goes quickly here, and Viator tours cover what you can't reach on foot.
Viator is an affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Your line’s included excursions stay with the line. Disclosure.
Where to stay
Where to sleep before the ship
Our Memphis hotel hub has five. The Peabody is the one with the ducks, and the Westin is named for Beale Street.
Downtown riverfront
Beale Street Landing, the Peabody and the National Civil Rights Museum are all downtown. The Westin Beale Street and Central Station sit in the downtown hotel district.
Beale Street entertainment district
Beale Street is just a few feet from the Civil Rights Museum and holds the blues clubs named above.
Graceland and Whitehaven
The Guest House at Graceland is next to the mansion, ten minutes from downtown. A day-before choice only if you'll give up the downtown evening.
All five Memphis pre-cruise hotels
Hotel links go to Booking.com; Seabound Journeys may earn a commission at no cost to you. Affiliate disclosure. Prefer us to book the nights with the cruise? Say so in your brief.
The lines
Who starts a cruise in Memphis
Lines with published itineraries that start or end here. Names that are linked open our review.
When
Viking's Memphis calls cluster in spring and in the October-to-December window, and ACL says Memphis to Nashville is best from July to September. Elvis Week falls in August, so book rooms early if you'll be in town then. Neither line publishes heat figures.
Your checklist
Sorted before boarding day
0 of 5 done
Why trust this page
The Seabound standard
Sources, read at the source
Every fare, berth and timetable here was checked on October 22, 2026, at the line, port or hotel wherever they publish it. Where they don’t, we name the source we used, or say nothing is published.
Paid placements
No line or hotel pays to appear here or to rank higher. Affiliate links are labelled, and they never decide what we recommend.
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A Seabound Journeys advisor reads your brief, compares the lines for your dates and answers you personally. CLIA-affiliated, Florida Seller of Travel ST15578.
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Start your Mississippi cruise in Memphis
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- We compare the lines sailing from Memphis for your dates, side by side.
- Hotel nights, flights and transfers can go into the same plan.
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Quick answers
Memphis river cruise questions
Where does the ship dock?
At Beale Street Landing in downtown Memphis. The Memphis tourism board says all multi-day overnight cruises dock there, and names Viking and ACL.
Is the National Civil Rights Museum worth planning around?
Yes. A visit takes 1.5 to 2 hours, adult tickets are $25 and timed tickets are sold online. It is closed Tuesdays, so a Tuesday arrival day needs a second plan.
Can I do Graceland on embarkation day?
Graceland is open 9 am to 4 pm, and the last mansion tour leaves at 4. It is ten minutes from downtown, but check current hours and tickets before you book a morning flight, because posted hours and prices can lag.
What is Memphis to Nashville?
A separate route. Viking sells Nashville, Memphis & the Cumberland (8 days, from $4,799 as published 22 Oct 2026), and ACL sells Music Cities (9 days); ask for the current fare. Both start in Memphis.
Is Memphis the start or the end of a Mississippi cruise?
Both, depending on the product. Viking's Delta Explorer ends here, its Ohio Explorer and Cumberland cruises start here, and the 22-day Odyssey spends two days in the city. ACL's Lower Mississippi starts here.
How we checked this page 14 sources
Every fact above comes from a source listed here, checked on October 22, 2026: port and city authorities, the lines’ own pages, the hotels and the rating guides. Where nothing official is published, the page says so rather than filling the gap.
- Memphis tourism board: Beale Street Landing and Mississippi riverboat cruises
- Memphis tourism board: The Peabody
- Memphis tourism board: first-timer guide
- National Civil Rights Museum: visit
- Graceland: hours
- Graceland: tickets
- Stax Museum of American Soul Music
- Memphis International Airport: ground transportation
- Booking.com: Downtown Memphis hotels
- Booking.com: Hu Hotel Memphis
- Viking: Mississippi itineraries and fares
- Viking: Mississippi River Odyssey (Australia site)
- ACL: Complete Mississippi River Cruise
- Cruise Kings: Delta Explorer from Memphis (third-party dates)