7 Night Cruise sailing from Oporto roundtrip aboard Douro Cruiser.

The Douro Valley is characterised by its steep slopes and stunning wine terraces. With good reason it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On our cruise, you can explore the beauty of Porto’s architecture and travel back to the Middle Ages in the charming cities of the Portuguese hinterland. In the Spanish city of Salamanca, a “living museum”, you can practically touch history in the form of centuries-old buildings. At the end of your cruise, the Portuguese capital of Lisbon awaits; a modern metropolis with historical charm.

Highlights of this cruise:

Oporto
Oporto (Porto) is a city in northern Portugal and is the second largest city in Portugal. One of the most beautiful towns on the Iberian peninsula, Oporto is enchantingly situated on the great gorge of the Douro River in northern Portugal. It is famous for its world-renowned wine "Port," made in the upper Douro valley by a process practiced nowhere else in the world.

Porto’s historical centre was awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1996. The city is extremely hilly, with many buildings built into a cliff face that overlooks the river. Stairs cut into the stone run up and down the cliff face and offer a laborious but rewarding walking tour. Across the river from Porto proper, in the suburb of Gaia, are located the warehouses of notable companies dealing with Port Wine, such as Cálem, Fonseca, Sandemans, Kopke, and others.

Pinhao
Pinhao is one of 19 parishes located in the Alijo municipality in the Norte Region of Portugal. It is situated at the confluence of the Douro and Pinhao rivers, 22km upstream from Peso da Regua.

Marking the end of the “port wine trail,” Pinhao is a typical rustic Douro town. Of interest is the Azulejos [glazed tile] decorated railway station. From here, one can see the dramatic landscaped vine-clad terraces, dotted with white quintas where the wine is produced and bottled.

Vega Terron
Vega de Terron is located along the Douro River in Spain. It is a launching point for the ancient city of Salamanca, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Attractions in Salamanca include the twelfth century San Martin Church, which was built in the Romanesque style. Other attractions include the Augustinian Monastery, Monterrey Palace, and the Art Noveau and Art Deco Museum Casa Lis.

Welcome on board our MS DOURO QUEEN. You are guaranteed the best views here! Relay on the sun deck and enjoy the magnificent landscape of the Douro valley with its terraced vineyards. The swimming pool on deck invites you to a refreshing cooling in-between. Comfort is a main issue on-board. The cabins furnished in style are even equipped with a private balcony with sitting accommodation on the upper deck. In the comfortable restaurant, enjoy the excellent cuisine typical for the country and international dishes as well as fine wines from the world-famous wine region.

The stylish restaurant offers sufficient space for all guests. On the day of boarding, you can reserve your table in the restaurant for the duration of the cruise. Let yourself be pampered by the friendly staff. The on-board kitchen offers tasty international and German dishes that are presented with passion.

Theme evenings, quiz events, bingo and live music ensure that there is no time for boredom on-board. Books, board and card games are also available.

nicko cruises Schiffsreisen GmbH is one of the most dynamic cruise providers in Germany. In recent years, the company has evolved from a leading river cruise provider with more than 30 years of experience into a well-known provider of small ships with destination-oriented ocean routes. With its fleet, which is as modern as it is comfortable, nicko cruises travels the world’s oceans as well as all domestic waterways and coastal sections that are in demand for tourists. In 2023, the programme includes not only 22 river ships, but also the classic ocean-going vessel VASCO DA GAMA.

With its "time to discover" philosophy, nicko cruises focuses on cruise schedules that are rich in discovery and on intensive travel experiences in the product fields river and ocean. The product features of so-called “slow cruising”, such as small ships and long anchorage times, are combined with emotional moments at nicko cruises. During the cruises, guests always have plenty of time for exploring. Thanks to the large variety of products, everyone will find just the right trip at nicko cruises, individually tailored to their needs. The ships in the fleet are all in the 4 to 5-star category according to German land hotel trade standards. Attractive inland excursions and the varied culinary offers on board round off the travel experience. nicko cruises Schiffsreisen GmbH has its company headquarters in Stuttgart, where it employs roughly 110 highly motivated members of staff.