Explore with Viking—Douro

Visit two of Portugal’s most significant religious sites en route to your ship. Depart Lisbon and drive with your guide to Batalha, home to the Santa Maria da Vitoria Monastery. This stunning 14th-century complex, built in the Gothic and Manueline styles, was constructed over the reign of seven kings, from 1386 to 1517. After a fascinating tour of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, continue to Fátima. Visit the sacred shrine where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to three shepherd children in 1917. At this hallowed pilgrimage site, view Our Lady of the Rosary shrine and marvel at the stunning basilica. Step inside and admire its ornate interior and visit the chapel that marks the exact location of the Marian apparitions. After time to explore and lunch at a local restaurant, you will continue to Porto to embark your ship.

Enjoy a delightful riverside lunch and a leisurely cruise along the scenic Douro River. Meet your guide and set off by minivan to a beautifully restored railway house. Upon arrival, you will be presented with an amuse bouche, accompanied by a glass of chilled wine. Enjoy the surrounding views as you take your seat to savor a delicious meal, prepared using fresh, locally sourced farm ingredients. For your mouthwatering lunch, you will enjoy a starter, main course and dessert, followed by seasonal fruits. A selection of wines will accompany your meal, provided by a country estate from the Douro region, famed for its wine-making heritage. After lunch, set sail on a leisurely cruise and glide through picturesque vistas of the Portuguese countryside, with views over sloping banks of vineyards. At your tour’s end, you will return to your awaiting ship.

Enjoy unparalleled vistas from the slopes of the Douro Valley and sample regional food and wine. Quinta das Carvalhas lies 1,800 feet above the Douro, and its history dates back to 1756. The jewel of Real Companhia Velha’s crown, Portugal’s leading porto wine producer has been in existence for more than a quarter of a millennium. Begin your visit with a guided tour through the vineyards and learn about their multitude of different grape varieties. The vines here grow at various altitudes along steep slopes and yield unusually rich and complex wines. After you have been introduced to the secrets of port wine making, you will have the opportunity to spend time enjoying the spectacular scenery while you try the Quinta’s fine wines and taste the local sausages and cheese. Return to your ship in the late afternoon.

Walk the winding lanes of a 2,500-year-old town, visit its castle remains and feast on a local lunch. Board your motor coach and travel to Marialva, a small town overlooked by the ruins of a hilltop citadel, with delightful small squares, diminutive churches, narrow streets and a rich history. Continue to the nearby Casas do Côro, built on the northern slope under the castle. The grounds of the property house a fine hotel, a spa and private villas in an exquisite landscape that cascades down the hillside. Enjoy the spectacular scenery as you savor a selection of regional specialties with dishes that incorporate ingredients from the casa’s own gardens and estate-produced wine. Afterward, follow your escorts to view the castle area still dominated by the remains of the medieval walls and keep, before returning to your ship.

Journey back into the past with a visit to the Saint John Monastery in Tarouca and sample the region’s delicacies. Set off to São João de Tarouca, where you will see the remnants of a 12th-century monastery built on the orders of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and the first of its kind in Portugal. With the Cistercian monks came the cultivation of the fields and vineyards in the Varosa Valley. Next, see the charming houses of Ucanha, with their stout stone walls and colorful wooden balconies, before arriving at the Casa de Santo António Britiande. This area is one of Portugal’s rare hidden gems in the heart of the Távora-Varosa wine region: the small towns and quintas are tucked into hillsides and narrow valleys that are off the beaten path. Enjoy a taste of selected wines from the region, including sparkling and white varieties, along with savory bites that perfectly complement the wine.