Douro Valley and Régua Panoramic Cruise with Lunch from Porto





Description
This is the cruise everyone talks about! Enjoy a sublime day on the renown wine region of Douro: depart from Porto and enjoy the beauty scenic views along the way. Once in Régua, A magnificent boat tour that takes place everyday to discover the best that the Douro has to offer! This day trip offers a cruise from Régua to Porto, including an wonderfull experience. The Alto Douro Vinhateiro, constitutes the one of the most representative and better conserved demarcated wine regions in the world. This trip gives you the opportunity to know all the secrets preserved in the Douro wine region, the essence of the wine at their purest state.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Board on a fun day on this 1 day cruise from Régua, the capital of the Douro Valley, and enjoy the unique scenery and landscape of the wine estates and the river. Our reservation team will give you the exact location when you confirm your booking.
It is thought that the town´s name originated from the name of a Roman house that once stood here - the "Villa Reguela". Its great development was, however, only to begin after 1756 with the creation of the Real Companhia Geral da Agricultura das Vinhas do Alto Douro (Royal Company of Vine-Growers from the Alto Douro Region), which set up the world's first ever demarcated region for wine production. Situated on the banks of the River Douro, Peso da Régua played a fundamental role in the production and sale of Port wine, for it was from here that the barrels were transported in the special boats known as barcos rabelos to Vila Nova de Gaia, where the wine was left to age in the local wine lodges. In this region, the vines are grown on terraced slopes leading down to the river, providing visitors with a series of spectacular views, which are best admired from the area's many viewpoints, such as those of São Leonardo at Galafura and Santo António do Loureiro.
The Carrapatelo dam is located on the border of Porto and Viseu district, respectively between the municipalities of Marco de Canaveses and Cinfães. Inaugurated in 1972, it was the first dam to be built on the national section of the Douro River. This is the Douro dam with the highest gap, 35m, which makes the boat passage through its lock an unforgettable experience. It is located at km 65 of the Douro waterway and is the second dam before the mouth of the Douro. Pass by this dam the cruises that make the route Porto and Régua.
The Crestuma-Lever Dam is located in the Porto district, between the parishes of Crestuma and Lever, from which the dam's name derives, and connects the municipalities of Vila Nova de Gaia and Gondomar. It was opened in 1985. This is the Douro dam closest to the mouth where it is 22 kms. It is therefore the first dam that we find when we go up the river by boat and the last when we go down. The lock overcomes a 13.9m height difference of the waters, being the smallest difference in the Douro Dams. In addition to water storage and electricity production, the dam also serves as a pedestrian and road crossing.
The Douro Valley could as easily be called the enchanted valley, such is the beauty and magic that its landscapes offer.
By the end of the day you will reach Porto. Cross the bridges of Porto until you get to the mouth of the River where it meets the sea and finish the experience with the best views of Porto historical center and the Port Wine Lodges in Gaia. The arrival location can be either the Estiva Quay, or Gaia Quay. Our reservation team will give you the exact location when you confirm your booking.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- The cruise is subject to availability, weather and sailing conditions
- Panoramic cruise
- The cruise requires a minimum number of participants
- No refunds for late passengers
- Departure location will be confirmed after the booking.
Reviews(589)
Highly recommend! A wonderful experience thoroughly enjoyed the boat through the Douro Valley. It was relaxing and the staff did a wonderful job providing an excellent lunch and a great bottle of wine with the meal.
Well organised, the 3 courde meal was fab. All in all a lovely day so much to see the boat was not packed so always somewhere to sit
The tour was great, yet, a bit long.. I would prefer if it was for 5-6 hours..
The guide arrived 20 minutes after the time we were advised to meet. The guide's communication was very poor. She didn't greet us, or give us any information about what the day would entail. When we got off the bus we had no idea where we were supposed to go or which boat we were to get on. The lunch was very average and the staff were in a big hurry to take away our drinks before we'd even finished them. None of the staff were friendly or helpful.
We had a wonderful time spending the day in the Douro Valley. Luis was an excellent tour guide and had driver. The boat ride was relaxing and weather was perfect on our tour day. Highly recommended trip.
We went on the tour with Mario our tour guide and he was truly exceptional. A wealth of knowledge and very funny, he added so much to the experience. The lunch we got at the first winery was amazing and it was very nice to experience and learn about port and the Duoro region.
The river cruise was stunning, beautiful views throughout. However I have given the experience a 3/5 mainly because of the lack of communication by staff throughout the day - no formal welcome to the group at the beginning, no explanation of where we were taking the coach to, not even a mention of what we were served for lunch. I know the itinerary was stated on the webpage but it would have been nice to have it vocalised also. The human touch just wasn't there, unfortunately.
Pesto Costa and Andre ran a great trip and were so helpful
Whole day was excellent. Meal was lovely but too much. All the staff were friendly and professional. Good value for money.
If you have Slimmy as your guide and Rui as your driver you hit the jackpot. You will have a fun filled day. You will be entertained on your journey with lots of interesting and sometimes funny stories. The best tour guide ever !



