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Discover the Douro

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You are viewing the 2024 itinerary. Select your departure year
20242025
8 days From £3,395 £3,245 per person
4.6 stars(23 reviews)
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Fly & Cruise

Discover historic villas, ancient cities and sublime wines.

Save up to £150pp

Save up to £150pp on selected 2024 Europe, British Isles and Cruise holidays, when you book by 10th May 2024.

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2024 Tour code: DOZ24

About the tour

The magnificent Douro is Iberia's most famous waterway, winding through golden valleys alongside enchanting towns and past regal wine estates. This cruise on board the MS Amalia Rodrigues reveals the timeless beauty of this serene river, stopping at wonderful ports along the way.

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Unforgettable Experiences

Porto
Porto
Explore the UNESCO listed World Heritage city of Porto, picturesquely located on the banks of the Douro.
Salamanca
Salamanca
Visit the golden city of Salamanca and experience a traditional Spanish lunch.
Mateus Palace
Mateus Palace
Visit the impressive Mateus Palace, its beautiful gardens, grand interior, and stunning architecture.
Lamego
Lamego
Enjoy a sightseeing tour in the picturesque village of Lamego.
Guimarães
Guimarães
Discover the medieval buildings of Guimarães.

What’s included

Itinerary

Day 1 - To Porto where we board our cruise ship

Today is the start of our amazing holiday. We gather at the airport, ready to embark on an adventure to the charming city of Porto. On arrival, we travel by comfortable coach to our ship. After settling into our cabins, we're greeted with a welcome cocktail. Later, we sit down to our first delicious meal on board, followed by a panoramic evening coach tour of the city of Porto by night.

From our comfortable seats, we see the lovely old, preserved areas of the city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hopping off the coach for a brief stop at the Sao Bento railway station, we admire its magnificent azulejos.

Includes
  • Dinner
Day 2 - Discovering Porto and Regua

This morning we discover Porto further on a guided walking tour. We explore its winding streets, historical townhouses, and regal churches as well as the iconic iron bridge. We also visit a wine cellar to sample the city's famous wine. We rejoin our ship for lunch on board and then later this afternoon, begin our cruise along the Douro river, enjoying its fabulous landscapes enroute to the town of Regua. After dinner this evening, we enjoy entertainment on board.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 – Mateus Palace and Gardens

This morning, we visit the city of Vila Real and the magnificent Mateus Palace with its breathtaking gardens. We start with a panoramic tour of the city by coach, followed by a tasting of the local pastry, Cristas de Galo. Later, we visit the Mateus Palace, one of the most beautiful and astonishing houses in all of Northern Portugal. This 18th-century masterpiece is a delight with its classic Italianate exterior, beautifully adorned interiors, and lush gardens. Our tour takes us through the grand halls and rooms of the palace before time at leisure to explore the property's chapel and winery. Returning to our ship, we cruise in the afternoon through blissful scenery to Vega de Terron on the border with Spain. This evening, after dinner, we enjoy Flamenco entertainment on board.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 – Spain and the golden city of Salamanca

Today, we venture into beautiful Spain and make our way through enchanting countryside to the golden city of Salamanca, in the Castille y Léon region. Known as the academic capital of Spain, this ancient city boasts an impressive array of sandstone university buildings and - founded in 1218 - is the oldest and most prestigious centre of learning in the country. Our guided tour showcases the highlights of Salamanca, including the ornate House of Shells, the vibrant Plaza Mayor, and other magnificent buildings. Afterwards, you have time to wander at leisure and discover the city's hidden gems before enjoying a traditional Spanish lunch.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 - Pinhao and Port wine

This morning, we begin our cruise back downstream through scenic landscapes to Ferradosa. After lunch, we join our fabulous excursion along the Porto wine route where we visit San Salvador do Mundo and Sao Joao da Pesqueira, two small towns set amongst the vineyards on the Rio Torto valley. We also visit a local Quinta where we indulge in some of the region's finest Ports. Later, we rejoin our ship in Pinhao before enjoying our Gala dinner on board.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 – Lamego

This morning we journey to the picturesque village of Lamego. We enjoy a guided tour of this charming town, renowned for its stunning cathedral. Standing at the heart of the village, this is a breathtaking example of Baroque architecture. But the real highlight of this masterpiece is the 700 steps leading up to its doors, beautifully decorated with cheerful white and blue tiles. This afternoon we continue our cruise back to Porto where tonight, we enjoy an evening of Fado-themed entertainment.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 - Exploring Porto and Guimarães

This morning, we enjoy time at leisure in Porto before lunch on board. This afternoon, we visit the charming medieval city of Guimarães, known for its well-preserved 10th-century buildings, vibrant squares, and picturesque castle gardens. We return to Porto and rejoin our ship before our 4-course farewell dinner and traditional folk entertainment on board.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 – Homeward bound

Today marks the final day of our adventure on the Douro. We disembark and transfer to the airport for our return flight to the UK - leaving with memories of the charming villages, vibrant cities, and wonderful landscapes of Portugal and Spain.

Includes
  • Breakfast

Additional information

Departure times

Provisional departure and return times, where available, can be found together with our dates and prices by clicking on the 'Prices & Availability' button. We write to all booked customers approximately 10 weeks prior to the start of their tour to advise the exact departure and return time for their particular group.

Mobility information

Due to the nature of our tours they are generally unsuitable for those with restricted mobility. If you’d like to discuss any particular holiday with us in this respect, then please don’t hesitate to call us.

Ships

MS Amalia Rodrigues
MS Gil Eanes

Enhance your holiday

Upgrades

Flight upgrades
London Hotels
UK rail connections

Reviews

4.6 stars4.6 / 5 · 23 reviews

  1. 5 stars
    (14)
  2. 4 stars
    (8)
  3. 3 stars
    (1)
  4. 2 stars
    (0)
  5. 1 star
    (0)

Anne

5 stars

Submitted 24 Sep 2023

Well organised. Pleasant accommodation; high standard of cleanliness throughout. Friendly helpful staff . Great service in restaurant. Food plentiful and varied;maybe not always as hot as expected. Most enjoyable cruise with right balance of excursions and free time.

Collected by Trustpilot

Margaret Ricardo

5 stars

Submitted 24 Sep 2023

Great people. Really interesting guide. Superb entertainment. Beautiful scenery.

Collected by Trustpilot

Rosemary Martin

4 stars

Submitted 24 Sep 2023

It was lovely we enjoyed the scenery and the shop was really nice. The only thing was we were in cabin 224 and it was very noisy from the engines and also the toilets flushing during the night. Couldn't sleep well. The food and the staff were lovely especially the your manager Rob. He was great.

Collected by Trustpilot

E Newcombe

4 stars

Submitted 21 Sep 2023

Our guide was superb and the whole trip was most enjoyable - good food and excellent staff on board. Our only complaint was that there was no representative to meet us at Gatwick and so the four of us had to sit separately on the plane. We tried to check in on line but of course were not able to as we had no reference.

Collected by Trustpilot

Harry Orchard

5 stars

Submitted 19 Sep 2023

Well organised tour with excellent scenery As an engineer the experience of going through the locks in excess of 34 meters high was a marvel of ingenuity The only criticism would be the 2 hour each way coach ride to Salamanca, any coach ride in excess of one hour is to much when on holiday of this type Other than that a very nice relaxing holiday

Collected by Trustpilot

Mr. Donald Mcquistan

4 stars

Submitted 04 Jul 2023

Excellent Trip, good boat and Cruise Manager

Collected by Trustpilot

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