Hi, Seriously considering a Tauck 8 night river cruise but wonder if we could easily do a self-drive and save LOTS of money. I have read a few posts that talked about sinuously one lane roads that snake up and down steep rises and that maybe it will be difficult to find good accommodations. I'm not sure how easy it is to follow the river. For those who have cruised, does this get repetitive after 8 days? Frankly, the ease of a cruise is what's very appealing right now. I would follow this up with several nights in Porto, and Lisbon (which we've seen before) and perhaps, a jaunt over to the Madeira Islands for 4 nights. This is all happening at mid-to end of September. Gotta put a deposit down by Tuesday so need to figure this out quickly, Guidebooks are on the way but hope I can get some of your expert advice.
FYI, many many years ago we explored southern and central Portugal so don't need to add that.

Hi!

You wrote: "I'm not sure how easy it is to follow the river" - it's not a question of being easy, its a question of being possible. It is not. There are no roads along the river (don't take this literally, of course there are places where you can drive along the river, like for instance the N222 between Régua and Pinhão, 20kms of what is considered one of the most scenic roads). But for instance, to get from Pinhão to Tua, for a boat it's 3 kms, for trains the same, and for a car it's about 15 kms - North, East. South, through not very pleasant roads.

About a cruise: lovely views! 8 days of lovely views, they all look alike... Not sure if you want to see the same lovely views for 8 days, but that's your choice.

I found the Douro cruise very soothing. Mostly it was half days sitting looking at the very pretty scenery with a book, and half days visiting interesting sites.

Hi
I didn't take this cruise, I took the day cruise from Porto to Pinhao ( different company and smaller/older boat) and returned by train.

The new Tauck river boat seems really nice.
The Tauck cruise includes accommodation, food, beverages ( something to consider budget wise) and excursions so hopefully you won't be bored. All you have to do is show up and enjoy.

To give you a bit of perspective the distance between Porto and the Spanish border (the turn around point for the boat) is roughly 220km (about 140 miles).

Look at Google maps satellite , click on the street view for road N108 (north side of the river) and road N 222 (south side), that will help you get a sense of what the road is like, if you choose to drive.

Personally I prefer to use public transport. ( not during rush hours) so that I can enjoy the sights, I use car rental when there's no other option or is logistically difficult to use public transport.

Happy travels

This might be an laternaive:

https://www.seat61.com/places-of-int...y-by-train.htm

https://flic.kr/p/7NuHb5 https://flic.kr/p/7NuHtJ https://flic.kr/p/7NqKFP
We drove through the area. Click on my name and then on my trip reports to find my two reports on Portugal. The earlier one would be the more relevant.

thank you Helena Fatima, nonconformist2, aulop, and Michael....you have all given me useful info to think about. The Valley looks so beautiful...just have to figure out how best to see it.

The Douro is fairly shallow by river standards, limiting the number of boats that navigate it. You can find cruises connecting Porto and Lisbon, solving part of your itinerary. You probably know that river cruising is lots more expensive than on the ocean, but lots is available to enjoy. Most itineraries spend a good part of each day in a port that they hope will appeal to tourists, sometimes including short side trips.

Madeira is very picturesque but also very steep. Going for a walk, even in the middle of the city, is more like hiking than strolling. Great food and wine. Although the flight time from Lisbon is a little over an hour, rigmarole at the airports these days makes it a half-day trip each way. Madeira's health rules for entrance may differ a little from the mainland..

Thanks Southem. Spent today researching and decided to nix the river cruise. Given that amount of money, I’m not sure I want to spend it going back and forth with basically the same scenery.
Instead, after several days in Porto, we’ll get to a Quinta with beautiful views somehow without renting a car for 3 to 4 nights and take a couple hour day river cruise. Then, back to Porto airport for flight to Madeira, rent a car there, and spend 4 nights on island. Then, fly to Lisbon for 3 or 4 nights before flying back to the States. Any recommendations for which Quinta are greatly appreciated. Having trouble choosing.

Getting to a quinta without a car--
You'll need either to take the regional train from Porto's Campanha station (no online ticket sales, no reserved seats, no dining car or bar car, a basic train) to Peso da Régua or further into the valley to Pinhão and from their train stations, taxi to a quinta (Régua) or walk to one (Pinhão).
Or
take a private or small group guided tour from Porto that will take you to 2 of 3 of the most prestigious quintas.
It will be a day long experience, at least 8 hours, as the ride will take 1 hr. 30 min. one way.

I've used Douro Exclusive for both private and small group tours. They provide the best (albeit most expensive) day long Douro experience and are considered the experts. The day will include a gourmet lunch wine wine.
https://douroexclusive.com

For a less pricey option, I've also used Cool Tours Oporto, which provides a small group day long tour in a minivan.
https://www.thecooltours.com

Or your hotel concierge could arrange a private guided tour via limo to a quinta or quintas of your choice, but advance reservations will be needed, especially during the busy harvest season.

Thanks Maribel but I want to stay for several nights in a Quinta rather than a day trip. If no car, may have to look for a private driver.

If you want to stay for several nights in a Quinta and are willing to take the regional train to Pinhão or a private transfer, you have a working quinta actually within walking distance of the town, across a bridge, or a super quick taxi ride from the taxi stand at the rail station----Quinta de la Rosa.
Or there's the Quinta do Pêgo, within a 10- 15- minute drive from Pinhão (where they have a taxi service on speed dial) with splendid views of the Douro from each room. The actual wine production happens elsewhere, but you can sample the fine wines there, and there are walking trails through the surrounding vineyards plus an infinity pool.

Other quintas with lodgings require a longer drive-----Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo, for example, which is exquisite and cosseting, but much, much more of a "getaway" place, accessed via a rather "challenging" (euphemism) drive. It's a member of Relais & Châteaux.

I've visited 15+ quintas in the Douro, some with lodging, some not.

Maribel...thank you SO much for that wealth of information on Quintas! I'm going to start researching them right now. The two I was considering are Vallardo (but I was a bit put off by the highway in front) and Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmen, but I was dismayed to read several reviews (on TripAdvisor) about how poor the food was which is surprising given it's a Relais & Chateaux. I also really want to have lunch and wine tasting at Quinta do Crasto which sounded excellent. I really appreciate the other ones to look at.

barefootbeach,
About Quinta do Vallado--please note that it's not on the Douro but instead on a tributary, and some of the views face an imposing viaduct. So no wonderful Douro River views. And there is quite a difference between the suites in the contemporary wing and the rooms in the original manor home, where rooms there can be inconsistent. In the manor home you need to choose your room very carefully. Also I had a recent report regarding the evening meals--a friend said that to her, they just weren't up to snuff.

If you decide on Vallado, you should probably take the short taxi ride into town and have your meals at the charming, small Tasca da Quinta or the Castas e Pratos, housed in the former railway warehouse. Both have excellent wine lists.

The family style meal (lunch) in the formal dining room of the Quinta do Crasto manor home is outstanding---an experience not to be missed for anyone overnighting in the Douro. It must be reserved far in advance. They will pick up diners in their van at the tiny Ferrão rail station and drive them up to the winery for the tour and lunch so that guests can avoid that very "challenging" (hair raising) drive from Pinhão. Fabulous wines and truly, one of the Douro's most breathtaking views.

Maribel, you are a GEM. I think we'll take the train to Pinhau, and I'll skip Vallado and am looking at Pego for 2 nts and maybe the Vintage House for 2 nights so we can take a 2 hour river cruise. Somehow I'll figure out how to get to do Crasto...it sounds wonderful! I should ask you, how long do you recommend staying in the Douro region?

We always stay for 4 nights because it's one of our favorite parts of Portugal, but we've been going lately in early November when the fall foliage is at its very most spectacular after the harvest. And we have the roads more to ourselves and the quintas are less buy outside of harvest time.
Some find that 2 nights are enough, some choose 3. I definitely wouldn't recommend just one, as it doesn't do the valley justice.

We've stayed both at Pêgo and at the Vintage House (at the latter when rates are substantially reduced at the beginning of November).
Pêgo has the spectacular views down to the Douro from each room with outside seating, while the Vintage House has views from its Juliette balconies at river level and is next to the pier.