Cruising the Douro Valley

The trip continues through small riverside towns like Pinhão, known for its scenic bend and surrounding vineyards. A visit to Mateus Palace outlines baroque architecture’s playful grandeur, with its pinnacles and façade a quiet contrast to the lush valley outside. Further upriver, the medieval village of Castelo Rodrigo recalls a time when Portugal’s borders were a little more fluid.

Leisurely sailing days allow time to appreciate the slowly changing landscapes, punctuated by stops in places such as Lamego, whose Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies rests over a 14th-century chapel beneath its 18th-century baroque exterior. The holiday returns to Porto for the final afternoon, where flight home follows on day eight.

New to Portugal? Our Portugal guide has the practical essentials: money, plugs, visas and when to go.