Guided cruise on the scenic Douro River: On its way to the Atlantic Ocean, the Douro River winds through a dramatic landscape. It flows through deep gorges and past steep terraced slopes that bear witness to its 2,000-year-old wine culture. The mild climate allows not only vines to thrive, but also olive and almond trees.
The Douro Valley has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Portuguese and others claim it to be the most beautiful wine region in the world. Walls of slate support the climbing, gravity-defying vineyards that have been built over the centuries, each stone laid by hand, creating a stunning and unique landscape. Although the terrain is difficult, you can enjoy this region with ease on an electric bike. Explore the land of explorers, kings and port wine!
Highlights
- Beautiful and historic Porto (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Pinhão, heart of the oldest certified wine region in the world: "Alto Douro"
- Spectacular panoramic bike routes along the Spanish border, through steep vineyard hills and along the Atlantic coast
- Port wine tasting in Porto
- Accommodation on the Alva, a state-of-the-art small cruise ship
- Stress-free battery assisted cycling with support vehicle
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Day 1: Arrival in Porto - World Capital of Port Wine
Private flight to Porto. The airport is located about 18 km north of the center of Porto. Please book a flight arriving no later than 15:00. At 16:30 your guide will welcome you on board of the A-ROSA ALVA. The river cruise ships are moored on the south bank of the Douro River with a magnificent view of the monumental Old Town and the impressive Eiffel Bridge Ponte Dom Luis I, a landmark of Porto.
Porto is very old and was already a metropolis in Roman times. It owes its importance as an important trading port to its favorable location at the mouth of the Douro River into the Atlantic Ocean and today delights us with the picturesque sight of colorful, stacked houses on the steep banks. Before dinner, we begin a guided tour of the atmospheric old town on the north bank of the river, where our local guide will share her enthusiasm for her city.
Dinner and first night on board. The ship will spend the night in Porto.
Day 2: Into the Douro Valley, Porto - Pinhão | 16 miles (25 km)
Your boat leaves Porto before breakfast and heads upriver. Arrive at Peso da Régua, the capital of the Alto Douro, the oldest protected wine region in the world. The river valley is of overwhelming beauty with its steep terraced slopes. After lunch on board, we will take you a few miles into the hilly hinterland, where your first bike ride will begin.
The route down to the banks of the Douro is leisurely and mostly downhill. Only the first few kilometers are slightly up and down. In the second half of the bike ride, you will have a wide view of the winding river valley that will make you reach for your camera... In Pinhão you will rejoin your boat. Pinhão is a small wine town, but it is considered the geographical center of the Port Wine region. Many of the big names in the Port wine trade own "Quintas" (Manor houses) in the area. Tonight A-ROSA invites us to a dinner and Portugues evening in one of these Quintas Manor houses!
2nd night on board. The ship moors overnight in Pinhão.
Day 3: Pinhão - Douro Natural Park to Spain | 15 miles (23 km)
Before the ship sails east again for lunch, we use the morning for another bike tour north of the river valley: Starting in the mountainous hinterland of the river, the bike route passes through the small village of Sabrosa, which can boast of being the birthplace of the first circumnavigator of the globe, Magellan. You will cycle through vineyards and along the bends of the Rio Pinhão, which flows into the Douro at the village of the same name, back to the boat. In the afternoon you can enjoy the river scenery on the sun deck as the ship approaches the Spanish border. The Douro is the river with the most water on the Iberian Peninsula and is navigable up to 14 km into Spain, where a 60 m high hydroelectric power station without a lock prevents further travel at Vega de Terron.
Barca d‘Alva is the last town before the Spanish border. From here, the border between the two nations is in the middle of the river. You almost feel here like you are at the end of the world. A wonderfully secluded location in the Douro Natural Park. Dinner and 3rd night on board. The ship is moored on the Spanish border.
Day 4: Barca d'Avla, between Portugal and Spain | 37 miles (59 km)
Our ship is anchored in the Spanish-Portuguese border region all day today, and we use the time to explore this remote region. We will use the time to cycle a longer distance in this lonely, remote region and visit two historic fortified towns. After breakfast, your guides will take you south to Almeida (27,5 mi./44 km). Fought over for centuries between Portugal and the Muslim Caliphate of Cordoba, Almeida was well fortified early on. The city walls are arranged in a star shape around the city center and are still impressive and well preserved. The last time the fortress played a role was during the Napoleonic Wars.
On your way back to the banks of the Douro, you will pass through secluded valleys and small farming communities. Impressively perched on a hill, you can see from afar another fortress on our route: Castello Rodrigo. The last few miles of the route are downhill, parallel to the Spanish-Portuguese border, formed by the river Águeda. You will enjoy wonderful views of the Douro Valley before rejoining your boat in Barca d'Alva.
Day 5: Barca d'Alva - Pinhão, Wild Gorge & Return to "Alto Douro" | 10 mi. (16 km)
The boat stays here on the Spanish border until midday and we use the morning for our cycle tour - this time on the north side of the river: You will be driven up the steep serpentines to the high plateau of the north bank of the Douro. From the small hamlet of Poiares, we begin our bike ride back to the boat and down into the river valley. The route takes us through a wild, secluded gorge on a breathtaking panoramic descent with dramatic and beautiful views!
Back on board for lunch, the Alva heads back downstream through the heart of the Alto Douro wine region. It‘s worth spending the afternoon on the sundeck as the ship passes through these spectacular, steep river bends. In the evening, you will arrive back in the small, picturesque wine village of Pinhão.
Dinner and 5th night on board. Overnight in Pinhão.
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Day 6: Pinhão - Bitetos, Panoramic ride from Lamego down to the River | 14mi. (22 km)
You will leave Pinhão in the morning and return to Régua after breakfast. From here our minibus will take you to the famous pilgrimage site of Lamego, south of the Douro Valley (11 mi./18 km). Lamego was elevated to a bishopric in the 7th century and experienced its heyday in the 18th century when the wine trade took off.
On a hill on the outskirts of the city, a monumental Baroque double staircase leads to the church of "Nossa Senhora dos Remédios", dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which attracts many pilgrims. The view from up here over the city and the Douro Valley beyond is magnificent! We start the bike ride from here through the old town of Lamego and back to the riverbank on a beautiful panoramic route to Peso da Régua, where the boat awaits us.
During lunch, our boat will continue its journey to Porto, stopping for the night at the small river port of Cais da Lixa. Dinner and 6th night on board.
Day 7: Bitetos - Porto, Along the Atlantic Ocean | 29 mi. (45 km)
During the morning the ship arrives back in Porto. You start directly in Porto with the bike tour and cycle to the mouth of the river and to the ocean coast.
The route passes through pine forests, dune landscapes and many small towns by the sea.
The tour ends at the beautiful beach of the seaside resort of Furadouro. After a coffee break at the beach, you will be transfered back to the amazing city of Porto.
In the evening, your guide will take you through the district of Vila Nova de Gaia to a Port Winery. The cellars are true „cathedrals of wine“. Here, in the district of the wine barons, you will taste „Port“ and visit a traditional Port Winery.
Final dinner and 7th night on board. The ship will spend the last night of this cruise in Porto.
Day 8: Departure or extension in Porto
After enjoying a rich breakfast buffet, you will be offered a complimentary transfer to the airport. The bus transfer takes place once in the morning at about 9:00 a.m. The distance is 16 miles and it takes 25-40 minutes.
If you are staying longer in Porto or need to leave earlier, you will need to take a taxi to the airport (approximately EUR 25-30).
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STRAIGHT TALK
The river cruise on the Douro takes you through a wonderful, dramatic and beautiful river landscape! The Douro Valley is deeply cut with steep slopes planted with terraced vineyards and olive tree gardens. However, this spectacular topography also forces us to always start first with a transfer from the river bank up to the hills on the right or left of the Douro. Even with an e-bike, the inclines from the bank would not be manageable for leisure cyclists! For this reason, we often ride long downhills (with few uphill climbs) on beautiful panoramic routes with wide views of this unique landscape. On the 4th and 7th days, the ship's berthing times allow us to cycle long distances. The fact that the other cycling days are significantly shorter is due to the A-ROSA Alva schedule, which we cannot change. We apologize for any inconvenience.
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EBIKE TRIP - ROUTE ASSESSMENT: The total distance by e-bike is approx. 116-125 miles (185-200 km). Although the north of Portugal is very mountainous, our routes are not particularly strenuous, as we often cycle above the river valleys and cycle much more downhill than uphill. Most of the time you drive on small, low-traffic country roads. On the 6th day, at the beginning of the stage, we drive through the village of Lamego, where there is of course more traffic. On the 5th day there can also be a little more traffic than usual. All gradients are easy to ride with e-bikes!
