Heidi Sarna is the co-founder of QuirkyCruise.com, a guide to small-ship cruising.
The Douro River starts in north-central Spain and zigzags some 500 miles into Portugal before eventually reaching the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way, the curving, rock-lined river cuts through a landscape characterized, above all, by its connection to generations of winemaking.
A cruise along the Douro provides not only a chance to encounter medieval fortress towns and sample the region's renowned port and other wines, but also to appreciate, as you travel along the waterway, the sheer beauty of the surrounding hillsides covered in a patchwork quilt of vineyards along with cork oak, olive, and fig trees.
I recently spent a week aboard Uniworld’s SS São Gabriel, a luxury ship launched in 2021 for the exclusive purpose of cruising Portugal’s Douro River Valley. Journeying 250 miles round trip from Porto, the ship accommodates up to 100 passengers and is just 262 feet long. To fit into the five lock chambers along the route, all ships on the river are about half the length of boats plying other European waterways like the Rhine and Danube.
It's easy to make friends among the small contingent of passengers as you take day tours or mingle in the ship's lounge at happy hour and at mealtime in the open-seating restaurant. Among the most high-end river cruise lines operating in Europe, Uniworld offers all-inclusive fares covering meals, drinks, gratuities, and daily excursions.
(Douro River cruise excursions in Portugal | Credit: Heidi Sarna)
Douro River Cruise Excursions: Vineyards, Medieval Towns, and So Much Port
Armed with personal VOX listening devices, Uniworld passengers on walking tours go on included visits to vineyards, museums, and medieval cathedrals. Some guides are Uniworld tour staff members—our cruise manager, Ricardo, was a passionate and knowledgeable lecturer, superior to his more junior colleagues—while at other times local guides do the honors.
Certain excursions start within strolling distance of the ship, though most require a 20- to 60-minute bus ride on winding roads with breathtaking views of the countryside.
The overriding themes of onshore activities: Portugal’s winemaking history and the legacies of ancient Romans, Moors, and Jews. I greatly enjoyed the Douro Museum, housed in an 18th-century restored warehouse in Régua. The experience includes an illuminating lecture from a local winemaker and a fascinating video showing old footage of the Douro before the locks were built in the 1930s. Back then, the landscape would get superdry in the summer and flood wildly at other times.
The film shows grape pickers carrying huge 100-pound baskets on their backs in the scorching heat, breaking up shale rock by hand to make the soil habitable for grape growing, and loading traditional wooden rabelo cargo boats with wine to transport from the vineyards to the coast.
Also on the itinerary is a visit to the ornate Our Lady of Remedies chapel, set beautifully at the top of a long Baroque staircase in Lamego. Another we day we traveled to Castelo Rodrigo, a medieval fortress town in the hills above the river valley.
On a sweltering day later in the week, guides led us through the hillside vineyards of Croft's Quinta da Roêda. A bus tour across the border to Salamanca, Spain, involves a guided stroll through the old quarter, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to the 18th-century Plaza Mayor and the massive New Cathedral dating from the 1500s.
With some free time to spare, climb the 200 steps of Salamanca's Scala Coeli (“Stairway to Heaven” in Latin) at the 17th-century Jesuit church and school for sweeping views of the city.
Just about every tour during the cruise includes an opportunity to taste Portuguese wine—often port. Pace yourself or you might get tired of the sweet fortified stuff after a few days.
Moored in pretty Porto for half a day at the beginning and end of the cruise, you'll have time to explore that coastal city, too. Among the highlights are the winding, cobbled streets of the historic Ribeira district, the famous golden interior of the Church of São Francisco, and the grand São Bento train station.
While in the city, Uniworld's São Gabriel ship occupies a prime river-facing spot (not sandwiched between other riverboats) with views of Porto's red-tiled roofs, fortress-like Porto Cathedral, and double-deck Dom Luís I Bridge.
(Lounge on Uniworld's São Gabriel river cruise ship | Credit: Uniworld)
Uniworld's Douro River Cruise: Onboard Amenities, Meals, Staterooms, and Service
Uniworld’s décor is chic, with lots of local touches. The São Gabriel has flooring inspired by Portugal’s famous ceramic tiles, polished wood in chevron patterns, and seating with rich fabrics.
Elegant staterooms are designed in shades of teal and champagne with light woods. You'll find tufted headboards, fresh flowers, and Portuguese tiles worked into the marble-clad bathrooms.
Suites on Deck 3 are spacious—ours had 220 square feet—while cabins on the two lower decks are a compact 156 square feet apiece.
(Suite on Uniworld's São Gabriel river cruise ship | Credit: Heidi Sarna)
A pair of butlers are on hand to indulge suite guests’ whims and fancies—say, pre-dinner prosecco and potato chips delivered to your room—but even if you're staying elsewhere on the ship you can expect efficient and friendly service from the mostly Protuguese staff (shout-out again to our cruise manager, Ricardo, who wears many hats with aplomb).
The ship's bright, welcoming restaurant features open seating with tables for two, four, and six. Owing in part to the large windows in the space, the dining area doesn't feel as cramped as on some other riverboats.
Breakfast and lunch are served at the buffet. At midday, standouts include a delicious salad with shrimp and pineapple, another salad combining tropical fruit with hearts of palm, and Portugal's beloved francesinha sandwich (thick white bread with ham, sausage, steak, and lots of cheese). At dinner, try the cod with chickpeas and turnips.
During lunch and dinner, choose from two different easy-drinking red and white wines from Douro Valley winemakers such as Assobio and Porrais. On our cruise, the ship’s sommelier went from table to table, enthusiastically detailing each bottle's attributes.
Evening entertainment in the ship's lounge may range from flamenco (which isn't Portuguese) to the melancholy folk music known as fado (which very much is). A '70s-themed dance party one evening was popular on my cruise; likewise for dancing under the stars up on deck.
During the day, onboard activities will keep you busy with cooking demos (pick up pointers on how to re-create the Portuguese custard tarts known as pastéis de nata), more port tastings, and lectures about Portugal’s politics, history, and culture.
The outdoor wading pool up on deck is a great place to cool off and chat with new friends while gazing at the views. There is also a gym and mini spa.
(Pool on Uniworld's São Gabriel river cruise ship | Credit: Uniworld)
Overall, drawbacks are few. Space is tight in those cabins down on Decks 1 and 2, with some passengers saying there's barely enough room to get around the bed. And other guests have griped that service at dinner can be slow. But that's about it in the complaints department.
All-inclusive Douro River cruises operated by Uniworld start at $4,949 per person. For more information, go to Uniworld.com.
Other lines offering similar itineraries include Tauck and AmaWaterways, the two lines most similar to Uniworld with regard to price and quality. Viking, CroisiEurope — and Avalon Wateways all have Portugal trips as well.
