An exclusive boat trip on the Douro River is one of the most scenic in Europe. The breathtaking Porto historic center and the Douro Valley, both UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, make it a traveler’s favorite.
This yacht experience was tailored for you to have the ultimate experience on the most emblematic and renowned wineries and wine-producing estates in Douro Valley – the oldest wine demarcated region in the world. Depart on this experience by diving into the color pallet that the Douro has to offer on a Princess 56 in the Douro Valley, with an experienced skipper and sailor, enjoy the journey upriver is one of the most scenic in the world, with staggering views of the dramatic valley covered in bright green rows of grapevines.
Spectacular scenery, fascinating history, amazing culture, mouthwatering food are only the beginning. So with such a vast array of delights on offer, you will travel at a leisurely pace, giving you plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere. You will have privileged access to the most authentic wineries and wine tastings, meals, restaurants and other experiences. You will enjoy the delightful tastings that will grant you a full comprehension of the Douro wines and their characteristics and varied flavors. You will also have some absolutely ravishing gastronomic experiences that will show you to the most iconic venues in the Douro, and delight you with a fantastic meal at one of the most renowned restaurants in Portugal. We are here to make your cruise unforgettable.
Check availability of the suggested private tour or get a fully customized itinerary, add extra days, change your experiences or discover different sights, and refine your luxury tour to suit your preferences. Contact one of our expert consultants for your free, no-obligation bespoke vacation plan.
Transfer from Porto International Airport or your hotel in Porto to Marina do Freixo, by deluxe vehicle with English speaking Chauffeur (service on request).
Please check-in 20 minutes before the start of the experience.
We will welcome you on board at Marina do Freixo, a 35 minute walk from D. Luiz I Bridge. A stylish Princess Yacht will be waiting for you, enjoy a private cruise for a group up to 6 people. During this 7-Day boat tour, we will cruise the Douro River while you relax on the spacious flybridge and deck where you can enjoy the views.
Dinner is waiting for you at Castas & Pratos Restaurant. Castas e Pratos, CP for short, results from the will of Edgar Gouveia and Manuel Osório, two entrepreneurs joined by family ties and motivated by the ambition to create an innovative and distinctive project, combined with the passion for the Douro. Thus was born Castas e Pratos, a restaurant located in a historic space, in the old warehouses of CP, the Portuguese Railways, in Régua, luxuriously renovated with all the necessary comfort to make you aware of the best of the region of the Douro.
Then you will be transferred to Quinta de La Rosa.
Lunch will be served at Quinta de La Rosa Restaurant. With fabulous views over the river, Quinta de la Rosa’s Restaurant was opened in the summer of 2017. Named in honor of Claire Bergqvist, who was famous for her hospitality and generosity, we pair every dish with our own wines upon the recommendation of our esteemed winemaker, Jorge Moreira. The restaurant also add touches that allude to the family’s heritage by including a few of Claire’s favourite recipes. The executive chef, Pedro Cardoso, has worked in the Douro for over 10 years. Using locally sourced products and vegetables from the garden, the Chef has developed many of his recipes from the Tras-os-Montes.
Then, a visit and wine tasting at Quinta de La Rosa Winery. Quinta de La Rosa was built in an unusual location, on a hill with steep stairs that connect the different levels besides the Douro River. Here it is produced the wine that is provided to some of the most important Restaurants and Retailers all over the world. The Bergqvist family has been making Port wine since 1815. The Quinta de La Rosa estate was offered as a baptism gift to Claire Feuheerd, Sophia’s grandmother, in 1906.
Then, a visit to Pinhão Train Station. Pinhão Railway Station is the most beautiful station in the Douro. Built during the 19th century it is known for its tiles depicting the production of Port wine, from the grape harvest, the treading of the grapes to the transport of the wine in rabelo boats down the river to the cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia. The train arrived in Pinhão in 1880 which contributed to the rapid expansion of what used to be a small village. In 1937 the station received the tile panels that make it famous. They were designed by J. Oliveira, an artist who has also decorated other Portuguese stations, and were built in the Aleluia factory in Aveiro. Observing the panels is like reading a story, told by the images that represent the stages of wine production. It is also a journey into the past where various aspects of the Douro Valley that have already disappeared can be observed.
Lunch will be served at Cantina de Ventozelo Restaurant. The traditional flavors of Douro and Trás-os-Montes and the Quinta de Ventozelo products will be served. By the terrace, looking at Quinta de Ventozelo and Douro River, food has new flauvor! Housed in the former workers’ dining hall, Cantina de Ventozelo with the help of Chef Miguel Castro e Silva combines traditional recipes with new techniques for a menu inspired by the comfort food that used to nourish farm workers during the olden days and a more refined dinner menu that can be paired with Ventozelo’s own Douro and port wines.
You will discover one of the finnest Quintas in the Douro Valley – Quinta de Ventozelo. The Quinta was once farmed by Cistercian monks who inhabited the region in the Middle Age. The monks transformed local agriculture and began the production of port wine. One of the largest and oldest of the Douro estates, it has passed through different hands down the centuries, each molding and transforming it into what it is today. You will have a visit to the Museum, Cellar, and a Wine tasting.
You will be transferred to the archaeological museum.
Lunch will be served at The Côa Museum Restaurant. The Côa Museu Restaurant offers a taste of the rich regional gastronomy accompanied by the Upper Douro wines. Located in the magnificent landscape surrounding the mouth of the Côa, in a large terrace overlooking the Douro Winemaking Landscape, at the table of the Côa Museum Restaurant local products are the stars of the menu. Traditional smoked sausages, cheese, mushrooms, asparagus, locally produced veal steak or cutlet are some of the presented delicacies. Codfish, river fish, or sea fish are also present
After lunch, you will visit The Côa Museum. Inaugurated on the 30th of July 2010 and located on one of the slopes where the Douro and the Côa rivers meet, the Côa Museum uses state-of-the-art technology to present a view of the Côa Valley’s cave art, particularly from the Palaeolithic era (+/- 25,000 to 12,000 years ago). The museum is one of the facilities belonging to the Vale do Côa Archaeological Park. Guided tours in all-road vehicles and accompanied by specialized guides. The museum also offers experimental archaeology workshops and other educational activities.
Lunch will be served at Terraçu’s Restaurant. Indulge yourself with the delicacies that Terraçus Winery Restaurant has to offer you. The menu appeals to the senses and emotions, in a relaxed and curious way. The proposals are different every day and guests never know the menu, letting themselves be guided by the inspiration of Chef José Pinto.
Discover Quinta Nova. Quinta Nova Luxury Winery House “one of the nine must-see wineries in the world”, distinguished by American Airlines. Precisely 250 years ago, the traditional winery Quinta Nova, owned by the Amorim Group, was harvesting their first grapes. This is, undoubtedly, one of the oldest wineries in the Douro region, producing Port wine for the estate and for many other plots of farmers and neighboring estates, given its large size. You will visit in detail all production of wines, the vineyard, the winery of 1764, the underground wine cellar and end your visit with a tasting.
Enjoy a pedestrian circuit with 3 different routes, properly signed, in a certified total trail of 8 km. With a map and a list of conduct rules, clients can enjoy this activity, knowing a wine estate in detail, and highlighting its historical points. And, crossing the orchards, make sure you pick some fresh fruit!
You will be transferred to Quinta da Pacheca.
Enjoy a cooking workshop and lunch at Quinta da Pacheca. Before, a estate presentation, a visit to Pacheca organic garden, and tasting of 2 wines. In the village of Cambres, Lamego county, in the heart of the first Pombaline demarcation of the Region, Quinta da Pacheca, one of the most prestigious and recognized properties in the Douro Demarcated Region. The history of the vineyard in this property dates back to the XVI century when it was a collection of vines that belonged to the Monasteries of Salzedas and St. João de Tarouca, as referred to in a document dating 1551. Here you will get to know its history better as well as the olive oil production processes directly at the Lagares, and the winemaking processes of Quinta da Pacheca’s wines.
Stroll the vineyards, breathe Douro Valley’s green nature and join the wine tasting to end this tour in perfection.
Then, enjoy a cultural break in Lamego. The culture, architecture, heritage, historical center justify a visit. The Lamego Castel, within the urban area, Ex-libris of the town, from the top of its walls can be sighted the waters of the rivers Coura, Balsemão and Varosa. The construction of the castle began in the 13Th Century with the goal of protecting the city inhabitants. In the 17th century, a niche in homage to Our Lady Nossa Senhora da Graça was erected. Then, you should visit the Lamego Museum, an astounding collection of ancient art and artifacts, including a fully reconstructed chapel dripping with gold, is displayed within the walls of an 18th century bishop’s palace. Among the many highlights are the set of paintings by one of Portugal’s most renowned painters, Grão Vasco, 16th century Flemish tapestries that depict the Greek legend of Oedipus and colorful 17th Century panels Azulejos (painted tiles) and Lady of Remedies Shrine in Lamego. From one of the central avenues in Lamego, you can climb to the top of the hill up an imposing baroque staircase with 686 steps ending in a shrine built in the rocaille style in the mid-eighteenth century for the worship of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, although it was not completely finished until 1905. The same Nicolau Nasoni who painted the cathedral ceilings designed some of the baroque works that decorate this monument.
Lunch will be served at Quinta do Santo António. A hand-picked restaurant next to the Douro River. A Glamorous Quinta, with both history and tradition, with a variety of natural resources and world heritage that dazzles the eyes, which combined with an unparalleled gastronomic and wine offer, deserves to be experienced in a rustic setting. Chef David Couto welcomes you to the kitchen of Olivetto. Traditional Douro flavours with new textures and presentation awaits you. A Mediterranean-based cuisine where olive oil is the millennial element of excellence.
You will see the city from another perspective. The Porto cruise will take you along some of the most important attractions of Porto and Gaia, like D. Luiz I bridge, Porto Cathedral, Clérigos Tower, Ribeira square, Church of Saint Francis, Tramcar Museum, Monastery of Serra do Pilar, Port Wine Cellars and many more. It’s the most exciting way to do sightseeing while relaxing at the same time.
