Best river cruises in Porto

I already wrote about the famous 6 bridges cruise in Porto, but the truth is that a lot of people…

Sara Riobom
17 de February de 2024

I already wrote about the famous 6 bridges cruise in Porto, but the truth is that a lot of people simply prefer to have a more intimate river cruise in Porto, so I decided to write this Complete Guide of the best river cruises in Porto.

Important note: Please do not mistake these with the best river cruises in Douro Valley! The river cruises on this article that you are reading now refer to the best river cruises in Porto city.

No time to read a long article? Here’s a summary of the best river cruises in Porto

If you are in a hurry, these are the best options for:

Sightseeing Sailboat Cruise on the Douro River

bb douro sailboat
port wine cruise porto
bb douro sightseeing sailboat

The Sightseeing Sailboat Cruise on the Douro River is one of the best river cruises in Porto for large groups (either bachelor / bachelorette parties or holidays with your extended family) because, given its size (49 foot), it can accommodate a loooot of people.

Something else that I love about this river cruise in particular is that it’s a really pretty sailboat, with a very comfortable interior room open to the outside. Beware though, that most of the time (especially when it’s not windy) they use the engines of the boats instead of the sails.

Moreover, and unlike the very touristy 6 bridges cruise, the Sightseeing Sailboat Cruise on the Douro River provides translated explanations of what you are about to see, and hence skipping the loud speakers altogether.

You can book your Sightseeing Sailboat Cruise on the Douro River online.

Sightseeing Sailboat Cruise on the Douro River – Details

Price60€ / person
Schedules11h00, 13h30 and 15h45
Max PeopleI am not quite sure, but it’s a lot!
Type of tripGroup river cruise
Solo travellersYes
Drinks served1 glass of Port wine
Meeting point: Douro marina, Pier D.
How to book it:Book your Sightseeing Sailboat Cruise on the Douro River online.

Mar Douro river sailing cruise

mar douro sailing cruise
sailing best river cruises porto

The Mar Douro river sailing cruise is another great option to navigate the waters of the Douro river on a classic 31-foot motor sailor boat.

The skipper, Raul, is a really charismatic person with tons of nice stories about the Marina, the Douro river and the city itself. He is also quite generous with his Port wine servings, so I am sure you are going to end the trip feeling a bit tipsy 😀

The only thing I don’t like about the Mar Douro river sailing cruise is that the indoors area is small, dark and not particularly comfortable, so I don’t recommend this tour for bad weather days.

You can book your Mar Douro river sailing cruise online.

Mar Douro river sailing cruise – Details

Price49€ / person
Schedules11h30, 15h30 and 18h00.
Max People6
Type of tripGroup river cruise
Solo travellersYes
Drinks served3 Port wines, very generous servings 🙂
Meeting point: Douro marina, Pier C (right in front of the coffee shop of the marina)
How to book it:Book your Mar Douro river sailing cruise online.

Douro River Party Boat

living cruise boat porto
party boat douro river

I know how hard it is do organise bachelor / bachelorette parties not only because I organised it for some of my friends, but also because we welcome a lot of such groups on our Full day private tour of Porto 🙂 And hence it is my pleasure to introduce you to the ONLY party boat in Porto, a boat that can accommodate more than 50 people on board!

The idea is quite simple: a large boat, a DJ, and a bar. Plenty of music, no places to sit down (it’s a PARTY boat, not a place to take a nap! :D) and the opportunity to mingle with like minded travellers. Naturally, you can also make the trip private, if you wish to do so. 

I think this is a great, great option for large groups of friends and yes, I have included this on one of my friends bachelorette party 🙂

There is only ONE slot everyday, so hurry up and book your party river cruise in Porto online.

Party river cruise in Porto – Details

Price20€ / person
Schedules15h30
Max PeopleI am not quite sure, but it’s a lot!
Type of tripGroup activity. You can make it a private cruise upon request.
Solo travellersYes
Drinks servedThe price includes one spirit, two beers, OR two soft drinks. More drinks available to purchase onboard.
Meeting point:Gaia Quay – Living Cruise: Avenida de Ramos Pinto, 710 Vila Nova de Gaia, in front of Ferreira Port wine cellar.
How to book it:Book your party river cruise in Porto online.

Douro Captain sailboat cruise

douro captain sailboat
douro captain sunset best river cruises porto

Douro Captain sailboat cruise is one of the most versatile river cruises in Porto. After all, it goes out into the river three times a day, every day; and it provides both group trips (for those of you that want to make new friends) and private trips (for those, like me, that prefer a private experience 🙂

Ricardo’s team is not only very friendly but also gives you lots of tips to make the most of your days in Porto, while filling your glass with a Port tonic cocktail. No wonder, then, that it is the most popular river cruise in the city!

To finish up the experience, we even got to take a quick spin out on the ocean, sailing directly into the sunset – a once in a lifetime experience that will engrave Porto in our happy memories.

You can book your Douro Captain sailboat cruise online.

Douro Captain sailboat cruise – Details

Price40€ / person (if you book the group trip). If you want a private trip, it starts at 300€ (for 2 people) and goes up to 400€ (for 8 people).
Schedules11h00, 13h30 and 15h30 (private trip)
Max People8
Type of tripGroup or Private, as you prefer.
Solo travellersYes
Drinks served3 Port wines
Meeting point:Douro Marina, Pier C
How to book it:You can either book the GROUP Douro Captain sailboat cruise or the PRIVATE Douro Captain sailboat cruise.

Private yacht cruise with tapas

private yacht best river cruises porto
private yacht

Another fantastic yacht river cruise in Porto with wines and tapas included (again, massive foodie here!) is this Private yacht cruise with tapas.

I really like it because it is designed to be a private tour from the start, meaning that you have the undivided skippers’ attention, complete privacy AND nobody can steal the best cheeses from you 😀

Indeed, the crew (who is super nice, by the way – I really enjoyed their company!) will always make sure that your glasses are ful and that your stomach is happy. I particularly enjoyed the regional cheese from the Azores islands, and I think you will like it too 🙂

You can book your Private yacht cruise with tapas online.

Private yacht cruise with tapas – Details

Price250€ for a group of up to 8 people (fixed price).
Schedules10h00, 12h30 and 15h00.
Max People8
Type of tripPrivate
Solo travellersOnly if you are willing to pay 250€ for the entire boat!
Drinks & FoodTasting board with regional products + drinks.
Meeting point: Freixo Marina
How to book it:Book your Private yacht cruise with tapas online.

River cruise with a local fisherman

boatman best river cruises porto

Sometimes what we need is a bit of simplicity, but mostly authenticity, on our holidays and experiences around the world. With that in mind, I decided to include on this article about the best river cruises in Porto a River cruise with a local fisherman 🙂

Indeed, Paulo and Daniel are both former fishermen and now wonderful hosts. They will tell you all about their fishing days, the Douro river, make sure your glasses of wine are always topped and take fantastic photos of you. 

The boat is small (only 20 foot long!), inspired by ancient fishing boats and specially built to allow you for a closer look at the local fishing culture.

This is truly a unique experience, better suited for down-to-earth people, that you will not forget 🙂

You can book your River cruise with a local fisherman online.

River cruise with a local fisherman – Details

Price150€ for a group of up to 4 people (fixed price)
Schedules12h30, 15h00 and 17h30
Max People4
Type of tripPrivate
Solo travellersYes (as long as you pay the fixed price!)
Drinks served1 Port wine
Meeting point:Freixo Marina
How to book it:Book your River cruise with a fisherman online.

Glamorous Porto Yacht Tour

comfort yacht porto
yacht interior

The Glamorous Porto Yacht Tour tour is by far the fanciest river cruise in Porto, particularly for those of you that prefer to yachts over sailing boats. 

This yacht is indeed very fancy, with really nice (and comfortable) sofas both outdoors and on the covered area inside. It is suuuuper nice and makes for a very relaxing trip. 

Moreover, the boat is so large that it allows for several groups to have their own private area (at the bow, the stern, or up top).

The couple that runs this river cruise is Nancy and Fernando, and precisely because this is a family business, they have different schedules for every day of the week, so I recommend you to book the Glamorous Porto Yacht Tour as soon as possible to avoid missing out. They always try to include one schedule that allows for a sunset cruise, which is great!

The only thing I didn’t super like about my trip was that they only serve ONE glass of a welcome drink (sangria), which I find a bit awkward given how generous we, the Portuguese, are with wines.

You can book your Glamorous Porto Yacht Tour online.

Glamorous Porto Yacht Tour – Details

Price49€ / person for the “regular” afternoon trip (at 15h00) and 50€ / person for the sunset trip, at 17h30.
Schedules15h00 e 17h30. They don’t have the same schedules all days of the week, so watch out for that when booking this activity!
Max People12 pax for the regular trip, 10 pax for the sunset trip.
Type of tripGroup or Private, as you prefer.
Solo travellersYes.
Drinks served1 glass of sangria.
Meeting point: Douro marina, Pier C (right in front of the coffee shop of the marina)
How to book it:Book your Glamorous Porto Yacht Tour online.

Douro River Boat Cruise with Port Wine

boat port wine best river cruises porto
boating porto river cruise
boat tour port wine

The Douro river boat cruise with Port wine is also a good option for those who want an intimate and uncomplicated boat trip, as the trip takes place on a small boat (maximum 6 people). But don’t worry because despite its small size, the boat is very comfortable and even has an awning to protect you from the sun 🙂

The skipper is called Jonas, a young man who, in addition to being very friendly, has a lot of knowledge about the city and Port wine. He will welcome you with a tasting of 3 Port wines (one of each style), which is the perfect note to start this river cruise in Porto.

Moreover, being a small unpretentious boat, it has two advantages that some of the best river cruises in Porto do NOT have: it welcomes both solo travellers (hiey!) AND pets on board 🙂

You can book your Douro river boat cruise with Port wine online.

Douro river boat cruise with Port wine – Details

Price45€ / person
Schedules10h30, 12h30, 14h30 and 16h30
Max People6
Type of tripGroup river cruise
Solo travellersYes
Drinks served3 glasses of Port wines
Meeting point: In front of Adega rio Douro, one of the best taverns in Porto.
How to book it:Book your Douro river boat cruise with Port wine online.

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