Sailing the Douro river in Portugal with Anima Durius

Updated March 16, 2021Portugal

boat tour douro river

In Pinhão, you can go on a boat trip down the Douro river with Anima Durius and that’s exactly what we did. We quickly found the boat we were looking for and the skipper welcomed us on board. We would spend the next hour sailing up and down the Douro river, enjoying the view of the valley and each other.
 

Anima Durius river cruises

Sounds romantic? It was, but for the true romantics amongst us, Anima Durius offers something even more special: a sunset cruise, on which it’s even possible to dine and sleep on board.

anima durius douro river cruise

The skipper knows the perfect balance between entertaining his guests and letting them relax. He urged us to go sit in front of the boat to get better views, put on some soft music and drew back behind the steering while.

Once in a while, he would share some information about the Douro Valley or one of the port houses and he often made sure that we had everything we needed.

He includes a glass of port in all the tours he does, but it isn’t just any other port he offers. The port on board was produced for the first time 20 years ago, when his father became grandfather for the first time. The port isn’t sold. It’s solely produced for the family… and for guests of Anima Durius.

The family does export their own wine, though, and those interested can include a tour, meal and/or wine tasting at Quinta dos Poços in their sailing trip.

boat tour douro river

 

Practical information

Anima Durius offers many different boat trips from Pinhao, from one hour to a whole day. The company offers Douro river cruises from Pinhao for two to nine people, but those who are a bit more adventurous can also rent a sailing boat without skipper. All tours take place on the Douro, Portugal‘s best-known river.

Make sure to bring your swimming gear.

On top of that Anima Durius also offers a river taxi service by speedboat and ski and wakeboard experiences.
For more information and prices check out the website: www.animadurius.pt
 

Other option: tour with boat trip on the Douro river

pinhao boat cruise

Full-day Douro Valley Tour with Wine Tasting, River Cruise and Lunch
This full-day tour to the Douro valley includes hotel pick-up, a free bottle of water per person and free WiFi on board a comfortable vehicle. It’ll take you to two wine estates where you’ll not only enjoy wine but also olive oil tastings. You’ll cruise the Douro river on a traditional Rabelo board and will enjoy a typical Portuguese cuisine lunch.

Book this tour
 

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
Going on a DouroAzul river cruise in Porto
Climbing Porto’s hilly streets
Having dinner at the Hotel Teatro restaurant
Tasting heaven at Rui Paula’s DOP restaurant in Porto
Hiking to the Palace Hotel at Mata do Bussaco
 

We were offered a complimentary tour with Anima Durius. This has in no way affected my opinion on this activity.

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