Your day starts with breakfast onboard… sharing your favorite table by the window with the couple you became friends with at your welcome dinner… enjoying your favorite buffet selections just the way you like them… The riverboat docks right around the time you're finished with breakfast; you couldn't have asked for better timing… As you step off the ship, our local experts eagerly await to show you around the ancient village they call home along Portugal's "golden" Douro River – in the heart of one of the oldest wine making regions in the world; soon it may feel like home to you as well. You might decide to stay ashore for lunch and sample the local specialties – or return to the riverboat for lunch onboard. You won't arrive at your next port of call for awhile, so you have some time to explore your new "floating hotel," ms Andorinha. You spot the couple from this morning about to take a dip in the small pool on the Sun Deck. "Like to join us?" they ask. You say you'd love to, and are soon relaxing and chatting as you bask in the sun. Refreshed, you head into the lobby just in time to watch the riverboat dock, perhaps passing a rabelo – one of the region's traditional flat-bottomed sailboats once used to carry Port wine from the valley's vineyards to the city of Porto. Ashore, you enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour and tasting at one of those wineries – a private, terraced, family owned establishment on the Douro's banks. Dinner tonight may be in one of the storied stops along the river… perhaps the wine-terraced town of Peso da Régua, or the picture-postcard village of Pinhão. You don't want the evening to end, but alas, it must… another Tauck experience to check off on the "wow" list. Returning to the riverboat, you meet your companions for a little more camaraderie around the piano in the lounge before calling it a night. Drifting off to sleep, you smile… realizing that you'll soon be waking up in another magical Douro Valley town… to embark on another perfect day of your Douro River cruise aboard ms Andorinha.

Meet ms Andorinha

Specifically designed and built by our long-time partner Scylla for cruising to historic quintas and picturesque villages along Portugal's golden Douro River. From coastal Porto to the Spanish border, our newly constructed, 80-meter (263-foot) custom Douro riverboat ms Andorinha debuts in 2020 with spacious accommodations for just 84 guests, featuring 12,300-sq.-ft. Tauck Suites among her five cabin categories.

The Douro River Valley's winemaking traditions await…

In Portugal's historic Douro River Valley – a UNESCO World Heritage Site steeped in a legacy of wine making for more than 2,000 years – you'll find white-painted quinta estates lined with terraced vineyards, a rich multicultural heritage, unique grape varieties and a fantastic climate perfect for growing grapes. Enjoy wine tastings at quintas hosted by expert wine makers who share insights on their prized Douro Valley wines; go hiking and bicycling among the vineyards; and enjoy oft-told stories and remarkable views of one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world.

Porto on the Douro… the home of Port wine

Discover the essence of world-famous Port wine in Porto, the historic seaside city at the mouth of the Douro River where it was perfected, with private tastings and sightseeing… see traditional Rabelo boats, carrying barrels of regionally produced Port wine bound for aging casks in Porto, set sail from the scenic wine-terraced town of Peso da Régua, as they have for centuries…