Golden Douro Cruise - 8 Days

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

This evening, you join a welcoming reception with the captain and crew, a relaxed start to the cruise before your first night on board.

Porto - Caldas De Aregos. This morning, our guide leads a tour of Porto's old town, one of the oldest urban centres in Europe and the birthplace of port wine. We wander past grand bridges, baroque cathedrals and romantic architecture lining the narrow, cobbled streets of the historic centre, which holds UNESCO World Heritage status.

The tour also takes in a wine cellar, where we join a tasting of some of Porto's best-known wines, before returning to the ship as it sails on towards Caldas de Aregos, where we spend the night.

Caldas de Aregos - Pinhao. The day starts with the ship sailing to Pinhao, a quiet, appealing town on a bend of the Douro River, at the confluence of the Pinhao and Douro rivers. Terraced hillsides here produce some of the region's finest port and table wines, and the surrounding landscape is dominated by renowned wineries with their distinctive signage. Our guide leads a walking tour through the village, taking in the railway station, decorated with blue and white ceramic tiles, including well-preserved hand-painted panels depicting scenes from the region's past, a glimpse of the Douro before the dams made the river navigable.

Later, you have the option to join an excursion to Vila Real, where aristocrats built grand palaces during the 16th and 17th centuries, with a panoramic coach tour of the city and a tasting of the local pastry, Cristas de Galo, followed by a visit to the Palace of Mateus. The manor combines granite, white walls and Baroque-style pilasters, with statues lining its ledges, and the gardens include box hedges, further statues and a 115-foot cedar tunnel. Alternatively, you can visit a traditional quinta, a wine estate, for lunch. Either way, you return to the ship in Regua or Pinhao.

In the morning, the ship sails towards Barca d'Alva, a small Portuguese river port near the Spanish border. The town sits in the shadow of mountains, surrounded by vineyards and orchards, and is known for its almond trees, which colour the countryside white and pink when they blossom. Barca d'Alva also lies close to the Quinta do Seixo, a historic port wine estate typical of the Douro region.

Later, our guide leads an excursion to Castelo Rodrigo, a small fortified village perched on a hilltop, originally founded in the 13th century and renovated in the 16th. We wander its narrow, steep medieval streets, taking in the Chafariz dos Pretos, a fountain in the market square decorated with striking black faces. The village once lay on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela, and legend holds that St Francis of Assisi stayed here on his own pilgrimage to the tomb of St James.

Today, you can spend the morning taking in the surroundings of Barca d'Alva, whether that means relaxing on board or taking a walk through the village. Those wanting to venture further can join an optional day trip to the Spanish university city of Salamanca, known for its golden sandstone architecture. A local guide leads a tour taking in the University of Salamanca, one of the oldest in Spain, the Plaza Mayor, once used for traditional bullfights, and the Gothic Casa de las Conchas, before visiting the cathedral complex, home to the 16th-century New Cathedral and the 12th-century Old Cathedral. Lunch is included on this excursion.

In the early evening, the ship sails on to Pocinho, a small village in northern Portugal. Here, you might choose to walk through the surrounding valley, visit the Coa Valley Museum, or see the Pocinho Dam.

From here, you can spend the morning enjoying the ship's facilities or watching the Douro coastline slide by as the ship sails to Regua, the region's largest riverside town. Regua grew into a major centre of port wine production from the 18th century, and was home to the world's first officially demarcated wine region. Its many vantage points make it a good base for views over the Douro Valley.

In the late afternoon, our guide leads an excursion to Lamego, an episcopal and commercial town. Here, we visit the Nossa Senhora dos Remedios Sanctuary, an 18th-century church with a white facade overlooking a baroque staircase of 686 steps, leading to a rocaille-style shrine decorated with azulejo tiles. The first stone was laid on 14 February 1750, and the temple offers views over the surrounding mountains. We return on board in Regua.

After breakfast, the cruise continues along the Douro back towards Porto, passing valleys, vineyards and green countryside along the way. The ship arrives in Porto in the late afternoon, where you can choose to explore the city independently or stay on board to enjoy the ship's facilities.

Excursion to Braga You have the option to join a leisurely tour of Braga, one of Portugal's oldest cities, with a youthful energy from its student population. A local guide leads you through its historic streets, tracing its origins as the Roman town of Bracara Augusta, an important administrative centre later serving as capital of the region of Galicia, and taking in 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. The modern Estadio Municipal de Braga, designed by a renowned architect, offers a contrast between the city's past and present.

Excursion to Guimaraes Alternatively, you can opt to join an afternoon excursion to Guimaraes, known as the birthplace of the Portuguese nation. A local guide leads a walking tour taking in the Nossa Senhora de Oliveira Church from outside, the city's most important religious building, and the medieval lanes and plazas of its 14th-century old town, before continuing to the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza, the former residence of Portugal's first dukes. At the end of the visit, you return on board in Porto.

Please note: The Palace of the Dukes of Braganza is closed on 1 May and on Easter Day.

After your final breakfast, you disembark the ship in Porto at 9 am and make your own way to the airport for your flight home.