Going on a Douro Azul river cruise in Porto, Portugal

We had such a good time going sailing on the Douro river in Pinhão that we were curious what it would be like to cruise the waters at the other end of the river, in Porto, Portugal. We were invited to do a Douro Azul river cruise on a rabelo boat.

Rabelos are the traditional boats that used to transport port wine over the river. The one we would tag along in was, of course, a bit adjusted for cruising purposes.

Our Douro Azul river cruise

Douro Azul offers various cruises and the one we went on was the one-hour Bridges Cruise (€10/person). That cruise goes alongside Porto and takes you under the different bridges that connect the river banks of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. It was a great way to see both cities from a different perspective. Although a boat isn’t the most stable ground to take some photos, I made an attempt to capture what we saw along the way.

Besides families taking out their boats, we also passed some fellow cruisers:

 … and we especially got a great view on the Museu dos Transportes e Comuniçao, an impressive building…

 … as well as on this huge painting of one of the most famous port brands:

They even took us to the ocean! Well, almost…

Besides small tours in Porto, Douro Azul also does longer cruises on bigger boats, like this one:

Curious about what else they have to offer? Check out the Douro Azul website for more information on their fleet, their tours and special programs.And if you’d like to know more about the bridges of Porto, check out this post by Anil from foXnoMad.
 

Where to stay in Porto

Check Booking.com for an extensive list of options for all budgets and needs.

If you prefer staying at an apartment, like we did, I recommend checking airbnb. Sign up through my link and get a discount on your first stay!
 

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YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
Tasting heaven at DOP
Climbing Porto’s hilly streets
Dinner at Hotel Teatro
 

We were offered a tour with Douro Azul by the Porto Convention Bureau, but, as always, all opinions expressed here are my own. The links to Booking.com and TripAdvisor are affiliate links. If you book a stay through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the site!