Portugal & The Douro River Valley

Your journey begins on an overnight flight.

If you purchased airline tickets from YMT, a representative will meet you at the airport and transport you to the hotel. Relax before your included welcome dinner at the hotel begins. (D)

Start your morning in Leiria with a self-guided tour of the UNESCO-listed Monastery of Batalha, commissioned in the 14th century by King John I. Continue to Coimbra, one of Portugal’s loveliest college towns. Enjoy lunch on your own before taking a guided tour of the library and grounds of Universidad de Coimbra, originally founded in 1290. The university is dazzling, and you will visit many of its most impressive sites, including the Great Hall, Baroque Library, and Natural History Collection. Arrive in Porto and enjoy an evening at leisure. You may choose to join us at an optional Fado dinner and show. (B)

Porto is one of Portugal’s oldest cities, and is a spectacular place to spend the day. First settled around 300 BC, it has since been captured by the Romans, the Moors, and even Napoleon; its historic center is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy a walking city tour and an included port wine tasting at one of Porto’s many vineyards! After your free time and lunch on your own, board A-ROSA’s Alva to enjoy dinner on board before leaving port early tomorrow. (B, D)

Depart Porto this morning at 7:00 AM and watch the sights of Portugal drift slowly by on your first morning on the Douro. Take in sweeping views of the beautiful countryside of the UNESCO-listed Douro River Valley all the way to Régua. Blessed with near-constant sunshine, Régua has a colorful past as an epicenter of Renaissance-era port wine production and is now the perfect place for a leisurely stroll. Return to the ship, then continue on to dock in Pinhão for the night. (B, L, D)

Today we cross back into Portugal to spend a leisurely evening in Barca d’Alva. (B, L, D)

Enjoy the Medieval architecture and stunning views of Barca d’Alva in the clear morning light, then continue down to Pocinho and Pinhão. (B, L, D)

Return this morning to Régua and visit Bitetos, a tiny village teeming with Roman-era ruins. (B, L, D)

After a quick stop in Cais da Lixa, pull into Porto for a full day in Portugal’s second largest city. Book lovers will enjoy the Lello Bookstore. Built in 1906, it’s where you’ll find Porto’s creatives and intellectuals. (B, L, D)