Douro River Cruises 2020/2021 | Newmarket Holidays

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RIVER CRUISES ALONG THE DOURO

Rising in Portugal's neighbour, Spain, the Douro marks the border between the two countries, then turns west to flow for 200 kilometres across Portugal before spilling into the Atlantic.

En route, it winds through a scenic countryside of vineyards and Port quintas, sleepy villages and ancient towns, before passing underneath Oporto’s famous bridges. The river has only been fully navigable since the construction of a dam and lock system in the 1980s, and your Douro river cruise will be enhanced by the knowledge that you are still among a relatively privileged few to have seen the beauty of the Douro Valley from the river.

Douro Explorer

Eight visits and tours - Discover the riverside havens, Pinhão and Barca d’Alva - Cross into Spain and visit charming Vega de Terrón

THINGS TO DO

A river cruise along the Douro will take you through a landscape lined with ripening vineyards and dotted with ancient villages, as Portugal’s most famous waterway meanders its gentle way across the Iberian Peninsula.

Built on granite bluffs high above the river, Oporto is a fascinating city. Explore the UNESCO-listed Ribeira district and its neighbouring port wine centre, Vila Nova de Gaia, on the opposite bank.

Bustling riverside Régua marks the western edge of the port-wine producing area, where vineyards have lined the river and covered the hillsides for over 2000 years.

From the expanse of the Praca do Comercio, through the Arco da Rua Augusta to the cafés and elegant avenues of the Baxia, Lisbon is a joy. See the intricate Manueline stonework of the Tower of Belem and Jeronimos Monastery, and wander the tangle of winding alleys and steps that make up the Alfama.

Named after the long steering oars that project from their sterns like a "little tail", rabelos were the main way of getting people and produce up and down the shallow, fast-moving waters of the Douro for centuries. You can still see them on the river around Oporto and Gaia.