7 Night Cruise sailing from Porto roundtrip aboard Andorinha.

NOTE: Itinerary shown is for 2021. Itinerary for 2022 is still to be finalised and subject to change including possible changes to start and end cities. Please check for full details at time of enquiry/booking.

Discover the bohemian heart of the city that gave Port-wine its name... sample its treasures in the wine caves of Vila Nova de Gaia... sail deep into the mountain landscapes of Portugese wine country to find wine estates, lush vineyards, idyllic riverside villages, baroque castles, hilltop medieval ruins, and rock art from the valley's earliest inhabitants...

Our eight-day riverboat cruise on Portugal's Douro River offers an authentic taste of life and world-class wines in a region steeped in winemaking for over 2,000 years. Explore the colorful city of Porto, an enticing labyrinth of winding streets, baroque churches and blue-tiled houses, where port wine is made and stored. Board ms Andorinha and trace the wine to its source, the quintas and picture-postcard villages of the Douro River Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site... discover terraced vineyards and enjoy tours, tastings, wine pairings, and a lesson in port cocktail-making... tour baroque Mateus Palace... and immerse yourself in local history and culture, the prehistoric art of Foz Côa, the views from hilltop Castelo Rodrigo and more…

Highlights of this cruise:

Oporto
Oporto (Porto) is a city in northern Portugal and is the second largest city in Portugal. One of the most beautiful towns on the Iberian peninsula, Oporto is enchantingly situated on the great gorge of the Douro River in northern Portugal. It is famous for its world-renowned wine "Port," made in the upper Douro valley by a process practiced nowhere else in the world.

Porto’s historical centre was awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1996. The city is extremely hilly, with many buildings built into a cliff face that overlooks the river. Stairs cut into the stone run up and down the cliff face and offer a laborious but rewarding walking tour. Across the river from Porto proper, in the suburb of Gaia, are located the warehouses of notable companies dealing with Port Wine, such as Cálem, Fonseca, Sandemans, Kopke, and others.

Pinhao
Pinhao is one of 19 parishes located in the Alijo municipality in the Norte Region of Portugal. It is situated at the confluence of the Douro and Pinhao rivers, 22km upstream from Peso da Regua.

Marking the end of the “port wine trail,” Pinhao is a typical rustic Douro town. Of interest is the Azulejos [glazed tile] decorated railway station. From here, one can see the dramatic landscaped vine-clad terraces, dotted with white quintas where the wine is produced and bottled.

Regua
Regua commonly known as Régua, is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The municipality is composed of 12 parishes, and is located in the district of Vila Real. Backed by the Serra do Marão mountains and overlooking the wide valley of the River Douro, Regua is a peaceful town and wine growing region.

Régua is the official centre of the Port wine growing region. From here, barrels of wine were traditionally transported to Vila Nova de Gaia in the past using wooden sailing ships called rabelos. Today, the journey is made by road using specially-adapted tankers.