Douro Valley Cruise Porto to Pinhão: Breakfast, Lunch and Tasting

Posted By : Roger_C
We loved the scenic valleys and the beautiful vineyards. The food was really good and delicious! The boat ride was too long, 10 hours! Needs to be shorter. Croft winery was very beautiful, great port wine.
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Posted On : 2024-06-28 15:41:26

Posted By : GrandTour794638
Cannot recommend due to safety concerns.

Breakfast was two rolls, juice and coffee. The dining area was about 25% too crowded for comfort, especially since the meager air conditioning did not cover the whole dining area with cool air, and the upper deck seating only accommodated about 60% of the total passengers. The whole point of the cruise was the scenery, which was not very visible from the assigned tables inside.

Lunch was better than expected, with meat, potatoes, rice and vegetables, plus water, juice, and wine; we liked the red wine. You had to ask if you wanted white wine although they didn't tell us that. Coffee and dessert followed.

After seeing the bridges in Porto, the cruise up to Regua was pretty boring, unless you've never seen a river lock. Between Regua and Pinhao the scenery was very good, but that was only a couple of hours.

The farm "visit" was a 5 minute walk to the bus (90 degrees F), a 10 minute bus ride, waiting 30 minutes for a second bus because the tour was very obviously OVERSOLD, then a 5 minute walk to see grapes growing on the hillside, with a 5 minute talk about port production. If you've ever seen a vineyard, you can skip this.

The "tasting" was just a glass of Croft pink, super sweet Rose port... not a tasting at all (2 or more is a tasting), and not even real port. The delay put us having a glass at 7pm, and Croft closed at 7pm, which could be why the talk was so brief. Port tasting in Porto was infinitely better and included 3 different ports in the tasting.

Then we waited AGAIN for buses to leave AN HOUR LATE from Croft; supposedly one of the buses had a problem with its air conditioning. They CLOSED the air conditioned tasting room and made us wait outside.

The trip back was nearly fatal, with the bus driver first running into a wall and then almost going over an embankment into a ravine at the vineyard, causing many screams from passengers. The narrow winding mountain roads are terrifying and there was another person on the tour sitting in the aisle talking to the driver the whole way. Surely EVEN IN PORTUGAL that distraction was against all safety rules. A child of about 10 was hysterically crying. The bus stopped to wait for the other bus and the tour director came on and then left without explaining what was happening. The bus driver spoke NO ENGLISH. Reports from a passenger of smoke coming from the bus were dismissed. The driver then drove very slowly as it got darker and finally pulled into a rest stop on the highway where we learned he had been driving WITHOUT HEADLIGHTS; we then were to wait for another bus to continue the journey. Information was given in Portuguese only. The second bus with the tour director had passed us by - we were effectively abandoned by the tour operator. We were fortunate to get an Uber back to Porto rather than wait. Finally made it back to Porto around 11:00 PM, when we were supposed to be back by 9:30 or earlier.

If you do the cruise, book train tickets back to Porto from Pinhao and live to tell about it. Better, take the train to Regua, cruise to Pinhao and take the train back to Porto.
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Posted On : 2024-06-26 18:29:06

Posted By : seankS6518OR
Wonderful trip with the family. Great views, excellent wines, and good guides! Diego was fun and informative with a apt music mix. Nono was a comfortable driver!
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Posted On : 2024-06-26 11:47:08

Posted By : 186priscilal
Passeio maravilhoso sendo guiado por nossa guia Rita e nosso motorista Ingmar que nos receberam e trataram muito bem. O passeio foi muito bem instruído e feito com muita alegria e simpatia. Conhecemos o rio Doro por barco e toda a região por ônibus. Tivemos uma incrível visita á quinta de S. LUIZ onde experimentamos vinhos deliciosos e fizemos um tour pela vinha. Também passamos pela loja e adquirimos excelentes produtos. Depois tivemos um almoço muito charmoso numa casa e vinha na cidade de nascimento de Fernando Magalhães. Toda a experiência foi muito proveitosa, tranquila e emocionante. Vale muito a pena o passeio.
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Posted On : 2024-06-23 11:33:50

Posted By : beaumontn
C'est une grande et fabuleuse expérience à faire absolument. Le staff est superbe. L'ambiance dans le car et les lieux visités est vraiment chaleureuse.
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Posted On : 2024-06-22 12:26:50

Posted By : Departure42461786586
Pedro is a magnificent guide and gives you a good vision of Porto, the only but is the contracted food, very bad, that should be improved
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Posted On : 2024-06-21 13:56:26

Posted By : F5294JRfelipem
Perfect. Great accompaniment, good speaking, they are very attentive. Exceptional food, peaceful and fun experience.
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Posted On : 2024-06-20 10:54:21

Posted By : Navigator34413200802
The experience was incredible! Our guide, Ana Sousa, was impeccable. The driver was great too. We live memorable moments, with joy and relaxation.
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Posted On : 2024-06-18 12:32:03

Posted By : Z878BKgabrielt
Amazing, Jose F was an excellent guide. We also could not have a better driver than Victor.

The Porto and Wine was quite exquisite too.

The meal was a bit below average. Nonetheless, we had a beautiful day and great experience.
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Posted On : 2024-06-18 12:14:08

Posted By : Courage_and_Faith
Fabulous guide and trip. Excellent guide - Paulo Castro - who ensured we had a tailored unique experience and even sang for us on the trip. Views of Douro Valley are to die for. Highly recommend with great service!
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Posted On : 2024-06-12 05:06:35