Portugal – The Douro Valley, Salamanca (Spain) and Lisbon

Against a backdrop of airport chaos throughout Europe, we took a flight in the second week of June from Gatwick to Porto, the starting point of this trip. Twelve months earlier, after already booking this holiday in Portugal, we had vowed to give the sunny areas of Europe a wide berth in future for June, July and August. The heat now feels at times a lot less of a friend than it used to.

A straightforward flight and zero airport-hassle worthy of mention, we were in Porto late afternoon. The same time zone as the UK felt strange but it’s the way it is.

Once through Passport Control and Baggage Reclaim, we were met by our Travel Director for the Riviera Cruise on the Douro. This trip comprised visits to towns and villages along the River Douro to the Spanish Border from where we would take a day trip to Salamanca in Spain before returning to the Ship for the return journey back to Porto. A few more places to see on route and then we would bus it down to Lisbon for 3 nights to see the capital city.

Firstly, we had a quick ride from Porto Airport to the docking area on the river where the MS Riviera Rose was waiting for us to board. This was our second river cruise and for us it is a lovely way to travel and so it was nice to be reunited with the comfort and luxury of one of their ships. Today being ‘Travel Day’ it was an easy afternoon and evening with unpacking, afternoon tea, a few drinks, a good meal, meeting one or two people and simply getting the feel of the ship. The following day we would still be in Porto and leave the ship to see some of the city before setting off on the cruise.

Starting each day with a breakfast of anything you can think of is always a high-risk hobby on holiday but it’s there so ‘what else can you do?’. Sometimes a diet has to wait.

The weather for the entire 11-days was forecast to be faultless, and it was. The ship had a very comfortable 106 people on board so there was never any fighting for space or position in the restaurants or on the top deck.

Porto is a good city with a nice coastal area to complement its city centre and main square. Ribeira is a prime area for sightseeing with its narrow streets close to the waterside area and numerous sherry houses representing well-known brands around Europe including Sandeman, Taylors and Cockburns.

We spent around three hours seeing some of the main sights in Porto including a brief stop on the coast. It left a good impression and probably deserved a little longer. The port was busy with a mixture of private boats, tourist boats and the traditional Portuguese boats that used to carry the barrels of port to their destinations before they started being employed for visiting sightseers.

Back on board, the MS Riviera Rose was all prepped and ready to depart from Lamego Pier. The appeal of the Douro and the valley is immediate. The colours of the older houses and buildings along the waterside slowly gives way to the approaching Green of the hillsides and vineyards. This becomes increasingly evident after passing through the first of the five locks on our stretch of the Douro River. The Crestuma Lock is a mere 14 metre step compared to the second which we passed three hours later. The Carrapatelo Lock is the deepest in Europe at 35 metres or 115 feet. It’s interesting to see the engineering involved in the lock systems and also watch the hydraulics on the ship in operation, lowering the ships bridge and the rear restaurant area to ensure the vessel navigates safely under bridges.

This was Day 2 and, in the evening, we went off the ship again for dinner and port tasting at Quinta da Pacheca, a well-known port wine estate in Cambres. Pacheca is one of the most prestigious and recognized properties in the Douro Demarcated Region. The history of the vineyard in this property dates to the 16th century, is set in lovely countryside and was well worth a visit.

Breakfast time on Day 3 coincided with passing through the third of the five locks. The Bagauste Lock is another deep one at 84 feet followed quickly by Valeira Lock (109 feet) and Pocinho Lock (72 feet), thus completing all five that we pass through on route.

The top deck was definitely the place to be to enjoy the scenery on the Douro although the heat of the day was at times challenging despite the continuous supply of drinks from the excellent staff on board.

After lunch, at approximately mid-afternoon, we arrived at Pocinho Pier where we disembarked for the drive to Castelo Rodrigo. This was a coach journey of just over an hour but the climb up the valley gave us some wonderful scenery to pass the time. The entire area feels heavily populated with vineyards dominating the landscape for as far as you can see.

Castelo Rodrigo is a tiny Portuguese hillside village that is believed to date back to the 6th century. Another warm day and little shade but there was somewhere to sit and drink if or when required.

All of the excursions are included and optional and last-minute decisions to go or stay onboard are not a problem. On this occasion the ship continued the cruise a short distance with those that didn’t visit Castelo Rodrigo and our coach met it at Vega de Terron in time for dinner in the ship’s restaurant.

Different things happen onboard during the day and evenings. The entertainment isn’t extensive but there were a few moments in the evening - and during the daytime there are occasional meetings usually related to the next destination or, where applicable, next excursion. Salamanca in Spain was our next trip on the following day (Day 4) and this would include a walking tour with a local guide followed by free time. Our Tour Manager on the ship gave us all a briefing on the day ahead with all the arrangements and timings for the visit.

It is worth noting that this is the furthest navigable point on the Douro River and therefore the point at which we turn around and begin the homeward journey back to Porto; but not until we have seen Salamanca.

We had an early start with breakfast available from 06:30 to enable us to be ready to depart on the bus from Vega de Terron to Salamanca at 07:30. Weather-wise, we were now talking 33 degrees Celsius which was more than warm enough and the early start gave us time in Salamanca before the heat reached its peak at 3 pm.

On arrival in the university city, we met our local guide for the walking tour. The cathedral was unfortunately closed to the public as there was an event taking place, but the university is impressive as is the Plaza Mayor and much of the architecture in-between. There is also the Casa Lis, a museum in the art deco design which is worth seeing but we ran out of free time to do it.

Lunch was taken at the Casino Restaurant with Flamenco providing the entertainment. Keeping one eye on the time (Spain is one hour ahead of Portugal!) we had until 2:15 pm before making our way back to the pickup point for our trip back to the ship.

Back on board the MS Riviera Rose and we were soon on our way up the river to Ferradosa. Back through the Pocinho Lock just before dinner and then arriving at Ferradosa Pier at 9 pm where the ship would remain until morning.

First thing on Day 5 and we were on our way again, cruising at breakfast towards Pinhao. We will pass again through Valeira Lock but before then we travel under a bridge with a warning. Please be seated if you are on the sundeck! The Deck Crew are busy again, lowering the bridge and rear restaurant and keeping passengers well out of the way.

The ship docked at Pinhao at 10 am. Some people stayed onboard; some joined an orientation walk while others (including us) just strolled and did their own thing. The main attraction here was the historic Railway Station dating back to the 19th Century and decorated with ornate Portuguese Blue tiles. A few photos, a cold drink at a local café and a slow stroll back to the ship would set us up for lunch.

In the afternoon we had a choice. Stay on the ship, visit Lamego or visit Mateus Palace and Gardens. We elected to get on the bus for Mateus Palace and Gardens, and the journey took approximately 50 minutes. Once again, the views from the bus were very easy on the eye with long distance landscapes on both sides.

Mateus Rose’ is a name long remembered and it turns out that the name Mateus comes from the town from which the wine originated rather than it being a family name (as was believed by many). The Palace, Chapel and Gardens were a worthwhile visit and kept the camera well exercised. The fact that there was plenty of shade available was a bonus with it being so hot (34 degrees Celsius).

Back on the ship; another ‘welcome back’ drink before dinner and Artur, the ships resident musician, playing in the background as usual. All very nice.

River Cruises are a lovely way to see different places. Good quality accommodation, good quality food, excellent crew and surroundings and not too many people so no shortage of personal space. The other thing we like is that everything is paid for. It’s not cheap but flights, transfers, the cruise, all the food and drinks, all the excursions and entry fees; all covered. The cabins are excellent and will be serviced as often as you wish.
This Douro Cruise was our second, following the Mediaeval Germany Cruise that we took two years previously. I’m sure there will be a third.
Having said that, this one isn’t finished yet. Tomorrow (Day 6) we cruise to Peso da Regua where we will visit another wine estate; Quinta da Avessada for lunch and a tour of the wine cellars.

Arrival at Peso da Regua followed the Bagauste Lock at around 12:30 and from there it was about one hour to Quinta da Avessada. It was another hot day. We were greeted by one of the staff at the Quinta with a welcome drink and he then explained a little about the history and the processes used.

The estate itself was lovely but then the entire region doesn’t disappoint aesthetically.

Having been literally ‘wined and dined’ we returned to the MS Riviera Rose at just after 5 pm. At 6:30 there was a Canape and Cocktail Hour prior to dinner and, additionally this evening, at 9:15 there was to be an hour of Fado, the traditional Portuguese folk music performed by a trio (comprising a female vocalist, classical guitar and Portuguese guitar).

Personally, I like almost all music, and I can now add Fado to that list. My expectations are deliberately low when I’m a captive audience to new, unknown music. I was more than pleasantly surprised. The female vocalist introduced each song via the microphone, but when it came to singing, she simply discarded the microphone and sang so naturally and powerfully which, with the accompaniment of the two guitars, worked well. The performance was very well received by those in attendance and Artur, our resident musician onboard, had a tough act to follow but it was a good evening.

The captain had us cruising again at 07:00 on Day 7; Leverinho our destination. From here, we had another choice to make. Stay onboard and simply enjoy the ship, visit Guimaraes or visit the Sandeman Port Wine Cellar in Gaia, Porto. We decided on Guimaraes, the birthplace of Portugal (apparently).

Mention Guimaraes to the Portuguese and certainly the few that we spoke to about the town claimed it to be their favourite place in Portugal. It was encouraging to hear, and it is certainly a neat and tidy town with a lovely feel to it. Dominated by the castle, perched high on a hill in the centre of town, the city (circa 200,000 inhabitants) has a history dating back to the 9th century and is now a World Heritage site. It was also European Capital of Culture in 2012 and received the European Green Capital Award this year (2026).

Missing out on the Sandeman Port Wine Cellar in Gaia was a shame – we would have liked to do both – but there were no regrets choosing Guimaraes as it genuinely is a nice town with plenty of places to see, eat and drink and it was easy to see why the Portuguese rate it highly.
We were back on the ship at 6 pm and one hour later there was a pre-dinner Farewell Cocktail with the captain and some of the crew/staff. The dinner was also ‘special’ insofar as the captain had a table and it was a set signature dinner for our final evening onboard. The quality was as high as always.

Our holiday coincided with the World Cup and Portugal were gearing up to watch their team play their first match in this year’s tournament. Lisbon would no doubt be rocking and tomorrow we will be on our way there. But for the moment we enjoyed our final evening on board the MS Riviera Rose. Immediately after breakfast in the morning, we will be sitting on the bus towards Coimbra and Obidos before we get to our hotel in Portugal’s capital city, Lisbon (or Lisboa to give it its proper name).

It’s sad to say goodbye to the ship and crew after breakfast on our 8th day but the 3-day extension to our holiday will at least delay a flight back to the UK. The journey to Lisbon is around four hours but we have two planned stops to enjoy which will break the travelling up nicely.
It took two hours to reach Coimbra, the original capital of Portugal. It was predictably hotter as we headed south and after a short walk from the bus to the centre of the city, we reached the University where we were to have another local guide take us around. Set in an elevated square overlooking the river and a part of the city, the white stone of the buildings produced an intense light and reflected heat to match. It was good to eventually get inside and it’s an interesting wander through the architecture. The University Library (the Biblioteca Joanina) is an amazing room with many protected historical books. Photographs were not permitted unfortunately.

Generally regarded as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, the Joanina received its first books in 1750 and now has over 200,000 volumes including many first editions. The city itself is the fourth largest area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto and Braga and Coimbra University has been classified as a World Heritage site.

The Mondego River runs through Coimbra, and the city makes full use of it with nice tree-lined areas to walk and places to eat and drink. It was also notable how in Portugal all their cities benefit from tram systems as a source of public transport.

Coimbra was a good visit and after getting a snack to eat and something to drink we were back on the road, this time to the picturesque town of Obidos, situated just outside Lisbon to the north.

Obidos has its origins in Roman times as a settlement and today it is home to just over 3000 people. Personally, I didn’t know what to expect. It was a late addition to the itinerary, and it turned out to be a really nice surprise – and not solely because it had the best value Pastel da Nata offering on the trip!

Being just a tiny place, some might call it a village, it really was just a case of wander up to the castle, pop into a few shops and maybe a church, choose somewhere to sit and have a drink and maybe also try one of those pastries I mentioned. And this was exactly what we did.

There is also an interesting Sardine Shop. That is literally all it sells – Tins of Sardines. The marketing trick is to put the Sardines in tins printed with a single year on each tin and they have every year since the 1940’s. Thankfully, the contents aren’t as old as the tin suggests but I’m sure the ploy of tempting visitors into buying gifts for souvenirs with an appropriate date on it works. And the interior of the shop is very attractive so worth a stop, even if you’re not tempted.

I wasn’t tempted to buy a fishy treat, but I did walk away with a box of 6 Pastel da Nata for 7 Euros. Absolute bargain!! Obidos was good fun and well worth stopping. Next stop Lisbon.

The capital city was a relatively short drive from Obidos but, of course, the heavy city traffic prevented it being particularly quick. However, we were soon at our hotel which would be home for the next three nights.

After Athens, Lisbon is the second oldest European capital city. In its greater area the population is circa 3.5 million and tourism in the city is huge as we were soon to discover. Our hotel, the Lumen, was largely a business hotel and ideally could have been more centrally located. Originally, we were set to stay at the Real Palacio but this was changed before travelling. Regardless, the Lumen gave us a bed for the night and a decent breakfast and there were restaurants and bars within easy reach at the end of each long, hot day.

After breakfast on our first morning, we set off on a city tour by bus, stopping at several places. Being a coastal city, Lisbon attracts many, many cruise ships and the passengers from these were soon evident when we arrived at the site of the Belem Tower and the Monument of the Discoveries. There were people everywhere and the coaches were battling for space to park and then pick-up. It was nice to be on the coast, and the sea breeze was welcome, but time was limited and we quickly moved on after a quick wander and time to take one or two photos.

We next visited the well-known Pasteis de Belem shop, believed to be the oldest in the city. Agafin, it was packed and getting a pastry and a coffee was a challenge. Finding the space in which to eat and drink it was another challenge, but we managed.

The World Cup was now upon us and with just 24 hours to go before Portugal had their first match in Texas, USA, the flag, rosette and scarf sellers were setting up with the Red and Green appearing extensively around the city.

We decided to stay in the city rather than return to the hotel with the bus. It looked a straightforward walk back to the hotel or a taxi if required. It was nice to see more on foot and have lunch and a drink or two to make the most of the day. Lisbon has a tree-lined avenue which conveniently formed a part of our route as we walked in the general direction of the hotel. This provided welcome shade after spending enough time in the sun, stopping for a drink, seeing the San Juste Elevator and many other buildings and monuments.

I don’t quite feel we did Lisbon justice with one full day in the city. As a city break, three full days would allow a visit to Downtown Lisbon and one or two other areas of interest that we didn’t get to see. Having said that, we do have a second full day and would be spending that in Sintra – a must see on any visit to the Portuguese capital.

Sintra is basically a suburb of Lisbon that sits at the foot of the Serra Mountains, which explains some of the steep walking around the towns winding, cobble-stoned streets, steps and paths. It has understandably become quite commercialised, but its appeal remains. The Palacio Nacional de Sintra was originally a Moorish Palace but became the official residence of the Portuguese Royal Family from the 12th century. The palace contains a collection of Hispanic and Moorish tiles and decorative arts and while we were there you could clearly see some of the restoration and renovation work being undertaken.

In the time that we had we enjoyed the palace, visited some of Sintra’s shops and had a lovely lunch on one of the terraces overlooking the town. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to get to Pena Palace which would have been firmly on the list had we had another half-day. There are buses that you can take to save the challenging walk, but time was against us.

On reflection it would have been preferable to have an extra day in Lisbon and see the capital city before travelling up to Porto to then enjoy the Douro River cruise. In other words, do everything we did in reverse but with a bit more time in Lisbon. Not to worry, it was a lovely holiday and a nice way to see what Portugal has to offer.