Our Experience on a Viking Douro River Cruise (In Depth Review)
Rolling terraced hills covered with vineyards, earth-tone painted buildings dotting the landscape, a laid-back atmosphere, and a culture we enjoyed diving into headfirst as we traversed the small Western European country of Portugal — this is what to expect on a Douro River cruise. Our trip with Viking was a memorable bucket list vacation that should be on your bucket list too!
Our vacation was bookended by big cities with charming small villages in between, where we gained an understanding of Portuguese culture, food, and history. Find out exactly what our experience was like so there are no surprises for your own memorable trip on the Douro River.

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Douro River Cruise Overview
There is so much to look forward to on a Douro River cruise, from the ship to the food to the music and then some. We’ll explain what the ship is like, what cuisine to expect, the excursions, onboard entertainment, and shed light on the pre-cruise stay in Lisbon with Viking.
While a Douro River cruise is not a themed wine river cruise, you can look forward to enough wine tastings to whet the palette, spectacular views along the river, and cruising the length of the river and back again within your 7-nights on the water during your closed-jaw sailing.
Additionally, the two days in Lisbon included for all guests on a Viking Douro River cruise are a great bonus and an important part of the experience. The time in Lisbon makes the total length of the Douro River cruise 10 days.
The Viking Ship Experience in Portugal
Douro River Cruise Ships: Onboard Accommodations and Amenities
Viking has five ships that sail on the Douro River and they are all identical except for the names of each ship. Though we sailed on Viking Torgil, any Viking river cruise ship in Portugal has the same layout, the same stateroom square footage, the same coffee and tea station, the same dining room, etc.
All Viking ships are named after Norse gods. The five that sail in Portugal, with the year they were built, are:
River cruise ships on the Douro River are smaller than the river cruise ships in Europe on the Danube River, for example. Whereas Viking has its famous longships on the Danube, the ships sailing the Douro are smaller. Viking calls the Douro river cruise ships “longships” as well, but they're significantly shorter.
Why are the ships so much shorter? The answer is simple: the river's topography. Ship size regulations are in place so vessels can safely sail this river, with its narrow passages and turns. A smaller ship means fewer public spaces and slightly smaller rooms than river cruise ships that sail elsewhere in Europe.
All of the Viking ships sailing on the Douro are 262 feet long and accommodate 106 passengers and 33 crew. By comparison, Viking's longships on the Danube River are 443 feet long. That's approximately a 40% difference in length.
Public Spaces on Viking Douro River Cruise Ships

Viking ships have an impressive top deck, which is deck 4. Viking Torgil and the additional four ships sailing on the Douro are no exception. A delightful surprise was that each Viking Douro River cruise ship have a pool. Even though we sailed during November when it was cold outside, it was a lovely feature to enjoy with the landscape surrounding the ship.
In addition to the pool, the ship's top deck had plenty of lounge chairs and tables. Absent was a putting green or herb garden, which you’ll find on Viking longships in Germany and Austria, for example (which, ironically, don’t have pools).
Another area that’s always appreciated on Viking ships is the Aquavit Terrace at the bow of deck 3. However, whereas this lounge area doubles as another lunch dining area on Viking river cruise ships, like Viking Forseti on the Danube River or Rhine River, it’s strictly a lounge area on Viking longships in Portugal.

Inside the ship, adjacent to the Aquavit area, is the lounge area where all port talks and onboard demonstrations take place. It’s also where the bar is, the onboard shop is located, and two computers are connected to the internet for guest use. Internet is free and included for all guests on Viking river cruises. (Internet is included on any river cruise we’ve ever been on, regardless of the cruise line.)
Viking's longships do not have an onboard fitness area, though some guests walked laps on the top deck, regardless of there not being an official walking track.
We missed the beautiful interior grand staircase that bigger Viking river cruise ships have on the Danube. However, we recognize that Douro River ships have size constraints that ships sailing elsewhere in Europe aren't beholden to. That's why the staircase is simpler on the Viking ships in Portugal, with a front desk that's also minimal in its design.

Our Stateroom
The ships have streamlined Scandinavian interiors, which was most apparent to us in our room. Our Veranda Stateroom on deck 2 was 185 sq ft. Inside was a small desk that doubled as a vanity, a mini refrigerator, closet, drawers, two nightstands with additional storage space, and bedside nighttime lights. The bathroom had a shower with glass double doors that helped make the most of the space.
We also appreciated our veranda balcony, where we enjoyed morning coffee and afternoon peeks outside to see the scenery. The balconies on the Douro river ships are a bit smaller than river cruise ships sailing on wider rivers. You'll notice that the veranda seats are turned sideways to accommodate the space instead of facing forward, which would require more room. We took a glance at other river cruise ships we passed along our journey (for example, AmaWaterways, Tauck, and Avalon ships) and all ships with balconies on the Douro seemed to have the same smaller verandas.







The Veranda Suites on these Viking ships are on the middle and upper decks (decks 2 and 3) on the port side of the ship, whereas the other types of staterooms (like ours, which was a Veranda Stateroom) are on the starboard side. In additiona to the bed and bathroom area, Veranda Suites have a nice television seating area with a couch, chairs, and a coffee table. The suites are 302 sq ft, including a veranda balcony.
Dining and Culinary Highlights
We appreciated that Viking highlighted some traditional Portuguese food during dinners. That is to say that guests could order the featured local dish on the menu a night. But the menu wasn't all about Portuguese food, overall. There were also rotating continental menu items during lunch and dinner. This pleased guests who wanted to experience local flavors and guests who were more comfortable with familiar options.
As such, the dinner menu always had a “Regional Specialties Tasting Menu” portion. We tried things like Cataplana, a Portuguese fish and seafood stew, and roast Ibérico pork loin with mashed sweet potatoes and turnip sprouts.
Viking offered its Classic: Always Available menu for both meals as well, including things like a classic Caesar salad, hamburger, poached salmon, and sirloin steak.
The food on a Viking River cruise is good not great. As foodies, it’s not one of the reasons we recommend the cruise line, though the food is certainly satisfying.
There are some vegetarian options on the menu each meal. However, we spoke to a couple that was strictly vegan. They mentioned they had an easier time with their dietary needs on Viking ocean cruises; they found it hard to be vegan on the river cruise. Even something as simple as soy or almond milk was unavailable for them to have with coffee every day.



Coffee and Tea Available 24/7
Every ship has a self-serve coffee and tea station available 24/7. A Portuguese cookie of some kind was usually available at the station, along with another classic cookie option, like chocolate chip or oatmeal.
Onboard Activities and Entertainment
A piano player was in the lounge to play for guests before and after dinner. On two special nights, local performers came on board to entertain.
The evening of the day we visited Salamanca, Spain, a great flamenco group performed for us. Another night a talented musical group called the Tunas, comprised of approximately 15 or so young men who all attend Porto University, played and sang for us.

If we cruised for a full day or a full morning or full afternoon, there was a presentation or demonstration of some sort. One day, the chef demonstrated how to make the famous Pasteis de Nata pastries (Portuguese custard tarts). Another day, we learned all about cork, a product of Portugal.
The cork talk was a personal favorite. A Portuguese artist, self-proclaimed the “Cork Lady,” educated us about the importance of cork in Portugal. She had really cool, high-quality cork products for sale and I bought a great sunglass case. It was wonderful to learn about all the benefits of cork from her presentation, like that it’s waterproof, fire-resistant, and anti-bacterial. (If you're curious, she accepted credit cards or cash for payment if you wanted to buy something, which I appreciated because I love accumulating points with our Marriott Bonvoy American Express!)

Exploring Portugal and the Douro River Region on a Viking Cruise
Scenic Cruising Through the Douro Valley
Having been on river cruises throughout the world, we can attest to the Douro River being one of the most beautiful. Sailing on this river reminded us of a gorgeous stretch of the Danube River in Austria called the “Wachau Valley.” If you have been there, imagine the attractive scenery in the Wachau Valley and multiply that times 50, and you can imagine what the Douro River is like! It felt like most of the Douro River had either vineyards or some type or a picturesque hilly landscape no matter where we cruised. Even in Porto, the hillside was covered in beautiful buildings.

River cruise ships on the Douro are required to sail during the day for safety reasons. That’s why you are always docked overnight. The river's length is relatively short, which is partially why you start and end in Porto. You sail east from the river’s west end for the first half of your sail. Then, you sail from the east back west during the last few days of your trip. You end your cruise where you began, in Porto.
Another thing to note is that while there are no castles on the water, there are huge mansions that you pass. They’re most often “quintas,” likened to the chateaux at wineries that we saw when we cruised in Bordeaux on the Garonne River with Viking, or like the castles we saw along the Canal du Midi during our European Waterways barge cruise.
Portugal’s River of Gold Itinerary Overview
One of the unique things about a river cruise in Portugal with Viking is that it includes a few days in Lisbon before the cruise. This is not something you need to add to your booking, like pre- or post-cruise extension days (though those are an option with a Douro River cruise regardless); Lisbon is already included in this 10-day itinerary, and it’s where all guests on your cruise gather to take the bus up to the river.
Viking's 10-day “Portugal’s River of Gold” cruise itinerary looks like this:
- Arrival in Lisbon and two nights at the Corinthia Hotel
- Viking transfer from Lisbon to Porto, with a stop in Coimbra for a city tour and lunch
- Regua/Pinhão
- Pochinho & Barca d’Alva
- Pochinho, Folgosa & Régua
- Régua & Vila Nova de Gaia
- Vila Nova de Gaia, the riverbank opposite the city of Porto
- Vila Nova de Gaia (Porto)
To reiterate our point above, you start to cruise from Porto on Portugal's west coast. You sail east towards Portugal's border with Spain during the cruise. Then, after you reach the eastern most point you'll cruise to on the river, you sail west to end back in Porto. While some of the ports of call are repeated, the experiences are different the first and second times you dock in the same place.
Two Key Ports of Call to Start and End Your River Cruise in Portugal: Lisbon & Porto
Lisbon
Lisbon (or Lisboa, as it's called in Portuguese) is a port of call for ocean ships, but not river cruise ships. Regardless, visiting Lisbon by land is on most river cruise itineraries, regardless of what cruise line you choose, for two reasons:
- It's the capital of Portugal and a great city to visit with a major airport.
- It’s driving distance to Porto, where you board the river cruise ship. (Portugal is a small country so everything there is within driving distance if you have the time!)
Adding days in Lisbon before the cruise is not something you need to do for your booking, like a pre- or post-cruise extension. Lisbon is automatically part of Viking's “10-day Portugal’s River of Gold” itinerary. It’s also where all of your fellow cruise guests gather to take the bus up to the river to board the ship.
Starting in Lisbon is a nice introduction to Portuguese culture. The hilly city is filled with historic sites, beautiful viewpoints, and plenty of restaurant options. Viking includes a half-day tour that takes you to some distinct neighborhoods of Lisbon but does not include a downtown walking tour.
We recommend coming in a day early to explore downtown Lisbon on your own. If you arrive a day early, you’ll forfeit any Viking transportation that may be included with your cruise fare to get from the airport to the hotel as we did, but it’s worth it. The cost of a taxi or ride share from the airport to the center of Lisbon is less than €15, and arriving a day or two early means you’ll get to experience an important part of the city you don’t see during Viking tours.
Where We Stayed in Downtown Lisbon
We absolutely loved our stay at The Ivens hotel before we transferred ourselves to the Corinthia, Viking's hotel. The Ivens is in an ideal downtown location and is within walking distance of where we met our Lisbon Devour Food Tour guide. It was also conveniently located to meet our guide for our day trip to Sintra and Cascais. The Ivens hotel is part of the Marriott brand of hotels, so we were able to use points to stay there.

Viking Pre-Cruise Overnights at the Corinthia Hotel in Lisbon
Viking arranges your stay at Corinthia Lisbon for two nights before you are driven to the ship to embark on the sailing portion of your river cruise. The Corinthia is a beautiful hotel with spacious rooms and has proven to be a great partner for Viking. Its location north of downtown Lisbon makes it easy for coach buses to pick up guests for local excursions and for the eventual transfer to the cruise ship.

The hotel has a conference center, which enables them to accommodate large groups like Viking. A standout of staying at Corinthia Lisbon (in addition to the large room size), was that breakfast was included for all Viking guests. And the hotel's breakfast spread was fabulous!
There are two restaurants inside the hotel if you want to eat lunch or dinner there, but those meals are not covered by Viking. There are also several restaurants on the same street as the hotel.
The Corinthia has a free shuttle that runs from around 9:00 am to 5:30 pm if you want to get to and from the historic downtown area of Lisbon. We never took the shuttle because we had dinner reservations downtown later than the last shuttle time. Instead, we used Bolt rideshare; Uber is also available in Lisbon. A Bolt ride from the hotel to downtown cost's around €10, one way.

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Planning Tips for Your Viking Douro River Cruise
Best Time to Visit Portugal
If you’re interested in good weather and the least amount of tourists, visit Portugal in April, late October, or early November. We visited in late November (the last cruise on Viking Torgil, which closed out the season), and we were treated to the tail end of fall colors dotting the vineyards. Knowing what we know now, if your schedule allows, we recommend visiting during early November. This is because it's low-tourist season, the weather is still good, and the vines have more leaves. However, greenery was still all around us the third week of November, thanks to evergreen olive trees in the region and plenty of green grass.
Our local guides told us it never really snows in the Douro Region, except in one particular city, called Lomengo. But river cruises don’t sail when it snows there anyway. That means you don't have to worry about snow being an issue during a Douro River cruise even if you sail at the start or end of the cruise season.
Summer months — notably June, July, and August — are the high season for tourism. Attractions will be more crowded, and you might have a harder time securing dinner reservations if you wish to make any in the major cities you visit. Hotel prices will likely be higher during peak summer than during off-peak times.

What to Pack for a Douro River Cruise
General Things to Pack No Matter the Season
In terms of dress code, Viking river cruises are very casual. We wore dark jeans for dinner with nice button-down shirts and blouses. I packed a skirt that I never wore. Men certainly do not need ties or dinner jackets.
Porto receives a fair amount of annual rainfall so be prepared just in case it rains during your vacation. Viking has umbrellas but they’re large ones that don’t fit in a backpack or purse, so we prefer bringing our own. The crew hands out plastic water bottles for excursions, but we dislike plastic waste so we always pack reusable water bottles for sustainability reasons.
Additionally, though you will likely never need motion sickness medication or remedies for a river cruise like you would for an ocean cruise (something we appreciate about river cruising over ocean cruises), pack medication for the bus rides if you’re prone to motion sickness. Some of the roads that the buses travel on for a few excursions wind through the hilly landscape, and some guests got nauseous from the ride.
Spring and Fall
If you cruise during spring or fall, pack layers! We lucked out and didn’t have rain during our cruise. But we prepared for it with raincoats and small travel umbrellas because precipitation was most definitely in the forecast before we left home.
Summer
For summer, pack shorts and t-shirts to wear during the day and a cardigan or light jacket for chilly mornings or nights in the valley. Be sure to pack a swimsuit to enjoy the pool and don't forget your sunscreen!
Additional Tips for Maximizing Your Douro River Cruise Experience
We recommend staying in Lisbon for a few days before or after your cruise, especially if you are flying roundtrip from Lisbon. While you won't miss anything if you come in the day the cruise begins, especially because you overnight for two evenings prior to leaving for Porto to embark on the cruise, we were thankful we came in a day early to maximize our time in Lisbon.
Another tip we have is to savor the first few days during the sailing portion of your vacation on your Viking river cruise ship. This is because the most sailing you do, free of excursions, is during the first two days on the water. These were some of our favorite days of the cruise. We thought we would enjoy more daytime sails, but during the second half of the river portion of the trip we were off the ship enjoying land excursions while the ship sailed to the next port to reposition itself. That meant we weren't on the ship when it was sailing.
A Magical Time During a Douro River Cruise
This cruise is ideal for anyone who wants to visit a stunning region in the westernmost part of continental Europe, get a small taste of Spain for a few hours one day, see various areas of Portugal beyond Lisbon, and for vacationers who don’t mind some longer bus rides. While we encountered a few people who were first-time river cruisers, we recommend it for your second or third river cruise (or beyond), favoring the Danube or Rhine Rivers for a first-time river cruise.
Sailing during the day (when we were onboard) was a highlight, which is somewhat unique to this itinerary because ships must sail the Douro River during the day according to local regulations. We appreciated how well everything was organized by Viking as well as the lovely accommodations they arrange in Lisbon, and the plentiful excursion options.
All in all, the trip was fantastic and it’s an itinerary that should be on everyone’s must-do river cruise bucket list.