Discovering the Douro on Avalon Alegria
Cruise Circle
River cruisers in the know are heading to the Douro in Northern Portugal this year. We hopped on Avalon Waterways’ new river ship, Avalon Alegria, to find out why.
Exploring Pretty Porto
Douro river cruises start and end in Porto, an elegant city built on hills full of grand squares and history. The waterfront is lined with restaurants, cafés and the wooden rabelo boats that growers once used to transport their grapes downriver. The city climbs up behind a hugger-mugger collection of rooftops and churches, with the cathedral topping it all. Walk over the two-deck arched Dom Luis I Bridge for the best views in town, and take an Under the Bridges tour to see the city from the water.
Salamanca - Spain's 'Golden City'
Cruises go as far as Barca d’Alva on the border with Spain, where there are full-day excursions to Salamanca, a beautiful city built in sandstone that’s home to one of Europe’s oldest university cities. Walking tours visit Plaza Mayor, a vast square enclosed by grand buildings adorned with baroque frills, the old and new cathedrals, the food market and 13th-century university buildings. Avalon Waterways even treat you to an authentic paella lunch.
Cool off in the top deck pool
The Douro Valley weather in summer is simply gorgeous, with long hot days that are perfect for exploring the region’s towns and villages, tasting local specialities such as pastel de nata (custard tarts) and bola de Lamego (bread filled with ham and onions). If it gets too hot, you can cool off in a pool thoughtfully added on the top deck so you never miss the views. If the heat doesn’t appeal, plan a trip for April or September and October, when the grape harvest begins.
Spectacular scenery
Get your cameras ready, because the views are glorious, veering from rock-strewn narrows where you can almost reach out and touch the sides, to river banks blanketed in vineyards as far as the eye can see, some no bigger than a handkerchief. Then suddenly, it all changes again, this time giving way to sheer rock cliffs. You won’t miss being on the sundeck to go through Carrapatelo Lock, the deepest in Europe, which never fails to thrill as it lifts or lowers vessels a vertiginous 35 metres.
Indulge in the local tipple
Port wine. Ah yes, you must have known this was coming because you can’t visit Porto without tasting the tipple that took its name from the city. Some say the fortified wine was invented by two English brothers, who added a drop of spirit to a shipment of wine to keep it stable during the sea crossing. What is for sure is that it became a British favourite during our wars with the French in the 1700s, as importing their wine was a definite no-no.
Want to sail along the Douro on Avalon Alegria? See all cruises here.
