Guest Story: Spending Fall on the Douro

For my most recent cruise with Uniworld, I went on the Douro River Valley cruise which travels down the Douro River in Portugal. I loved this whole cruise and it was my favorite with Uniworld so far. The bar staff onboard was so fun and the Cruise Manager, Ricardo, was very helpful.

I found this cruise an incredible opportunity to really relax. This itinerary starts most mornings with some sailing time through the river and locks. Spending the morning watching the beautiful stepped vineyards on the Douro with a warm cup of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate was incredible. We traveled in mid-November so many of the vineyards that had not been pruned for the upcoming growing season were painted in beautiful yellows, reds, and oranges. With the fog blanketing the hills, it was a sight I am not soon to forget.

Even as someone who doesn’t really drink wine, I loved visiting the beautiful vineyard excursions. My favorite was a lunch at a local Quinta. They decorated the cellar with candles and flowers and had a bountiful dessert table with several local dessert options.

Another one of my favorite experiences was the Portuguese custard tart demonstration put on during one of the morning sailings by Pastry Chef Liliana. Liliana had such a sweet energy as she instructed us on how to make the custard tarts while also explaining how she typically makes them back home with her mom. She did a wonderful job with the demonstration and we were able to replicate making them at home!

If you take the opportunity to do some exploring on your own, the docking location in Porto is right by a gondola that will take you from the river to the top of a bridge. It was about 9 euros round trip and super handy to get to the main part of Porto relatively quickly—not to mention an incredible view. At the top of the gondola on the other side of the bridge, we found more delicious Portuguese custard tarts, some beautiful and iconic tile buildings, commercial and tourist shops, and even accidentally stumbled into a Portuguese food hall where we picked up some traditional sweets and hand pies.

Overall, this was a wonderful trip where I felt I was both able to find plenty of time to relax onboard while also exploring and making many wonderful memories in Portugal. I would definitely recommend this itinerary.

Note: The contents of this article are accurate as of the publication date. Uniworld itineraries and inclusions are subject to change at any time.