Porto- Douro River cruise

There are some people on this forum that are very knowledgeable in regards to travel to Portugal. That said, sometimes, I struggled to get the info I was looking for. There is a facebook group called "Travel Portugal". I found it quite helpful and there are many guides/tour business represented in that group. Very often, someone with a good experience would post a recommendation. Also, you can post your question to the group. Another great source of information is Julie Dawn Fox who has a website.

The RS Portugal guidebook does offer some suggestions that you can use to self tour. You can take a train from Porto to Pinhao. There are several companies that do short river cruises from Pinhao and there are wineries in Pinhao within walking distance of the train station. We did find some out of date info in the guide. I would recommend checking websites for any wineries you are interested in.

We stayed in the Douro River two nights. It was stunning and we tried some great wines. You will have a great time.

We did a day cruise with lunch. Went from Porto to Pinhao, took train back to Porto. Nice enough. Trying to find the boat name.

I think the river cruise from Porto to Pinhão is way too long and boring. Just take the train to Pinhão, visit some wineries there, and take a one or two hour cruise. Then train back to Porto.

Agree about the Travel Portugal FB page and the Portugal Travel and Discovery FB page. Both are very active with knowledgeable people. Be forewarned, though, because you'll be hit with a lot of people wanting to sell you their guided tours.