🇵🇹 Douro River Cruise: My Detailed Review Of This Cruise

Are you thinking of taking a Douro River cruise?

I’m lucky enough to have taken a group of 140 guests on a Douro River cruise while working as a tour manager.

I’ve written this detailed review so you can see if a Douro river cruise is the perfect trip for you

Most Douro cruises have a similar program. They may visit things in a different order. The main differences are ship styles, layouts, and customer demographics.

My review includes:

• An overview of the Douro River and its popularity.
• Answers to common questions
• What cruise lines travel on the Douro?
• What we did each day, along with reviews of all the excursions.
• Details (and some videos) of the river locks.
• Pictures that I took throughout the cruise.

If you want to know if a Douro cruise is right for you, this guide will help you find out.

Douro River Cruise

Douro River Cruise – Where is the Douro Valley?

• The River Douro actually starts in Spain and flows West.
• It meets the Atlantic Ocean at Porto.
• The river is 557 miles long.
• It’s the Portuguese part of the river that is navigable – that’s 133 miles.
• There are 15 dams along the river of which 5 are commonly passed through during a Douro river cruise.
• Scroll across the map below to see where the Douro River flows.

Why are Douro River Cruises Popular?

As far as river cruises go, the Douro is the second most popular river cruise in Europe. (The Danube is number one.)

The main reason all those guests choose the Douro is the scenery. There are steep hills that cascade vineyards from top to bottom. There are also pretty towns, villages, and cities along the way.

It’s a great destination for culture and history lovers.

It’s a wonderful wine destination. All the river cruises will include at least on (but often more) wine tasting visits.

Cruise Douro River

What is the Douro Valley Famous For?

The Douro Valley is UNESCO-listed because of its winemaking history. This dates back over 2,000 years, although evidence shows grape production in the area for 3,000 years.

Port wine (who doesn’t love a nice glass of port with some cheese?) is made throughout the valley.

Vinho Verde is also produced here. This wine is generally not exported as it doesn’t travel well. It has a fresh and clean taste. I love it as it doesn’t have tannins in it.

Memorable Moments from My Douro River Cruise

The River Locks

• I loved going through the river locks. The engineering was impressive to see.
• Being on such a large boat, squeezing through a lock, was very memorable. It was also memorable to be on a boat and travel up and down such a height.

The Sun Deck

• I loved being out on the sun deck. It’s a favourite feature of mine for any river cruise, to be honest.
• Sitting outside, watching the scenery slide by while enjoying a drink and snack or two is so relaxing.
• With a river cruise, there is always something to see.

Rural Areas and Countryside

• Several excursions visited small towns and rural areas of the Douro Valley.
• I loved this quieter experience after the bustle of Porto. It was a lovely contrast.

The Crew

• The crew were amazing. They worked so hard to look after all the guests.
• Most of them were locals, with lots of interesting stories about the area.

Special Moments

• Every trip has some special moments. Despite the fact that I was working, this was no different for me.
• While exploring Castela Rodrigo, some guests and I found a little cafe. Tucked down a cobbled street, we had a lovely time chatting over drinks. It was nice to relax a little bit.
• On the way to Salamanca, we stopped to see vultures. These huge birds were floating on the thermals. We were high on a hilltop, so they were at the same height.
• Another memorable moment was the early morning cruise back into Porto. I was up early and headed to the sun deck. To my surprise, I found I had it all to myself. With a coffee in hand, I watched Porto appear. The morning mist draped over the city, making it look even more beautiful.

Now let me answer some frequently asked questions about a Douro river cruise.

Douro River Weather

River cruises run from March to November, although this varies depending on the operator.

Average temperatures: (based on historical data) are as follows;

• March: 7 -15 Celsius
• April: 9-18 Celsius
• May: 11-22 Celsius
• June: Average 24 Celsius
• July: Average 27 Celsius
• August: Average 30 Celsius
• September: Average 28 Celsius
• October: 26 Celsius dropping to 22 at the end of the month
• November: 22 Celsius dropping down to 16 towards the end of the month

Ref: Weather Climate

Now let’s look at what we did for each day of our Douro River cruise. Most Douro river cruises will have an itinerary that looks quite similar.

I’ve included some videos and some of my pictures too.

Cruise Douro River

Day By Day Itinerary

Before I share the itinerary let me just point out a couple of things.

• The cruise I took travelled from Porto to Barca d’Alva and back again. This is a very common route for Douro cruises.
• The total distance is approximately 135 miles or 200 kilometres.
• Many of the excursions along the Douro involve travelling by coach.
• There was a 2-2.5 hour transfer by coach to reach Salamanca.
• I think a Douro Cruise is a touring holiday, with some touring done by the ship and some by coach.

Cruise River Douro

Day 1 – Joining the Ship

On my trip, we flew to Porto and then had a group transfer by coach to the ship.

It took a while to load three coaches with all the passengers and their luggage.

I sent two coaches on ahead while we waited for the last passengers. This meant we didn’t all arrive at the ship at the same time.

It’s around 22 km from the airport to Vila Nova de Gaia, where the ship moored. The travel time was approximately 40 minutes.

You are unlikely to be able to board the ship if your flight arrives before midday. The ship will be doing a changeover from the previous cruise.

Once we reached the ship, we checked in. Our luggage was unloaded from the coach and taken to the cabins.

Our ship was only for our group. We had all travelled from the UK on the same flight. This meant we all arrived at almost the same time.

As a result, it took a while for everyone to get checked in.

There was some time for guests to explore Vila Nova de Gaia. This is a pretty area that hosts all the port wine cellars.

It’s on the opposite side of the river from Porto itself. There is a pretty riverside promenade area, shops, cafés, and a funicular.

Check out things to do in Vila Nova de Gaia.

We spent the first night moored in Vila Nova and enjoyed a lovely first evening on board.

Douro River Cruise: Day 2 – Travelling to Regua

On our second day, we cruised from Vila Nova de Gaia to Régua. The total distance travelled by ship is around 62 miles (100 km).

The journey time takes around 7 hours.

Not far from Vila Nova de Gaia is the first lock navigation. It’s 22 km (13.5 miles) from Vila Nova de Gaia to the Crestuma Lever Dam. The height of the dam is 25 metres or around 82 feet.

A bit further upstream (64 km or 40 miles from Vila Nova), we passed through the Carrapatelo Dam. The height of the dam is 57 m or around 187 feet.

It’s a great experience to travel through. Enjoy it from the bar and the boat’s front area.

Check out the video I took from the sun deck of our ship.

Lamego Excursion

This excursion was about 3.5 hours long from leaving the ship to returning.

Lamego is in the hills about 10 miles away from Régua.

The visit was to see the lovely Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios. Builders constructed the shrine between the 18th and 20th centuries. It is still a very popular pilgrimage site, with the most devout climbing the 700 steps on their knees.

There is a beautiful baroque staircase and the sanctuary at the top of the hill. Guests had the option to walk down into the city of Lamego or take the coach down and avoid the steps.

This page on Lamego has a great view of the Sanctuary. It also has an interactive map of Lamego’s attractions.

Lamego is a small town with a pleasant square and some nice coffee shops and cafés to enjoy.

After our visit, we took the coach back to the ship.

After dinner, we enjoyed a Portuguese folk music show. Local musicians came and played on board the ship.

It’s common for river cruises to bring entertainers on board.

Douro River Cruise: Day 3 – To Pinhao

After spending the night in Regua, the ship cruised from Regua to Pinhao.

The cruising distance was 24 km or 15 miles. It took around 3 hours.

During this part of the cruise, we passed through the Regua Dam. This dam is 41 metres or around 134 feet high.

Douro River Cruise: Day 4 – To Vega De Terron

On Day 4 the ship sailed from Pinhao to Vega de Terron. The distance is 82k m or 51 miles. It took around 7 hours.

Vega de Terron is on the Portuguese/Spanish border where the Douro and Agueda rivers meet.

We passed through the Valeira Dam which is 48m or around 157 feet high. We then passed through the Pocinho Dam which is 49m or 160 feet high.

Later that day we arrived at Vega de Terron.

Figueira De Castelo Rodrigo Excursion

During the afternoon, there was an included visit to Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo.

This excursion lasted around 3.5 hours.

The distance from Vega de Terrón to Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo is around 21 km (or 13 miles). The roads are small, which made the travel time 30 minutes.

The pretty village sits on top of a hill. It has several pretty narrow streets with some cute cafés to enjoy. We had free time to look around the village.

Some guests found the cobbled streets a bit tough going. The entrance to the village had a sloped cobbled section, and I had to help some guests over this part.

The video above gives you an idea of the terrain for this excursion.

In the evening there was a lovely Portuguese dinner on board the ship.

River cruises often feature local dishes on their menus – something else I really enjoy.

Douro River Cruise: Day 5 – Visit to Salamanca

After breakfast, there was an included excursion to the city of Salamanca. Salamanca is a historic Spanish city, set inland from the Douro River.

This excursion was about 10 hours.

It is around 121 km or 75 miles between Vega de Terrón and Salamanca.

The first part of the journey by coach involved a climb up over the hills. This part of the road was quite twisty, but once out of the Douro Valley, the road was straighter and more level.

The journey took around two hours and there was some commentary during the journey about Spanish history.

Important Note:

There were not any comfort stops en route to Salamanca but there was a comfort stop on arrival in Salamanca at a local hotel. It might be worth checking this information in advance if it is important to you.

Salamanca is a UNESCO-listed city in Spain. The city has one of the oldest universities in Europe and two cathedrals. The city has a pedestrianised centre to make exploring even more enjoyable.

Around half an hour after arriving in Salamanca, there was a walking tour. The walking tour was with a local guide and headed to Plaza Mayor. The Plaza is one of the finest squares in Spain.

I missed the rest of this excursion because a guest had an emergency while out on the city tour. I took her to the hospital, where we stayed for the rest of the day before returning to the ship in a taxi.

For the rest of the group, they had lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, they enjoyed a flamenco show. They then had free time to enjoy Salamanca on their own.

Later in the afternoon, the coach took the two hour journey back to the ship.

The ship then travelled from Vega de Terron to Pochino, which is a distance of around 35 km.

Here’s my video of the view across the Douro Valley from a viewpoint in the hills on the way to Salamanca.

Douro River Cruise: Day 6 – Mateus Gardens

This morning, we cruised 102 km (64 miles) from Pocinho to Régua, taking around 7 hours. We set sail at around 7 am. Along the way, we passed through the Pocinho and Valeira dams again.

Mateus Palace Excursion

This 3.5-hour trip took us to the famous Mateus Palace. It is on the Mateus Rosé wine label. You might even have used the bottles as candle holders! We had a guided tour of the palace’s interior. Then, we explored the beautiful gardens outside.

We had to return to the ship earlier than planned, cutting our visit short. The reason was a problem with one of the river locks, which had a fault and couldn’t operate at full capacity. This caused a change in all ship bookings.

After returning to the ship we cruised Regua to Bitetos. This is a distance of around 75km (46 miles) so it meant quite a late arrival.

There was a farewell dinner on board, even though it wasn’t the last night of the cruise.

This was because many of the crew live locally and for the final night of the cruise they go home for 1 night.

Douro River Cruise: Day 7 – Return to Porto

This morning we cruised from Bitetos to Vila Nova de Gaia.

The distance is around 50km (31 miles) and we passed through the Crestuma dam again.

We arrived into Vila Real at around 9am.

Port Cellar Excursion

This 1.5-hour tour was a lovely start to the day. From the ship, we walked to a nearby wine cellar in the historic quarter of Vila Nova de Gaia.

Our knowledgeable guide welcomed us to the wine cellar. We learned the process of producing the sweet, velvety Port wine. We learned about harvesting, blending, and grape selection.

At the end of the tour, we did a tasting (well, I didn’t because I was working!)

Oporto Excursion By Coach in the Afternoon

This excursion lasted 3.5 hours.

In the afternoon, there was an included tour of Oporto. This university city served as inspiration for J.K. Rowling, who lived here for a while. We saw students going about the town in their distinctive gowns.

Most of the tour was on the coach with stops along the way. That meant there were short bits of walking rather than any long distances.

One of the places we visited was the Sé Cathedral. This is where Philippa of Lancaster married King João of Portugal in 1387.

Here is a video showing Oporto and Vila Real and the lovely views of the bridges over the River Douro.

Douro River Cruise Day 8 – Disembarkation

This morning after breakfast we disembarked the ship head home.

Our flights weren’t until later in the day so we were taken to a hotel in the city which was our base for the day.

We were able to do some more exploration of Porto on foot. We had lunch at the hotel. We could also leave our hand luggage there, which was helpful.

We were then taken by coach to the airport and returned back to the UK.

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