DOURO RIVER CRUISE

The “River of Gold” cuts a dramatic, winding route through northern Portugal as it sweeps through a landscape of steeply sided valleys and terraced vineyards, finally spilling into the Atlantic near the historic city of Oporto.

The Douro is a region of cathedrals, expansive estates and dramatic, rocky scenery with mountainsides carved into terraces of vineyards, which have been hewn and blasted out of the rock. Here the grapes for port, the world’s most distinctive fortified wine, are grown.

Casting off in Oporto, the capital of port wine, our eight-day voyage along the River Douro will take us eastwards across the Spanish border as far as Vega de Terron, the ideal base for exploring the age-old university town of Salamanca.

Oporto itself is magnificently situated on the great gorge of the Douro, its Ribeira quarter a warren of narrow streets lined with arcaded markets, churches and museums. The Bolsa Palace (the city’s ancient parliament, judiciary and stock exchange) with its magnificent Arab room, is a superb example of the Moorish Revival architectural style whilst the sumptuous Manueline-style Church of Santa Clara is adorned with exceptional 17th woodwork.

Honey-coloured Salamanca has passed through the conquering hands of Carthaginians, Romans and Moors. Regarded as one of Europe’s most handsome Renaissance cities, Salamanca is famous for its ancient university, its arcaded and galleried 18th century Plaza Mayor and its twin cathedrals.

Our cruise embraces a series of lesser known delights, including Pinhão, strikingly situated at the confluence of the Douro and Pinhão Rivers, and the mediaeval hill-top town of Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo. Baroque mansions and churches grace the pilgrimage centre of Lamego, where one of Portugal’s most majestic shrines, Our Lady of the Cures, is acclaimed for the elaborateness of its monumental stairway.