Douro

The Douro Valley is one of the world's oldest demarcated wine regions — a landscape so dramatic and so carefully cultivated over two millennia that UNESCO recognised it as a World Heritage Site in 2001. The river winds eastward from Porto through a gorge of schist and granite, its steep valley walls terraced with centuries-old vineyards that produce the world's finest Port wines.

A Douro river cruise begins in Porto — a city of azulejo-tiled facades, Baroque churches, and atmospheric wine lodges — before ascending through a series of locks into the heart of the Quinta country. At estates such as Quinta da Aveleda and Quinta do Seixo, passengers can tour the wineries and taste vintages from a tradition stretching back to Roman times.

Beyond the vineyards, the Douro reveals medieval hilltop villages, Roman bridges, and the Spanish border region. The river is at its most beautiful in autumn harvest season, when the vines turn amber and gold and the local quintas throw open their doors for the vindima — the grape harvest.