Secrets of the Douro & Barcelona

Flights are not included in the Emerald Cruises fare for this itinerary. The price covers seven nights on board, all included excursions and on board experiences, 19 meals, the three-night Barcelona hotel stay, and all transfers between airports and the ship or hotel. You’ll need to arrange your own flights to Porto at the start and from Barcelona at the end.

The Alto Douro Wine Region was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, recognised as one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world with a landscape shaped over two millennia by viticulture. The terraced vineyards that climb the steep schist hillsides are the result of centuries of human labour and are visible throughout the cruise. The ship passes through five locks on the Portuguese section of the Douro, with the Carrapatelo lock, which raises or lowers the ship by 35 metres, being the deepest lock in Europe.

The Douro forms the border between Portugal and Spain for around 120 kilometres before entering Portugal from the east. The cruise follows the river to Vega de Terron, just across the Spanish border, which serves as the departure point for the full-day excursion to Salamanca, around an hour inland. This is an included excursion and no additional visa is required; Spain, like Portugal, is a Schengen Area member and UK citizens don’t need a visa for either country. It’s one of the more unexpected highlights of the itinerary.

Tuna music is a Spanish and Portuguese tradition that originated among university students in the 13th century, when poor students would perform in the streets to earn money for their tuition fees. Performers dress in traditional academic costume, including dark capes decorated with coloured ribbons representing their faculty, and play instruments including the lute, guitar and mandolin. The performance in Salamanca on day four is from a local group and is included in the fare.

Emerald Cruises divides its excursions into three categories on this itinerary. Included excursions, such as the Quinta do Tedo wine tasting, the Salamanca tour, the Castelo Rodrigo visit, the Lamego tour and the Porto city tour, are covered in your fare. EmeraldPLUS experiences, including the cooking demonstration, port wine cocktail lesson, mosaic tile painting, tuna music performance, rural lunch and evening Porto cruise, are also included. DiscoverMORE excursions, such as the Coa Valley 4×4 archaeological tour, the Mateus Manor House visit, the Quinta da Aveleda tour and the Porto e-bike tour, are at extra expense and need to be booked and paid for separately.