6 Best Douro River Cruises and Boat Tours in Porto

The Douro River is probably one of Porto's biggest attractions. In addition to walking along its banks or enjoying a glass of wine on a terrace with views, you can take a cruise that passes by the city's main points of interest.

On this 50 minutes cruise, you will sail along the Douro River, passing under the six bridges that connect Porto with the city of Gaia. Each bridge has something that makes it unique, which, added to the spectacular views from the cruise, makes this experience a fantasy for your camera.

The cruise through the six bridges of Porto is a very nice way to discover the city from another point of view, and you can do it in the morning or in the afternoon. If you're interested in taking spectacular photos in the best possible light, I recommend booking the cruise in the morning. But at sunset you'll undoubtedly have the most beautiful views and it will be a truly magical experience.

Itinerary

Enjoy a comfortable way to discover Porto by combining a tourist train ride, a cruise along the Douro River and wine tasting in a traditional winery. This ideal plan for those with limited time lasts approximately 2 hours and includes an audio guide in several languages, panoramic views of the city's most emblematic sights and a tasting of fortified wines.

Train and cruise itinerary

Train and cruise

About the wine tasting in a traditional winery

At the end of the train and boat tour, you can enjoy a wine tasting in a typical northern Portuguese winery. You will try two varieties of the famous fortified wines of Porto, whose main characteristic is the addition of brandy during fermentation. This method produces intense, sweet wines that are renowned throughout Europe. The visit will allow you not only to taste them, but also to understand the production process and the region's wine-making history.

Enjoy the splendid flavour of Port wine

As you can see, you can also take a cruise around the city of Porto and combine it with a sightseeing bus tour and wine tasting. To book this option, you will need to choose the day and time that suits you best for this activity and you will receive the confirmation details by email.

Cruise and bus tour of Porto

Although Porto can be explored on foot, the possibility of doing so comfortably on board a boat or bus is not to be overlooked (especially if you want to avoid crowds or high temperatures). This option combines a two-day ticket for the Porto tourist bus with free stops with a river cruise and wine tasting at Quinta da Boeira.

The bus ticket is valid for two days and is a hop-on hop-off ticket, which means that for two days you can get on and off the bus as many times as you like at the stops of your choice.

Sightseeing bus routes

When you set out on the tourist bus tour, you will see that there are two routes available. One is the Porto Histórico(Historic Porto) route, which takes you through the city centre, and the other is the Castelos de Porto (Castles of Porto) route. Both tours last two hours (although if you decide to get off at any of the stops, you can extend your visit for as long as you like). Buses run every 30 minutes, giving you plenty of flexibility if you want to get off for a walk and catch the next one.

The stops on the Porto Histórico route are:

The stops on the Porto Castles route are:

Another option for sailing along the Douro is to take a panoramic tour of the area known as the Rivera del Duero, an excellent example of the quieter, more traditional side of Portugal. As part of this excursion to the Rivera del Duero, you will also enjoy a local lunch and wine tasting. All this in a small group for a more intimate experience, ideal for escaping the hustle and bustle of the city.

Itinerary

About lunch

For lunch, you can choose from typical Portuguese dishes such as roast chicken, spicy rice or fish stew. The full experience lasts 10 hours, is available in German, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, and costs £81

If you are interested in enjoying a cruise during your trip, you don't necessarily have to do so in Porto. With this excursion to Aveiro, you can enjoy a different kind of boat trip while visiting the town of Aveiro, near Porto. This is a cruise on a moliceiro, a traditional Portuguese boat similar to a gondola.

This excursion lasts approximately 9 hours and costs £93 When you book your place online, you can choose between the morning or afternoon schedule. A guide will pick you up at your hotel in Porto in a comfortable vehicle and accompany you throughout the tour of Aveiro, a town known as the Venice of Portugal.

Itinerary

• The historic centre of Aveiro: your guide will explain the history of this city and show you where you can try its star traditional pastry, Ovos Moles.
• The Aveiro estuary: you will take a moliceiro boat trip while your guide helps you to understand the buildings you see along the way.
• Costa Nova beach: where you can admire the landscape and the traditional fishermen's huts, now converted into tourist residences.

This cruise from Porto to Pinhão is more like the experience you would have on board a yacht visiting different secluded beaches. The difference is that you don't need to embark for a week; one day is enough. This cruise takes you through the most important landscapes of the Douro River and includes breakfast and lunch.

A guide will pick you up at your hotel in Porto and take you to the place where you will embark for Pinhão, one of the most picturesque and charming villages on the banks of the Douro River.

Itinerary

If you have never booked a cruise before, you are probably wondering what you need to consider when choosing one option over another. In addition to the price (which nowadays is not a deciding factor in enjoying this experience), I recommend that you also check the type of boat you will be travelling on. If you are looking for a more intimate experience, you will probably prefer a moliceiro cruise to a day cruise to Pinhão, which will be on a larger boat.

The route is also an important point to consider. If you have already explored the city of Porto on foot or on a tourist bus and are now looking to explore the River Douro, consider an excursion to the surrounding area that leaves from the city, giving you the opportunity to discover other places in Portugal.

The guide is also an important factor to consider. Many cruises include audio commentary instead of an expert guide, but this will not be of the same quality as the information and recommendations that a local guide can provide.

It is also important to take the weather into account when choosing the date of your cruise. Many of the boats are equipped so that, in case of rain, passengers can continue to enjoy the experience, but it will not be the same as on a sunny day, for example. Choose an excursion with the option of cancelling 24 hours in advance to avoid any inconvenience.

Finally, a word of advice: don't get obsessed with taking photos and enjoy the tour; you'll have plenty of time to explore the places you pass by during your visit. These types of boat trips are designed to give you a general overview of the area (whether it's the city of Porto or the surrounding area) and allow you to enjoy the experience without rushing or stress.

If you're interested in taking a cruise on the Douro, you might also like...

If you have already explored the city of Porto and its surroundings on a cruise, why not do it on foot? If you have booked your boat trip as part of an excursion, you will already have discovered that guided walking tours have a lot to offer travellers interested in the history and culture of a city.

In this article, 10 Best Tours and Day Trips in Porto I explain the different options available for hiring the services of a guide who will show you the city from a local and expert perspective. You can also combine these types of tours with experiences such as a gastronomic tasting or a wine tasting.

I highly recommend that you take a look at these types of tours; in my opinion, they are the best way to put any city into context and get closer to it as a traveller rather than a tourist.