Hello: I've been researching Douro River Cruises and have gotten many bad reviews so I thought I would come ask my friends who never steer me wrong. I've watched a ton of videos on YouTube on the Douro River and many have said that they are boring and to bring cards on the boat to help pass the 6 hour boat ride. Our group of 5 will be in Porto from 6/28 - 6/30. Would you recommend the Douro River tour and if so which one, or would you advise us to slow down and take a food tour in Porto or just walk around and enjoy the city? We are used to running around as we like to see as much as possible. I thank you in advance for your help and am looking forward to your responses. Ciao! Suzanne
Posted by
North of NY
5 posts
We spent four days in Porto earlier this month. We had a delightful time exploring the city and its cuisine. We didn't feel we missed out on anything by not taking a day-long cruise of the Douro. Instead, we took a one-hour six bridges cruise in the early evening and then had dinner at a restaurant on the waterfront. We did take a private tour by van through the Douro to Foz Coa archeological park, stopping for lunch along the way, plus a stop for Port tasting. For us, that was fine. As your trip is a day shorter than ours, you should have plenty to do just by exploring the city. Do bring comfortable shoes; the city is very hilly and you will get a good workout.
Posted by
7642 posts
We did a fantastic Douro river cruise that was 7 days in 2018 and it was great.
You only want to do a two day cruise, not sure those are offered.
If you don't want to do a cruise, take the train (it runs down the north bank of the river to Regua or even better to Pinhao.
The river valley is probably the most scenic in Europe.
Posted by
9 posts
I'm hoping more people add comments. I am also wondering about the cruise. What is the best part for scenery? Are two/ three hour cruises available?
Posted by
Cleveland, oh
101 posts
We booked this Train/Boat cruise...we are staying in the Douro Valley and picking it up there.
https://www.roteirododouro.com/en/experience/cruise-regua-pinhao-historic-train
Good reviews and hubby is a train lover.
Posted by
OP
14 posts
Hello:
I wanted to follow-up on my question as I don't think I made it clear. I wanted to know if you have three days in Porto if it is worth it to take a 10-12 hour day trip to the Douro Valley? And if so, which would you recommend.
Thank you
Posted by
BC Canada
79 posts
If you only have 3 days in Porto there is plenty to see and do without spending a long long day up the Douro. Just make sure to include port wine tasting in Vila Nova de Gaia across the river from Porto. Also make sure to take the old tram out to Foz do duoro area by the open Atlantic.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
5579 posts
We spent 2.5 days in the Douro River valley. It's gorgeous! We didn't take the train or a cruise. We had a car and just spent our days exploring the scenery and taking long breaks at scenic wineries for a glass of wine or port. If you feel the need for a cruise, you can do a one hour cruise from Pinhao. I did look at doing the train from Porto, and it looked to be a long ride. I felt the most scenic part was from Regua to Pinhao.
In addition to our time in the Douro River Valley, we had two days in Porto. It's a lovely and interesting city.
We typically plan and do things on our own vs. a tour. Because you are in Porto such a short time, if you want to see any of the Douro beyond Porto, I'd look for a half day tour.
Posted by
3 posts
I am working on a Douro Valley tour package with a company named Roterio do Douro for April 2024. Jennifer also posted that she was using them for a trip in May They are the only company that I can find that combines the train & cruise and can also arrange accommodations at a hotel or local quinta for a multi-day package. They have been very helpful and flexible to work with-However, I can't find any reviews of this company on Trip Advisor or Google. They have a Facebook page which is all in Portuguese.
Has anyone, other than Jennifer below, had any experiences with them? They are based out of Lisbon.
https://www.roteirododouro.com/en
Where else can I look for reviews?
Kerry
Anchorage AK
Posted by
San Franciso Bay Area, USA
951 posts
We just returned from Portugal and look a day tour from Porto to the Douro Valley with Wine Venture & Boat Trip in Douro Valley: https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/160799?startDate=2023-10-23&adults=2. It was one of the highlights of our trip.
This is an AirbnB experience run by a small company of natives of the Douro Valley. It is a small group tour (we had 7 people total) with a knowledgeable local guide. Our guide, Leo, was born and raised in the Douro Valley and was very knowledgeable about wine, history, food, and culture. The tour includes a short boat tour (about 45 minutes) with a Port Tonic (my new favorite drink) and some light bites. Despite the rain, we really enjoyed this short boat ride. We then toured two wineries, both small family owned. Our lunch at the second winery was spectacular and the wine was delicious. We had time to walk through the vineyards. We live near Napa and Sonoma and wine taste quite often and usually are not a fan of tours. However, these tours were really interesting, from seeing the large granite tubs in which people still stomp the grapes with their feet, to seeing an underground storage for a sparking wine.
As a note, we actually did both the day tour in Douro and a port and food tour from Eating Europe: https://www.eatingeurope.com/porto/port-wine-food-tour/. This tour took us to one of the few Portuguese owned Port houses in Vila Nova de Gaia, touring a cellar with port wines from the 18th century. We also ate at some really unique places, from a little bakery with only counter space to a grocery store where we helped the owner with his English and he helped us learn some Portuguese. Sara was our guide and she was delightful.
We love wine and food and enjoyed both the tour to the Douro and the food tour.