The Volga route started in Aldeigjuborg. The Vikings in Aldeigjuborg were specialists in sailing the Volga. Ships with flat bottoms sailed Lake Ladoga east of the outlet of the Volkhov and came to the Volga.

An alternative Volga route led down the the Svir to Lake Onega. From there they sailed up the the Vytegra and the Kovsja to Lake Beloe. Further on, they sailed the Lenina and came to the Volga.

A third alternative Volga route was sailing Lake Ilmen, sailing up the Mata and came to the upper part of the Volga. The three routes led to Bulgar, Atil, the capital of the Khazare Empire, and ended in the Caspasian Sea. Probably, there were more alternative routes.

Another main trade route that started in Aldeigjuborg, was sailing down the Dnjepr to Holmgard (Novgorod), and then to Constantinople or to the Caspasiann Sea.

Ottar was an important farmer, although he said "he lived northernmost of all Northmen". Presumably, his farm was in or close to modern Tromsø. However, he was also a clever trader, whose ships sailed to Denmark, Sweden and England. According to his story to King Alfred, he had once explored how far north the land stretched and if there were humans living so far north. In three days he had sailed along the coast and only observed wilderness. In three days he continued sailing along the coast until the land turned southwards. From there he sailed along the coast in four more days, and then the land turned southwards again. Then he saw a great river that ran into the sea. He dared not pass out of the river without talking with the people who lived in the region. On the south side of the outlet he had found many buildings after he left home.

Ottar went ashore and he talked with the bjarmer. Ottar and the bjarmer understood each other because they spoke nearly the same language as the Sami people. Ottar said to the bjarmer that he had come to their land to catch walruses and take the walrus teeth. And, indeed, Ottar got many opportunities to catch walrus. Ottar sailed home after a friendly farewell with the bjarmer. Ottar's journey was a contrast to the Viking travels.

In 920 The Viking Eirik Bloodaxe sailed to Bjarmeland. He ravaged Bjarmeland and returned to Norway where the rumors of his travel were spread widely. In 965 Harald Gråfell, the oldest son of Eirik Bloodaxe, sailed to Bjarmeland, and he also ravaged among the bjarmer. He was involved in serious combats with the bjarmer riverbanks around the White Sea, and he ravaged and plundered the inner regions of Bjarmeland. According to Snorri, Harald killed many people and took much plunder.

Some years later, Tore Hund travelled to Bjarmeland. Snorri's representation of this in Heimskringla has many interesting details.

The story tells that Tore Hund united with a group of trading Northeners who travelled to Bjarmeland on behalf of King Olav Haraldsson, later known as Olav the Holy. Tore had a crew of 80 men in his longship, but the king's merchant did not like the situation. After the trade with the Bjarmer was finished, Tore and his men broke the peace with the Bjarmer. Instead of sailing homewards in accordance with the agreement with the King's traders, Tore and his men went ashore again in the night and found a burial place. There were many grave-mounds, and Tore and his men broke up the grave-mounds and found large amounts of gold and silver. Tore stole a pictoral figure of Jomale, the god of the Bjarmer, that had the silver bowl in his lap. The Vikings departed the holy place heavily loaded with valuables and went back their ships. They were followed by the angry Bjarmer who yelled and had weapons in their hands. Tore Hund and his men escaped. When they should have shared the valuables, Tore refused to share the valuables in accordance with the traditional regulations. The other Vikings protested, but Tore took his spear and killed the viking who was closest to him. Tore went back to the ship and took with him all the treasures he had stolen.

In the Saga of Orvar-Odd, that he himself told, Orvar-Odd and his companion Asmund came once to Bjarmeland, and they kidnapped and killed many Bjarmer. The Bjarmer had not harmed them. However, they had many valuables. Orvar-Odd described the Bjarmer as a people with dark hair and their language sounded like chirping of birds. The Bjarmer wanted to trade, but the vikings preferred to steal. In the night they went to the holy places and the grave-mounds of the Bjarmer, stole a great amount of silver that they carried away in bags to the ship. Greatly satisfied, the Vikings travelled home.

Where is Bjarmeland? This geographical name does not exist any longer on the maps, and no one speaks the language of the Bjarmer any longer. Probably, Bjarmeland was situated on the south coast of the Kola Peninsula. This is also the position of Bjarmeland according to the report which Ottar from Hålogaland told King Alfred the Great in ca. 875.

The trade routes were soon established between Constantinople and Kiev, where the Varangians (Vikings) lived. The Varangians sent valuable goods to Constantinople and they were sent all kind of grandeurs back. In the north, Kiev became the great center for trade to Constantinople. However, the Byzantines did not trust the Varjager (Varangians). In 860 Constantinople was attacked and invaded by Vikings.

A great fleet of vikingships appeared outside Constantinople. The people of Constantinople experienced a massive attack from the Nordic Vikings who attacked from the sea. The Nestor Chronicle says that the vikings had sailed the Djnepr from Kiev to the Black Sea. They sailed over the Black Sea and came to Bosporus. The Nestor Chronicle also says that the fleet consisted of 200 ships manned by 8000 vikings.

Constantinople was not ready for war because the emperor's fleet of warships was engaged in battles against the Arabs. Suddenly, the vikingships appeared. The Vikings went ashore and plundered the monasteries in the outskirts of the city before they sailed into the harbor of Constantinople. The Vikings attacked and killed many.

The situation in the suburbs was dramatic. The Vikings burned every house, and threw those who lived there into the sea, or they killed them with their swords. However, many churches and monasteries in the inner city were destroyed. The alters were torn down, objects and valuables made of gold and silver were stolen, and monks and servants were brought to the vikingships and cut into pieces. After ravaging the city, the vikings suddenly disappeared. It is difficult to know the reason why. Perhaps the emperor and his fleet were returning to the city. Or perhaps the vikings thought they had enough booty.

After 860 AD Constantinople was mainly left in peace by the vikings. The trade between the cities of the great Russian rivers and Constantinople was re-established. Sometimes Vikings attacked the city. In 941 a fleet of vikingships made a massive attack on the great city. However, the emperor had some naval vessels equipped with catapults and Greek fire. According to the Nestor Chronicle, the vikings jumped into the water. Some vikings drowned, some were set on fire and died. The Greek fire scared the vikings. Just a small part of the viking fleet returned to Kiev. Afterward, Constantinople was never again attacked by vikings.

In the 980's the Emperor Basileios II was sent 6000 Varangians by Prince Vladimir of Kiev, and the army arrived in Constantinople in the winter of 987-988. The Varangians soon acted as a military regiment in the reign of Basileios II. Later, Varangians served in the Byzantine army and navy. Usually, the Varangians had their own military units, and they were only one of many units of foreign mercenaries in Byzantium. Varangians in Constantinople often served in the emperor's life guard, and according to the Norse Sagas it seems as if most of them served as officers. They did not only serve in the life guard, but they also took part in the many ceremonies of the Byzantine court and church festivals. They were also the emperor's executioners, and perfomed many brutal duties on behalf of the emperor. The Norse Sagas present the Varangians as heros, but, truly, they were also merciless mercenaries.

The Arab travellers who visited Russia in the 9th and 10 centuries were sceptical towards the Varangians and the Rus. However, they gave much information about the Varangians and the Rus. According to Ibn Khordad, the Rus sold skins of beaver, fox and swords in the middle of the 9th century. He says also that the Rus transported their goods by camel to Baghdad. Ibn Fadlan wrote in his book Risala that the Rus settled and built big houses along the shores of the river Volga south of Bulgar in the beginning of the 10th century. al-Masudi wrote that there was a colony of the Rus in the Khazare capital in the beginning of the 10th century. Further, he tells that the Slavs and the Rus were considered as heathens and judged according to heathen traditions. They served in the royal army and domestically. The Rus were a mighty people who never obeyed king or law. Many of them were merchants who had trade connections with the king of Bulgar.

The Varangians raided Moslem regions. al-Masudi tells about a fleet of vikingships that in 912 sailed down the Volga. It travelled along the coasts of the Black Sea and the crew raided the Moslem districts, including Baku. In 943 Barda'a, the greatest town in Caucasus, was attacked and destroyed completely by the Varangians (ar-Rusiya) from the north. In 968 the vikings ( ar-Rusiya) attacked and destroyed the towns at the Caspasian Sea. According to al-Masudi, the Varangians was defeated by a Moslem army at the outlet of the Volga.