£1299pp—Luxury all-inc cruise on Portugal's Douro River

Update (27 July, 15:05pm): The £1299 per person price has now sold out. Emerald Staterooms (Categories D, E, and F) are available on 19 August from £1399 per person, or Panorama Balcony Suites are available on 25 November from £2049 per person.

You can save hundreds of pounds on this 5-star all-inclusive river cruise in the Douro Valley, with peak-summer travel dates starting as soon as August, 2023. The small, intimate ship can travel off the beaten path, and you'll visit rural wine estates, slumbering country hamlets, and ancient pilgrimage sites. All your meals and drinks are covered, including a selection of local port wine—try them on the top deck as you glide past the vineyards.

What’s included

• Return flights with checked baggage
• All transfers
• A 7-night Douro River cruise on Emerald Radiance, in an Emerald Stateroom
• Daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• A drinks package, which covers soft drinks and alcoholic drinks
• Shore excursions in every port
• Gratuities
• Wi-Fi

When
Fly from London on 19 or 26 August; 2 September; 25 November, 2023.

For more information, see Imagine Holidays' website. Call 01793 975 636 to make a booking.

Itinerary highlights

• Overnight onboard in Porto... meet your fellow passengers and settle in for welcome drinks with the captain.
• Cruising the Douro Valley... the lush terraced vineyards seem to stretch right up to the sky.
• Quinta do Tedo vineyard...  taste local wines at the 18th-century estate, take a guided walk through the vineyards, or take a kayak trip to the heart of the valley.
• The ancient city of Salamanca... trace the Roman heritage of the city, tour the golden squares with a local guide, and see the shell-studded Casa de las Conchas.
• Côa Valley Museum.. learn about the ancient cave art of the Côa Valley at this cutting-edge museum near Pocinho.
• Quinta Pacheca wine estate... sit down to an evening meal at a rural wine estate, with home-cooked food and paired wines with each course.
• The Baroque town of Lamego... tour the Shrine of Our Lady of Remedies, one of the main pilgrimage sites in Portugal.
• Overnight onboard in Porto... you'll get a walking tour of the city by day, then in the evening you'll board a riverboat to admire the riverside quarter from the water.

Ship details
Emerald Radiance is the smallest ship in the Emerald Cruises fleet, carrying just 112 passengers, and is specially designed to navigate the narrow waterways of the Douro Valley. 

There are three crew members for every passenger, and since staff who cruise this part of the world are required to be local, "the authentic experience is unbroken from ports of call to life onboard" (Cruise Critic). Practicing your Portuguese is encouraged, and since the staff know the destination inside out, they're full of insider tips. Passengers are mostly British and the onboard currency is the Euro.

The all-inclusive package covers breakfast, lunch, and dinner with local wine, plus alcoholic drinks at the bar. You can get tea, coffee, and cookies any time of day in the lobby, Activities include port wine cocktail classes, traditional mosaic tile painting, and cookery lessons including pasteis de nata. There's music and dancing at nights, too.

Other options
Sail in a Panorama Balcony Suite from £2049 per person.

Transfers & baggage
All transfers and a 20kg checked baggage allowance are included.