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Douro River Cruise
offered by supplier M14772 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 7
day(s)
Group Size: 1
- 99
people
Destination(s):
Portugal
Specialty Categories:
Boating and Sailing
Food & Wine
Season: May - September
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: No
Minimum Per Person Price: 899 Pound Sterling (GBP)
Maximum Per Person Price: 1069 Pound Sterling (GBP)
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Availability Period: May - September.
The Douro, the world’s first demarcated wine region, used to be famous for its rushing waters through which the ‘Rabelas’ used to navigate bringing the casks of wine down from the vineyards to the port wine houses at Vila Nova de Gaia.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Various flight options between the UK and Oporto including direct flights from Heathrow (13.40), Stansted and Manchester. Flight time is 2-hours. Overland travel from London Waterloo can also be arranged. You will be met by the guide and taken by taxi to Vila Nova de Gaia Quay to join the river cruiser “Invicta”. Dinner on board. Overnight in your own en-suite cabin. Includes: (D).
Day 2: We set sail during breakfast and travel up-river through a beautiful area of small villages and river beaches. Late morning we pass through the Crestuma Lever dam and into a stretch of the river with steeper valley sides and areas of woodland and vineyards. Lunch is served on board before we have a short stop at the village of Caldas de Aregos.
Setting sail again we reach the famous Carrapatelo dam which, with a water level difference of 35meters, is the deepest navigable lock in western Europe. We arrive in Regua mid afternoon with some free time. In the evening we travel by road the short distance to the Solar de Rede (a fine 18th-century manor house with spectacular views) for dinner. Overnight on board moored in Regua. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 3: After breakfast we have a tour to nearby Vila Real and the Mateus Palace Gardens. Alternatively you may stay on board as the boat passes through the Bagauste dam and continues up river to the fine town of Pinhão. During lunch we depart up river. This stretch of the river is the most spectacular area of rock cliffs, terraced vineyards and olive trees.
The Douro Valley Railway follows the banks of the river as far as Pocinho. En-route we pass through the Valeira and Pocinho dams to reach our destination of Barca d’Alva right on the border with Spain. Dinner and overnight on board in Barca d’Alva. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 4: During breakfast we depart for Vega Terron in Spain. This is the last navigable point on the river. We now travel by coach to the fine Spanish city of Salamanca, Spain’s finest showcase of Renaissance and Plateresque architecture. We have a guided tour of the historical sites including the fine Plaza Mayor and Cathedral and lunch in a local Spanish restaurant. We return to our river cruiser in time for dinner and a Spanish Flamenco show. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 5: After breakfast we set sail back down-river. After lunch we stop at Ferradosa quay and join our coach for a drive through the countryside to Sal Salvador do Mundo and São João da Pesqueria for a visit to a quint. Sal Salvador do Mundo is a historical and legendary place. It is set on one of the highest hills in all of the valley and gives the best views of the Valeira dam and the Douro below.
The hill is a pilgrimage site with a small chapel at the top and fourteen smaller chapels along the trail. We rejoin the river cruiser and continue downstream to Pinhão. This is a fine riverside town surrounded by famous port wine quints. Time for your own exploration. Dinner and overnight in Pinhão. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 6: We continue down-river and through the Bagauste dam to reach Regua. We then take a road excursion to the old episcopal city of Lamego, which has a wealth of baroque churches and mansions. We see the 18th-century pilgrimage church and shrine of Nossa Senhora dos Remedios (Our Lady of Cures), situated high above the city with magnificent views of Lamego and the valley below.
We return to the cruiser for lunch and continue down-river, through the Carrapatelo dam to arrive at Bitetos. We transfer to the nearby Alpendurada Monastery for dinner. Overnight on board at Bitetos. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 7: After breakfast we sail back down the lower Douro, through Crestuma Lever dam and back to the fine city of Porto. After lunch on board we have a guided tour of this city full of interest, ancient buildings and port wine lodges. Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 8: After breakfast you will be taken by private taxi back to the airport for your flights back to the UK. Alternatively we can book you into one of the fine hotels for extra nights for your own time to enjoy and explore the city.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Portugal
Boating and Sailing
Food & Wine
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