Douro Solo Cruise - 8 Days

Once you have arrived at Porto airport, you make your own way to the pier to board your ship, with check-in beginning at 5 pm.

Tonight, we come together for a welcome reception with the captain and crew, followed by an overnight stay on board.

This morning is yours to spend on board, making the most of the ship's entertainment facilities.

Those wanting to see more can join an optional guided tour of Porto (at an additional cost) - one of the oldest cities in Europe and the birthplace of port wine. Its historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, retains old preserved districts full of character, with fine bridges, baroque cathedrals and romantic architecture lining narrow cobbled streets. It's a young, spirited city shaped as much by its winemaking heritage as its closeness to the Atlantic. The tour also calls at a wine cellar for a tasting of some of Porto's most popular wines, before returning to the ship in the evening as it sails on towards Caldas de Aregos.

From here, the journey continues to Pinhao, a quaint town set on a particularly beautiful bend of the Douro River, surrounded by terraced hillsides that produce some of the finest Port and table wines in the region. We take a guided tour of this sleepy yet charming town, set at the meeting point of the Pinhao and Douro rivers, where the landscape is dominated by renowned wine estates and their distinctive signage. Strolling through the village, we admire its delightful railway station, decorated with blue-and-white ceramic tiles and well-preserved hand-painted panels depicting historic scenes of the region - a glimpse of the Douro as it looked before the dams made the river navigable.

In the afternoon, you have the option to join an excursion to Vila Real (at an additional cost), where aristocrats built grand palaces during the 16th and 17th centuries and the town's religious architecture is wonderfully varied. A panoramic coach tour of the city includes a tasting of the local Cristas de Galo pastry, before continuing to Mateus Palace itself - among the finest manors in northern Portugal, its mix of granite, white walls and Enlightenment-era flourishes includes statue-lined ledges and Baroque pilasters. Behind the manor, a garden of box hedges, more statues and a 115-foot cedar tunnel completes the visit, before returning to the ship at Regua or Pinhao. Alternatively, you can choose to continue your day with a visit to a traditional quinta wine estate, where lunch is included as part of the experience.

In the morning, the ship sails towards Barca d'Alva, a quaint river port close to the Spanish border. Shadowed by mountains and surrounded by mile upon mile of vineyards and orchards, it's considered one of the most typical villages in Portugal, its unique landscape dotted with almond trees that blossom into a soft white and pink hue across the countryside. This small port also serves as a gateway to Quinta do Seixo, a historic port wine-making estate typical of the Douro region.

Those wanting to explore further can join an optional excursion to Castelo Rodrigo (at an additional cost), a small fortified village perched on a hilltop, originally founded in the 13th century and renovated in the 16th. Walking its narrow, steep medieval streets, you pass the Chafariz dos Pretos in the market square - a striking fountain decorated with carved black faces - once a stop on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela. Legend holds that St Francis of Assisi himself spent a night here on his own pilgrimage to the tomb of St James.

Today is yours to spend taking in the surroundings of Barca d'Alva or making the most of the ship's facilities, or you might prefer a walk through the village to see what it has to offer. Alternatively, you have the option to join a day trip to the Spanish university city of Salamanca (at an additional cost, lunch included), renowned for its golden sandstone architecture. A guided tour takes in the historic University of Salamanca - one of the oldest in Spain - the grand Plaza Mayor, once host to traditional bullfights, and the Gothic Casa de las Conchas, built to symbolise the union of two prominent local families, along with Salamanca's twin cathedrals, the 16th-century New Cathedral and the 12th-century Old Cathedral.

In the early evening, the ship sails on towards Pocinho, a small village in northern Portugal. Once there, you can choose to walk through the surrounding valley, visit the Coa Valley Museum, or take in the impressive Pocinho Dam.

The day starts with more time to enjoy the ship's facilities, or you can simply admire the coastline of the Douro as you sail towards Regua, a town known for its ornamental carvings and tiled walls. It's the largest riverside town in the region and grew into a major centre of port wine production from the 18th century - the world's first officially demarcated wine region was established here. It's a good base for exploring the surrounding vineyards, and the town itself offers plenty of vantage points over the Douro Valley.

Those interested can join a late-afternoon excursion to Lamego (at an additional cost), a charming episcopal and commercial town home to the Nossa Senhora dos Remedios Sanctuary. This 18th-century church, its first stone laid in February 1750, is fronted by a baroque staircase of 686 steps climbing to a rocaille-style shrine decorated with azulejo tiles, with views over the surrounding mountains. The excursion returns to the ship at Regua.

Your journey along the Douro continues back towards Porto, with fine views over the valleys, green hillsides and vineyards lining the river. The ship arrives back into Porto late in the afternoon, giving you the chance to explore the city independently or simply stay on board and enjoy the ship's facilities.

Braga One of the oldest cities in Portugal, Braga combines historic roots with a youthful energy drawn from its student population. You can opt to join a leisurely tour tracing its origins back over 2,000 years to Bracara Augusta, an important Roman administrative centre named after Augustus and later the capital of what is now Galicia, at an additional cost. The tour visits the diocese and Braga Cathedral - the oldest in Portugal, built in the 12th century under the patronage of the parents of Afonso I of Portugal - before taking in the striking modern Estadio Municipal de Braga, designed by architect Eduardo Souto de Moura.

Guimaraes Known as the birthplace of the Portuguese nation, Guimaraes can be explored on an optional walking tour of its historic university quarter, at an additional cost. Highlights include the exterior of the Nossa Senhora de Oliveira Church, the city's most important religious building, and the medieval old town's maze of lanes and plazas framed by 14th-century buildings. The tour continues to the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza, once home to the first Dukes of Braganza, before returning to the ship at Porto.

After a final breakfast on board, you disembark in Porto at 9 am, then make your own way to the airport for your flight home.