Besides its majestic beauty, the the Douro valley region is a dream come true for wine lovers who can wander around some of its best vineyards. However, people who do not drink wine struggle a bit about what to do in the Douro valley besides drinking wine, which is why I am writing about the best Douro river cruises.
Quick notes:
- This article is about the short boat rides in the Douro river, not about the week long ones.
- If you are looking for the short boat rides in the Douro river but in Porto, read my article about the best river cruises in Porto – one of the most popular activities in the city!
No time to read a long article? Here’s a summary
- Cheapest option: The cheapest river cruises in the the Douro valley take place in a traditional rabelo boat (group activity). You should book the 2h Douro river cruise (25€) or the 1h Douro river cruise (12,50€) and they sell out SUPER FAST.
- Best deal: The Douro river Solar Boat Tour with Wine tasting is truly a great deal because it only costs 16,50€ / person and it includes not only the river cruise on a solar powered small boat with Wi-fi but also 2 glasses of wine. It’ has the capacity to 10 people. It’s awesome!
- Private river cruises: There are also private Yacht river cruises in the Douro valley, that are reasonably priced. They can last from 1h to 4h (depending on what you choose) and they have the capacity to 14 people.
- Full day river cruise: Douro river Cruise from Porto to Régua with Lunch included. It is a 6h river cruise connecting Porto from Régua, with lunch on board.
Before we start: how do you get to the Douro valley?
These are the best ways to get from Porto to the Douro valley:
- Premium tour: I recommend our 1h Group river cruise and Private wine tour. If you want, we can change the group river cruise to a private one – it is worth it.
- Group tour: Group tour with 2 wine tastings + Lunch + river cruise, with a fantastic viewpoint included. I really like this option because it includes a winery that has the most stunning viewpoint over the region. It is SO cool!
- Most flexible option: rent a car on AutoEurope.
Pros: you will have total flexibility to do whatever you want during the day.
Cons: it requires a skilled driver to navigate the narrow, windy roads of the douro valley. Moreover, you really shouldn’t drink and drive!
- Cheapest option: there are train connections from Porto to the major cities in the Douro valley: Peso da Régua and Pinhão. You can check the schedules on CP website.
Classification of the Douro river cruises
There are basically two criteria to classify the best Douro river cruises:
- A) Typology: Douro river cruises can be either group activities (prices ranging from 12,50€ / person to 25€ / person) or private activities (prices ranging from 45€ / person to 60€ / person, depending on the size of your group).
- B) Type of boat: you can choose between a traditional rabelo boat (they were used to transport Port wine centuries ago) or a more modern boat.
Therefore, we are going to explore different kinds of Douro river cruises, according to this Index:
Best GROUP Douro river cruises
There are some short Douro river cruises departing from Pinhão, the main city of the sub region of Cima Corgo, in the Douro valley. This is the river cruise that I enjoy the most, for several reasons:
- It’s a short Douro river cruise, and hence you can combine it with a wine tour & tasting at a vineyard and a lunch in Pinhão – this is exactly what we do on our iconic 1h Group river cruise and Private wine tour. If you have rented a car, you can simply park it in Pinhão and walk to the deck.
- Whether you opt for a 1h river cruise (Pinhão – Romaneira – Pinhão) or for a 2h one (Pinhão – Tua – Pinhão), the views from the boat are simply stunning.
There are several tour operators organising Douro river cruises.
- If you want to do the river cruise on a traditional rabelo boat, then I personally recommend Magnífico Douro as the boats are in great conditions, the boat rides are cheap, and the staff is very friendly and professional.
They organise both 2h and 1h boat rides departing from Pinhão. You can simply buy the online ticket for the 2h Douro river cruise or the online ticket for the 1h Douro river cruise, depending on your time availability.
- Another option is to book a Douro river Solar Boat Tour with Wine tasting. It is truly a great deal because it only costs 16,50€ / person and it includes not only the river cruise on a solar powered small boat with Wi-fi but also 2 glasses of wine. It has the capacity to 10 people, so even though it is technically a group experience, it has far less people than if you book a douro river cruise on a traditional rabelo boat, that can take dozens and dozens of people onboard.
Frequently Asked Questions about the GROUP Douro river cruises
Prices
Whether you choose to go for a traditional rabelo boat or for the solar powered boat, the prices are quite similiar.
Currently, a 1h Douro river cruise on a traditional rabelo boat costs 12,50€, and the 2h Douro river cruise costs 25€. Children up to 5 years old don’t pay anything. Children from 6 to 11 years old have a 50% discount on the price of the tickets.
As for the Douro river Solar Boat Tour with Wine tasting, the ticket currently costs 16,50€ / adult and 8€ / child aged 6 to 11 years old.
Schedules of the group douro river cruises
The 1h Douro river cruise on a traditional rabelo boat departures every hour, from 10h to 18h. During winter, there are no boats at 17h nor 18h. The 2h Douro river cruise on a traditional rabelo boat departures only at 10h45 and then at 15h, so make sure to grab your seat!
As for the Douro river Solar Boat Tour with Wine tasting, it departures at 10h30, 12h00, 13h30, 15h00, 16h30 and 18h00.
What is the size of the boats?
That really depends if you choose to travel on a traditional rabelo boat or on the solar boat.
If you choose to travel on a traditional rabelo boat, you will be traveling with a lot more people than if you go for the solar boat.
The companies that operate the traditional rabelo boats have vessels of different sizes and capacities, which can accommodate from 24 people to 100 people in a single trip. When booking your ticket, there is no way to choose the vessel on which you will travel.
The Douro river Solar Boat Tour with Wine tasting, on the other hand, can only accommodate 16 people, so even though it is technically a group experience, it feels rather private.
Are there bathrooms (WC) on board?
On the traditional rabelo boats, yes.
On the small solar boat, no.
What if it rains?
If it rains you cry and ask for your money back, because everyone promised you a sunny Portugal 😛 Jokes aside: I get this question MANY TIMES so I guess it a major concern of a lot of people.
If it rains, you should definitely choose the 1h Douro river cruise on a traditional rabelo boat because all the rabelo boats have a covered area with sofas, proper windows and a ceiling, creating a small room from which you can still enjoy your river cruise without getting wet.
What are you talking about Sara, I don’t see a covered area on some of the pictures! That is because both the windows and the ceiling are removable and removed on sunny days. True story. In engineers we trust.
Do they sell drinks and food on board?
You can buy some drinks on board of the 1h Douro river cruise on a traditional rabelo boat – mostly water and beer. However, no boat operator sell food onboard (so if you really need to eat, I suggest you bring some easy-to-eat snacks like dried fruits).
As for the Douro river Solar Boat Tour with Wine tasting, the price already includes two glasses of wine (or juice for children and people who don’t drink alcohol).
Are there audio guides available?
Yes there are but honestly, they are crap and usually don’t work well. You should see the river cruises in the Douro valley as a leisure activity and not as a learning opportunity, otherwise you will be disappointed!
Best PRIVATE Douro river cruises
For those of you that dream about making a private river cruise but without breaking the piggy bank or having to eat pasta with tuna for the rest of the month, I have great news: there is a company in the Douro valley that makes affordable private river cruises!
Price of the best PRIVATE Douro river cruises
Currently, the price of the private Yacht Douro river cruise vary depending on the number of people that book this activity:
- If you are a group of two people, then the boat costs 120€ in total (so, 60€ / person).
- For a group of 3 to 5 people, each person pays 50€ / person.
- For groups from 6 to 14 people, each person pays 45€ / person.
- If you are traveling alone and book the boat just for yourself, the price is 100€.
Children up to 4 years old don’t pay anything.
Children from 5 to 9 years old pay 30€.
Schedules
The private Yacht Douro river cruise departures every hour from 9h to 19h.
There is only ONE boat doing this service, so hurry up and book your private Douro river cruise!
What is the size of the boats?
The boat used for the private Yacht Douro river cruise is 172 meters long and it has capacity for 14 passengers.
Are there bathrooms (WC) on board?
YES!
What if it rains?
Fun fact: the boat is called Unbelievable and it has two double cabins, a kitchen with dining room and a large room, with a control point and a set of windows that allow for a 360º visibility.
The exterior includes a large space at the bow and a raised and protected area at the stern, which accommodates a second command post.
Therefore, if it rains you have lots of space to take shelter onboard, do not worry!
Do they sell drinks and food on board?
I am afraid not, but you will be welcome onboard with a glass of Port wine.
Are there audio guides available?
I am afraid not, but the captain (A lady called Barbara) can answer any question you might have about the region.
GROUP River cruises connecting Porto to the Douro valley
This one day Douro river cruises consist of a combination of a train ride from Porto to Régua, Pinhão, Pocinho or Barca d’Alva, followed by a boat ride down the river, or the other way around (going up the river by boat and then getting back to Porto by train).
Usually there are welcoming drinks and lunch being served on board of the one day Douro river cruises, and there are also some programs that include a visit to a vineyard. Therefore you need to spend some time to find the right tour operator & program that meets your expectations.
This is the Douro river cruise that I like the least, for several reasons:
- It is a lengthy day, since it includes a 6h river cruise, some free time in Peso da Régua and 2h bus ride back to Porto. If you are traveling with kids or with elder people they might get tired half way through.
- Because you will be taking a combination of both train and boat ride you will loose the flexibility to visit the vineyards you are truly interested in. This happens because only a handful producers have their vineyards close to the train stations in the Douro valley (Régua, Pinhão and Pocinho).
Nonetheless, the one day Douro river cruises are still a popular choice for those who are not so much into wine tastings and would rather (and quite understandingly) spend the day just enjoying the views.
You can choose to either take a Douro river Cruise from Porto to Régua with Lunch included, which will take you to Peso da Régua (the main city in the Baixo Corgo sub region), or the Pinhão and Douro valley scenic Boat Tour, which takes you to Pinhão (a tiny village in the Cima Corgo sub region).
Prices
The Douro river Cruise from Porto to Régua with Lunch included that I just suggested costs 76€ / adult (Porto – Régua – Porto) and 38€ / child, and lunch is included on the price.
The Pinhão and Douro valley scenic Boat Tour costs 105€ / adult (Porto – Pinhão – Porto) and 52,50€ / child, and lunch is included on the price.
Duration
It depends on the river cruise you choose; the one taking you to Pinhão takes longer, as Pinhão is further to the East.
Are there three days Douro river cruises?
I’ve been getting this question lately so I decided to update this article to include that information.
First of all, it is important to distinguish between a three days Douro river cruise and a three day tour in Douro with a river cruise. Presumably, if you choose the first option you will be on a Douro river cruise for three days, whereas on the second option, you will be in the Douro valley for three days during which you will take a short Douro river cruise, for sure like the ones I mentioned above. These are two different value propositions.
All private tours companies in the Douro valley, including myself, can arrange a short Douro river cruise as part of a day (or multi days) tour in the Douro valley
However, I don’t personally know any company arranging three days Douro river cruise. I found one when researching online (the things I do for you!), but honestly I never worked with them, never heard of them, so I cannot vouch for them. I hope I was able to cast some light!
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