Portugal · CRUISES & BOAT TOURS
This is the shortlist to send a friend: 15 cruises & boat tours worth the money, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
Douro Valley day trip from Porto with Port tastings, 1-hour river cruise, cellar lunch, N222 viewpoints, and two winery visits.
“Amazing tour, if I’ve a time again I’ll take again. Nice driver nice tour guide (Americo), food, wine pretty nice.”
Douro Valley day tour from Porto with winery tastings, traditional lunch with wine, and a 50-minute Rabelo river cruise.
“Great guide. She’s very considerate and knowledgeable. The schedule is well organized. The lunch is very tasty! The driver gave a spontaneous accordion performance, which is so lovely with beautiful view and wonderful wine. .”
Cruise Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia on a rabelo boat, passing all six bridges with an easy multilingual audio guide. Great value.
“Definitely worth taking some time out from walking and exploring Porto to do this. It’s an enjoyable 50 minute cruise up and down the river. You also learn some of the history and information surrounding the bridges and Porto along the way.”
Speed boat from Portimão to Benagil Caves with cliff views, skipper-led safety, and an optional sunset return in 90 minutes.
“The activity was on time, the guide was so nice explaining and cracking jokes in between and worth the money.”
A 2-hour Lisbon sunset boat party on the Tagus River with a DJ, open bar, and pass-bys of Belém and the 25 de Abril Bridge.
“SO MUCH FUN I wish I could do this every day of my life. It did take a while to get us all on the boat though and they ended up pushing back our departure 30 minutes so we still got a full 2 hours on the boat however I would definitely keep that in mind in case you are making a dinner reservation hour or something. Also our boat ended up departing at 6:30 and it was the perfect timing for the sunset in early October.”
3-hour eco catamaran cruise from Funchal with hybrid-electric silent cruising for dolphin and whale watching in Madeira.
“Offering a complimentary water would be appreciated. Overall it was fun, appreciative of the guide helpfulness and they helped retrieve a lost backpack. I’d definitely recommend Magic Dolphin Boat tours, and will use them next time I come here.”
Douro Valley from Porto with UNESCO vineyards, 2 winery tours, a vineyard lunch, 6 tastings, and a Pinhão river cruise.
“Guide Bernardo was excellent. We liked the pace of the tour and all the stops. Made it a nice day. We had some rain and it was fine too. Lunch and number / selection of wines and port was great.”
Portimão’s Benagil Sea Caves speedboat tour gives you a thrilling 90-minute RIB ride along Algarve cliffs, with close cave views.
“The experience from the core at check in to the end was awesome. Bernardo was great at customizing the experience for each person helping to get the best shots. His personality was very engaging and it made the trip even more special. The best experience to see the caves”
Porto’s Douro River cruise on a former Port wine barrel boat, under six bridges, with views of Porto, Gaia, and Freixo in 50 minutes.
“Excellent guide Ricardo L, very friendly group, and fantastic tour.”
Speedboat from Albufeira to Benagil Caves and dolphin watching, with a short swim stop. 2 to 2.5 hours along the Algarve coast.
“Had the best time, so lucky the dolphins were there on my trip and got to watch the pod . Amazing . The guide was lovely informative& answered all questions . No option was offered to swim which we were informed it would be . This didn’t ruin the trip as it was nice . The caves are a true wonder -amazing .”
Ride electric tuk-tuk through Porto’s icons and optionally cruise the Douro’s six bridges, with a guided handoff and an easy next-day walk voucher.
“The meeting point was just across the road from the Sao Bento metro which was a bonus. Checked in and waited outside. We thought the tuk tuk would come to us but we had to walk a little way to get it. The vehicle was clean and seated us comfortably and we could not believe the speed they went. Our driver Joao (John) was really lovely. He was witty too which made for a fun trip. He was informative as expected, answered any questions that we may have had and discussed the local delicacies such as Bacalhau a salted cod dish, Pastel de Nata a custard tart and Francesinha a…”
From Porto, visit Vinho Verde and the Douro Valley in one day with 10 tastings, farm-to-table lunch, and a private boat cruise.
“Highly recommend! Our trip was fantastic from start to finish! Our guide, Ruben, was friendly, knowledgeable, and so enthusiastic about his country. We learned so much from him and from the winemakers. The lunch was fantastic! This day trip was AMAZING!”
3-hour catamaran cruise from Funchal to Cabo Girão to spot dolphins, whales, and turtles, with panoramic views and a swim stop.
“It was a beautiful activity, we were fortunate enough to see dolphins! My only advisory for people is the chance of getting sea sick. It’s a long ride, so by the last hour i got sea sick. But one of the staff, Philip, was so kind and attentive with ensuring I was feeling okay.”
Porto to Douro Valley day trip with Amarante, scenic viewpoints, lunch, Rabelo boat cruise, and a Pinhão vineyard tasting.
“Well organized tour with great views of the Douro valley. An excellent value with decent food and wine tasting/wine parings. Check the weather carefully since it would be much less nice on a rainy day.”
Porto to the Douro Valley in a small group, with Peso da Régua stops, Quinta tastings, Pinhão Rabelo cruise, and lunch.
“There was some confusion about the logistics of the morning pick-up, but once all eight passengers were in the van, our guide Ivo (pronounced "E-vu") took charge and provided us all with a smooth, interesting, and tasty day-long tour. He assessed our enthusiasm and instead of stopping at a truck stop for a potty break he took us to the beautiful medieval town of Amarante with their specialty pastries. All the aspects of the day were memorable, the wine and port tastings, the boat ride, the stunning landscapes, and the delicious, authentic lunch of cuzinha tradicional. Oporto Tours was also kind enough to make an unscheduled stop at the Regua…”
Every kind of day out, and the best of each.
