8 Day Portugal and Spain – Douro River Cruise from Lisbon

A unique opportunity to admire the city of Porto by night during a panoramic tour by bus. You will love the old, preserved districts of this city of immense character, classed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Porto is not only a city rich in vestiges from a glorious past, but also the young-spirited, warm capital city of a region marked by its winemaking as well as its closeness to the ocean. During the tour of the historic centre, your guide will schedule a stop at the Sao Bento railway station to look at its magnificent azulejos. Return on board by coach.

NOTE:

• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.

We’ll leave from Vila Nova de Gaia by coach for downtown Porto. Once we arrive, we’ll board one of the city’s trams and partake in this urban tourism experience all the way to the mouth of the Douro. Our visit will include a stop at the tram museum (Museu do Carro Eléctrico), housed in a former thermo-electric power plant. The museum collection comprises the oldest cars pulled by horses, called “Americanos,” to the last trams from the 1950s and 1960s. We’ll finish up our excursion with a tasting of some of the local specialties*. At the end of our tour, we’ll return to the ship by coach.

NOTE:

• Times are approximate.
• The order of the visits can change.
• Good walking shoes are recommended.
• *Alcohol can be harmful to your health. Please drink in moderation.

DURATION: 4 hrs

Touring Porto via tram and visiting the Tram Museum

We’ll leave from Vila Nova de Gaia by coach for downtown Porto. Once we arrive, we’ll board one of the city’s trams and partake in this urban tourism experience all the way to the mouth of the Douro. Our visit will include a stop at the tram museum (Museu do Carro Eléctrico), housed in a former thermo-electric power plant. The museum collection comprises the oldest cars pulled by horses, called “Americanos,” to the last trams from the 1950s and 1960s. We’ll finish up our excursion with a tasting of some of the local specialties*. At the end of our tour, we’ll return to the ship by coach.

NOTE:

• Times are approximate.
• The order of the visits can change.
• Good walking shoes are recommended.
• *Alcohol can be harmful to your health. Please drink in moderation.

We’ll leave on foot for the Douro Museum to learn about the passionate history and wine-making heritage in the region, an experience combining traditional and modern approaches. We’ll continue by coach for Mateus Palace, a beautiful 18th-century manor in Vila Real. This baroque-style manor belonged to the same family until a foundation was set up to preserve it in 1970. The dramatic splendour and details of the complex offer a unique visual relationship between geometry and space. Enjoy a stroll through the magnificent tree- and hedge-lined gardens, which include a romantic Mexican-cedar topiary tunnel. After, we’ll return to the ship in Pinhão by coach.

NOTE:

• *Alcohol can be harmful to your health. Please drink in moderation.
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.

Departure by coach towards Salamanca where you’ll meet up with your guides. Since 1988, the Old Town of Salamanca has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The classified area extends on a major part of the city as it used to be until the middle of the 20th century and is responsible for its growing popularity. We’ll visit the cathedral whose successive extensions created a mixture of styles going from late Gothic to Baroque, including Renaissance. Afterwards, we’ll visit one of the world’s oldest Universities which first opened in 1218. Also known as “Escuelas Mayores”, the University building has a sumptuous gate adorned with the city’s most famous design: a frog atop a skull – symbolic of the sin of lust being punished after death. Its wonderful library brims with old manuscripts dating back from prior to the 19th century. You’ll enjoy lunch and be free to discover the city on your own. Return on board in Vega de Teron.

NOTE:

• Good walking shoes are recommended.
• Lunch in a restaurant included (drinks are not included).
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.

DURATION: 10 hrs 30 min

Salamanca Tapas Tour

You’ll leave by coach with our team from Barca d’Alva for Salamanca, where you’ll meet up with the local guide for a tapas food tour in several eateries in the city centre. Discover the wide range of Spanish delights and flavours served as appetizers or snacks. The most well-known include patatas bravas, salads, and cold cuts (chorizo, lomo, Jamón ibérico)—all sublime when served with a glass of Spanish wine. You’ll have lunch in a local restaurant to prolong your immersion in Spanish cuisine. Afterwards, enjoy some free time to stroll about the town on your own. At the end of our tour, we’ll return on board the ship in Vega de Terron.

NOTE:

• Good walking shoes are recommended.
• Lunch in a restaurant included (drinks are not included).
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate.

We’ll leave by coach to travel along the Port Wine Route. Portugal has cultivated vineyards since the Roman Empire. In 1756, the Marquis of Pombal created a monopolistic company demarcating the Douro wine region to regulate the production and trading of its wine. The route winds through gorgeous scenery and valleys with the river flowing below. We’ll continue to Pinhão and stop at a quinta for a wine tasting. After, we’ll visit the historic Pinhão train station, known for its superb azulejo frescoes. We’ll return to the ship.

NOTE:

• Alcohol can be harmful to your health. Please drink in moderation.
• The order of the visits can change.
• Times are approximate