DOURO River Cruise

DOURO River Cruise – 3 or 5 days – from Monday 19th September 2016

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This is an extremely popular type of Douro Valley Tour. The large cruise boats, which go up and down the Douro, are chartered at least two years in advance. The hotels along the river banks are often fully booked from October, for September the following year too!

If you love boating AND wine, you are bound to enjoy our Douro River Cruise. We offer you an unusual opportunity to explore some wineries along the banks of the Douro River, from a small boat in a party of about 10 people – as opposed to being crammed-in among 200+ other people, as in the big cruise boats.

Summary:

Travelling up the Douro River by boat from Tua, in the upper Douro to Barca d’Alva, near the Spanish border – with stops for winery visits & wine-tastings, is the ideal way to link our 3rd sequential Douro Tour to our Rioja Tour (a minibus collects us from Barca d’Alva, for the final leg, to Logroño).

The river cruise makes a wonderful wine-tour experience in itself; and as such, our 5-day Douro River cruise option – returns you to Pinhão – where a picturesque train journey returns you to Porto.

The 3-day cruise option – starts from Tua on the morning of the 19th Sept., and finishes with an overnight stay near Barca d’Alva (on 21st Sept.) for your onward travel with us to our Rioja tour.

The 5-day cruise option – also starts from Tua on the morning of 19th Sept., and goes to Barca d’Alva but then returns to Pinhão with more winery visits on the way, ending on the morning of the 23rd Sept., at Pinhão railway station.

River Cruise in the Douro Valley

River Cruise in the Douro Valley

Access to Tua – for anyone who has not travelled with us on our weekend tour from Porto to Tua (between 17-19 Sept.) – is easy via the Porto to Pocinho Regional train.

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Big boats with hoards of people are not our scene – as we prefer small size groups, where people can relate with each other for a fun-packed trip.

If you lead a stressful working life back home, there’s nothing like gliding along the River Douro in a boat to unwind, with stunning scenery vying for your attention on either river bank, while you stop periodically to visit a Quinta and taste some wine or have a spot of lunch (with some wine).

However, boat charter is expensive – so a group of 8 participants makes the trip affordable. As September in the Douro is a very busy month – early commitment for hotel bookings, along the River Douro, is essential!

There are two River Cruise Options:

  • A 3-day cruise is ideal for people who have spent the weekend with us near Tua and who will continue on with us to Logrono, for our Rioja tour, after travelling along the River Douro. This starts at noon from Tua and takes us east to Barca d’Alva – close to the Spanish border. We stop overnight near Barca d’Alva, in readiness for our minibus trip on 21st to Logroño, in the heart of the Rioja region.   OR
  • A 5-day cruise-tour is probably best for people who just want a good Douro River cruise and will be returning from Barca d’Alva to Pinhão where their tour will end. For the start on the 19th – access to Tua from Porto is easy by train (about 2.5 hours). After the cruise finishes in Pinhão on Friday the 23rd, we will transfer you to Pinhão or Regua railway station, for a picturesque journey back to Porto.

What is included & what is not included?

Not included are flight arrangements & transport to our starting point or from our finishing point. Within the start and finish points, all transport, accommodation, meals, boat costs, winery visits & wine tastings are included.

To learn more about the Rioja Tour click here.

Bookings:

Each tour is booked with a €200 non-refundable deposit per person to enable us to firmly secure the hotel accommodation. The balance will later be payable by bank transfer 60 days before the tour commences.

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Costs in euros (€)

Cost of the 3-day Douro River Cruise & onward travel to Logrono in Rioja, (Spain) is €1270 per person including onward transport to Logroño. The price is based on two people sharing with a single person supplement of €100. To book the 3-day Douro River Cruise with a €200 per person deposit by Paypal or credit card click here. [rps-paypal] Bookings are now CLOSED

Cost of the 5-day Douro River Cruise is €1470 per person based on two people sharing with a single person supplement of €200. To book the 5-day River Cruise with a €200 per person deposit by Paypal or credit card click here. [rps-paypal] Bookings are now CLOSED

If you have any questions you would like to ask, please use the form below to get in contact with Wines and Tours.

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