13 European Rivers And Waterways For Travel

The Douro River: Portugal and Spain

TripSavvy / Taylor McIntyre

Until a few years ago, even experienced travelers did not know about the Douro River as a cruise destination. This 557-mile long river starts in Spain, but most of its navigable waters are in Portugal, and the river flows into the Atlantic Ocean at Porto. The Douro River has 15 dams that generate hydroelectric power, but only five are on the navigable section, and all of these also have locks to enable ships to go up and down the river. Because of its rapids, the Douro was once very dangerous for ships to travel, but it has always been used to transport valuable goods downstream. The first valuable was gold mined in the mountains, but wine eventually replaced the gold.

The Douro River valley is spectacular as the river winds its way down the mountains toward the sea. Once ships leave Porto and sail upriver, the scenery changes rapidly as the river narrows and cliffs are steeper. Only a few small towns are visible, although vineyards fill the slopes. The region is settled, but there is not much to be seen by just walking from the ship. Buses are needed to take guests sightseeing and to visit the historical and cultural sites. This is an amazing river cruise destination, so don't let the bus time scare you.

 

Ships sail up the Douro from Porto to Spain, turn around, and sail back down. They are not allowed to sail at night, but different shore excursions are offered upstream and downstream, so it doesn't seem repetitive.

 

Douro River ships are specifically built to sail this river and are smaller since they need to navigate the sharp turns in the river and the smaller locks. Some river cruise lines feature 7-day cruise-only vacations, embarking and disembarking their ships in Porto.  Others have cruise tours that include two or three nights in Lisbon, a transfer to Porto, and then a 7-day cruise.