“We are delighted to welcome you aboard Viking Hemming, and look forward to serving you,” said our program director Jorge. My boyfriend L and I were excited for our cruise along Portugal’s Douro River, compliments of Viking.*
A Stop Off In Ciombra
It was a fun day of travel to the ship, leaving our pre-trip in Lisbon in the early morning and heading north to Coimbra, the original capital of Portugal, and home to one of its oldest universities. Students gave us a tour and shared stories about their “black capes,” which are a tradition on campus. The capes were originally worn so students would not be judged by their clothes if they were rich or poor. “During graduation festivities, we cut the cape,” said Maria, a student of engineering. “A middle cut is for your boyfriend, but must be sewn up if you break up.” Moi tried on one of these heavy woolen capes and almost fell over.
Welcome Aboard!
We arrived in Porto, Portugal’s second largest city, by early evening and boarded the Viking Hemming, The small ship holds about 105 people, Our third floor room was lovely, with a veranda, a king-sized bed, contemporary bathroom (that even had a night-light), and plenty of closet space. “I could definitely live on this ship,” I said to L. “It’s great waking up to a magnificent views of the Douro river and Portugal’s mountainous terrain of vineyards. My only wish is that they had yoga classes on the deck instead of shuffle board and pitch and putt.”
There was a top deck with a teeny pool and lots of seating (we spent most of our time on deck when cruising); a third floor lounge with comfy seating, a bar and small dance floor, (we relaxed here during the evenings and L finally agreed to dance with me on the night of the captain’s dinner); and a dining room on the second floor where we ate most meals.
Breakfast and lunch were buffet-style with an omelet station in the morning and a pasta station in the afternoon. There was no assigned seating – which was good since we liked to mingle and meet new people each day. Breakfast was my favorite meal. L enjoyed his daily double espressos and I devoured the freshly baked croissants and Portuguese bread with homemade jams. So much for my gluten-free diet, I was more of a gluten-glutton by the end of the week. Dinners were casual with a menu of choices. Wanting to try as many local foods as available, I often chose the fresh fish entree and seafood appetizer.
A City Tour of Porto
Each day we had an option to join the shore excursion or stay on the boat while it cruised along the Douro to the next port. Trips were either in the morning or afternoon, with bus rides to our destinations and then walking tours of each city or village.
During our city tour of Porto:
♥ we walked the limestone streets stopping high up on the hilltop at the Porto Cathedral;
♥ we visited the Porto train station with it’s panels of tiles depicting the history of Portugal and named one of the most beautiful in the world by Conde Nast Traveler;
♥ went to the famous Lello book shop, where author J.K. Rowling supposedly wrote chapters from her Harry Potter novels while living in Porto.
My First Sip Of Port
We also visited a local winery outside the city to taste our first glass of port, Portugal’s most famous and popular export. There would be many different kinds of port throughout the trip and I realized that I really, really like this sweet wine which I learned has a really, really high alcohol content. It is in the Douro Valley that the only grapes that produce the authentic port are grown.
Finding Time To Shop
During our free afternoon, I headed back to Porto with new friends J and P while L stayed on board for the cruise to Biteto. We did a good job of navigating the city map and went shopping along Flores Street where I bought a pretty cork bracelet (Portugal is the largest producer of cork and cork products) and some prints of Porto’s colorful city landscapes and bridges (Porto is known as the “City of Bridges”). Note that our last evening of the cruise was also spent in Porto along the river where we found many more street vendors for good shopping and artwork.
Evening At Alpendurada Monastery
Each evening, we gathered in the lounge for our daily briefing by Jorge. He shared the next day’s agenda and sometimes shared other facts and figures about the Douro and Portugal.
“Tonight we will depart the ship and have dinner at the Alpendurada Monastery,” said Jorge. Dinner wasn’t the best, but it was a picturesque spot and the monastery had its own charm with ceilings made of chestnut wood.
Having sipped my share of Portugal vinho, my head was ready to hit the pillow. Tomorrow would bring another glorious day of sunshine to explore the Douro Valley.
Boa noite.
Judi
P.S. For more posts about my trip to Portugal, visit my Travel and Leisure page.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” Viking River Cruises provided me with a complimentary press trip river cruise on the Douro. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
It all sounds delightful! I’ve always wanted to visit Portugal ever since my parents went years ago. And our cleaning lady, also a family friend, is from there and brings back gorgeous blue and white dishes for us that they are famous for.
I am thrilled you had such a wonderful time. It sounds extraordinary. So well-deserved my friend.
Cathy, thanks for your comment. I would definitely recommend visiting Portugal. It’s a beautiful country.
Kris said: What a fabulous trip – thanks for sharing!!!
Great piece! Makes me wish I could book a trip today!
Thanks Camille. It’s definitely a worthwhile trip.
I just returned from the exact same itinerary last week! I was on the Torgil and of course we went to the same places. I thought it was a wonderful cruise and really fell in love with Portugal. Viking always gets things right – they’re extraordinary with their service.
Kay, that’s so great. I think we posted about the same places. Glad you enjoyed your trip too.
What a wonderful sounding cruise. We are heading to Portugal next year and I am starting to research areas of the country to visit. The Douro is on top of the list! I’m not usually a cruiser but this may just tick the box!
Jenny, definitely research the Viking cruise in Portugal. It was really a nice trip.
I’vê been hearing a lot about these Viking cruises lately and was wondering what they were like. Thanks for enlightening me o the first part of the cruise. Will you be posting about the rest of it at some point?
Julie, I’ll be sharing a few more posts about the cruise. It was a wonderful trip.
We’ve only visited the Algarve Region of Portugal and it looks like we need to focus on the area around Porto when we return to Portugal this winter. Your photos are gorgeous and I can’t wait to visit this amazing area for myself. If we close our eyes and wish hard maybe we can cruise in the style we’d so love to become accustomed to with Viking down the Douro River also!
Anita, do think about visiting Porto. Coimbra, the college town was really beautiful as well. When I return to Portugal I would’ve to go to the Algarve Region. I heard it is amazing.
We’ve visited Lisbon and toured south of there. Clearly, a trip to the north is warranted and I’d much rather leave the driving to a river boat captain! Nice overview of your trip.
Suzanne, I haven’t been to the southern region but heard it is magnificent. Definitely worth a visit.
Portugal has been on our must-visit list for quite a while. I’d love to visit and the river cruise on the Douro sounds like it was quite an experience. I also love Port so a stop in Porto would be simply delightful. We’ve heard great things about Viking and it sounds like it was perfect!
Sue, if you love Port then Porto is the place to visit, or all of Portugal.
I’ve been on several river cruises but have been dying to see the Douro. Looks like you had incredible views from your cabin on the Viking Hemming.
This was my first river cruise and I would highly recommend Portugal for the picturesque views on the Douro. The wine country is magnificent.
Beautiful pictures, and I loved following your cruise. I think I may have to put Portugal on the list for next year’s travel. Can’t wait to do my next Viking cruise. They are the best!
Thanks Lois! It was fun to read about your cruise in the south of France. Also enjoyed your Ireland trip.