The crew got out the tape measurer and waited it out until the water had slackened enough to allow us to pass unscathed. The boat crew were professional, helpful & friendly. Douro River cruises are from Porto, Portugal to Vega de Terron, Spain. Vila Nova de Gaia: This city lies across the Douro from Porto, and it's where ships dock. The Avid Cruiser. On another instance, on a Christmas Markets river cruise through Germany, thewater level made us too high to clear a bridgeblocking our path by mere inches. Visit Portugal Shares Insights as Cruisers Return to Porto and Douro River . 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Solstice vs. Millennium Class on Celebrity Cruises, Expert Tips for Choosing the Best Shore Excursions, Countries That Require Visas for a Cruise, The World's Best Beaches to Visit on a Cruise, The Pros and Cons of a Port-Intensive Cruise, Mystery Cruises: What They Are and What to Expect, 10 Things You Should Never Do on a Cruise Line Private Island, 48 Hours in Brisbane Before or After a Cruise, How To Cope With Cruising's Pause? This makes for a relaxing, easygoing vibe onboard, and the scenery is magnificent, including an intriguing series of locks. It boasts a fantastic view of Porto across the river, and it has a fabulous bar and restaurant. Please, use with caution. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in India. 2024 | Douro River Valley | Uniworld River Cruises The drainage basin was depopulated in the 8th century. Report inappropriate content NewJerseyCyclist New Jersey Level Contributor 154 posts 2. Being so close to the ocean gives Porto a bit of a San Francisco feel; it's every bit as hilly, there are plenty of trams, street life is colorful, and occasionally a dense fog rolls in off the Atlantic. water level made us too high to clear a bridge, From Amsterdam To Paris On An Avalon Waterways Active Discovery Cruise, 10 Ways River Cruising May Surprise and Delight You, Scandinavia and Northern Europe Cruise Reviews. Visits to a range of quintas, the Portuguese term for wineries, mostly focus on the region's famed port wines, but the winemakers in the Douro region also produce beautiful reds and whites. The Douro fully enters Portuguese territory just after the confluence with the gueda River; once the Douro enters Portugal, major population centres are less frequent along the river. While the 2017 season was abnormally large, hot and dry summers create all the necessary conditions for potentially devastating wildfires. 55 helpful votes 1. Sheep rearing is also still important. The drought is mainly on south of Portugal, albeit it hit all country. Climate varies; Porto can be cool, due to its location right off the Atlantic, but the further inland you travel, the warmer it gets. Douro River Douro River 7,503 Reviews #6 of 369 things to do in Porto Nature & Parks, Bodies of Water Porto, Portugal Save Authentic Douro Wine Tour Including Lunch and River Cruise 1,150 Book in advance from C$172.81 per adult Check availability View full product details keith47 Westcliff-on-Sea, United Kingdom 600 254 The good news? The good news is the scenery is just gorgeous and varies throughout the region, so there's a lot to look at. Porto is the main hub city in northern Portugal. TIDES4FISHING | WATER TEMPERATURE IN PORTO (RIO DOURO) | 4 MARCH 2023, It is normal for waves to vary in height from one to the next. Douro River, Latin Durius, Spanish Ro Duero, Portuguese Rio Douro, third longest river of the Iberian Peninsula, draining a catchment area of 30,539 square miles (79,096 square km). Lines sailing this Portuguese-Spanish waterway include AmaWaterways, APT, A-ROSA, CroisiEurope, Scenic, Uniworld, Viking . Talk with a specialist to plan your next adventure! We safeguard and restore wetlands for people and nature. This means at this moment you need to be prepared for a wave of, TIDES4FISHING | SWELL FORECAST IN PORTO (RIO DOURO) | 4 MARCH 2023, Remember that you can check the tides at your fishing point from your smartphone with Nautide, the. Douro River Sailing Experience Porto - Booking.com So dont stress about the what-ifs; be excited about your amazing journey through the vineyards and history of Portugal. Douro River | river, Europe | Britannica "My feeling is this was a unique year. Speaking of water in the Douro, here is a question I've been meaning to ask someone from Porto . Douro (Duero) basin. The portuguese name it's "Tainha", no idea about the english name. To mitigate issues, Viking runs sister ships sailing the same itinerary, but in opposite directions. Teeming River Cruises and our offered cruises do not give full or partial refunds for cancellations due to water levels or other bad weather issues. Vessels with a maximum length of 83 metres (272ft) and width of 11.4 metres (37ft) can pass through the five locks. On Saturday, the water level at the German town of Kaub - a critical juncture - slipped to just 36 centimeters, or 14 inches, according to official figures. However (after booking the trip with our helpful receptionist) we were called the night before to be told the trip would not be happening. Continue the affected itinerary by having guests swap ships typically, being bussed from one town to the next, where you will embark a sister-ship or similar vessel to continue the rest of your journey. Dont let people (or past reviews) put you off unnecessarily. We are booked to cruise the Duoro late June and hope the levels will have subsided by then. (These include shoes, soaps, pretty notebooks, hand-painted tiles, etc.). Call 1.406.541.2677 Start Planning My Trip About 14% of waves will be higher than the significant wave height (about 1 in every 7 waves). Your email address will not be published. Generally, when high/low water levels hit the Douro, three options are available to cruise lines: One of the less-mentioned issues facing Douro river cruises is fire. The city of Porto and the Douro River Sherry boats on the Douro River, Porto Portrait of Portugal: Lisbon, Porto and Cruising the Douro River Aboard the 132-guest Amalia Rodriguez 12 days from $5,490 Delve into the Age of Discovery on our exciting river and land journey to Portugal. The cable car station is also on this side of the river -- if you don't fancy or can't manage the walk up to the top of town this is a lovely and reasonably priced (nine euros return) option, which affords fantastic views -- and even a free glass of port! 6700 AL Wageningen The scenic Douro railway line runs close to the river. Consider this, too: this could have been one of several sailings that the crew has had to deal with so far this season. We are fully committed to low impact travel that not only preserves but gives back to the amazing places we visit. . A river cruise that is possible one week can change on a dime, becoming problematic for the following sailing. No one knew it was a problem until our departure. Decommissioning of dams and re-naturalization of river sections can improve the situation not only for pearl mussels but also for migratory fish populations. Nowadays port is transported there in tanker trucks. On a somewhat smaller but no less enchanting scale, the city's Clerigos district is home to one of the world's most famous bookstores. Passengers booked on upcoming Rhine and Danube river cruises should monitor their email for updates from travel advisors or the cruise lines themselves, and keep an eye on the weather forecasts.. Any idea what kind of fish those might be? Most of the attractions are well off the river, requiring motorcoach transportation that averaged about 45 minutes per place. We returned by train after free time in Regua at 4.50pm arriving in Porto at 7pm. Douro River: Map, Birth, Length, Characteristics and Much More Be Prepared for a Ride to Reach Off-ship Douro River Attractions. The times reflected in the tidal table for Porto (Rio Douro) are predictions valid as references for, TIDES4FISHING | TIDE TABLE FOR PORTO (RIO DOURO) | MARCH 2023, Moonrise and moonset in Porto (Rio Douro) for the entire 2023. The Douro has some help, though, in avoiding water level-related snafus. (Look for Kopke, which matches chocolates to its ports.). While it isnt discussed as often as water levels on the Danube and the Rhine, high and low water levels can affect your river cruise along Portugals Douro River though its admittedly not quite as susceptible to these events as other European waterways. The old travel adage, forewarned is forearmed, is very appropriate. Pinhao: Most of your time docked in Pinhao, part of the gorgeous Vila Real district, will be spent on excursions to places like Quintana do Seixo (part of the mighty Sandemans conglomerate) to taste port and learn how it was made. New for 2023 - Zurich & the Rhine River Valley 10 days from Nuremberg to Zurich It formed a historical barrier to invasions, creating a cultural/linguistic divide. Answer 1 of 7: Wondering if any locals can provide insight into the extreme water levels of the Duoro River that are causing river cruises to be cancelled. High Water, Low Water: Dealing With Water Levels on a River Cruise Recently, a prosperous tourist industry has developed based on river excursions from Porto to points along the Upper Douro valley. Dating back to the Roman Empire, it's first and foremost a university town since the 12th century. Cruises on the Douro River may not have quite the same pull as other European rivers, but its beautiful scenery of sloping wine terraces give it the edge. Fish want to stay comfortable. These events are inconvenient, but it is important to remember that they arent all that likely to happen, and certainly not all the time. So what can you do when water levels threaten to scuttle your river cruise? Each company does have input into their own operations, whether it's menus, tours or onboard ambience. 3. Best Time for Douro River Cruise: Weather, Seasons, Temperature & Water Levels Best Time to Take a Douro River Cruise (Portugal & Spain) Portugal All Trips Cruises Land Tours River Cruises Ships Deals Info Talk with an expert Build your ideal Portugal trip. [5] At Douro's mouth at Porto, the second largest city of Portugal, the river meets the Atlantic Ocean. This usually involves putting guests up in hotels on the cruise lines dime and arranging for coach transportation and guides that werent originally needed. It is a nice escape on a warm day. Tributaries here are small, merging into the Douro along the canyons; the most important are Ca, Tua, Sabor, Corgo, Tavora, Paiva, Tmega, and Sousa. The Wetlands International-European Association gratefully acknowledges financial support from the European Commission. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. On the Douro, this option is really only open to companies like CroisiEurope and Viking River Cruises that operate more than one vessel in the region. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-49042501', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Porto. The Douro railway line (Linha do Douro) was completed in 1887; it connects Porto, Rio Tinto, Ermesinde, Valongo, Paredes, Penafiel, Livrao, Marco de Canaveses, Rgua, Tua and Pocinho. Water Level | Copernicus Global Land Service +31 (0) 318 660 910, [emailprotected] Casa Lis, an art deco and art nouveau museum, is housed in a palace with stained-glass ceilings and windows and the Puente Romano (Roman Bridge). Can highly recommend Barracouda Tours at the quayside at Gaia, bookable at Tourist offices for a wonderful day cruise, returning to Porto by train. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. Because of the high levels of humidity, the winter months are frigid, but the rest of the year is pleasant, with a reasonable probability of rain. Other major houses include Taylor's, Ferreira, Sandeman and Calem. The latter includes wine producing areas such as the Ribera del Duero DOP. Duoro River Water Levels - Porto Forum - Tripadvisor Since the 1930s the Douro has been harnessed extensively for hydroelectric power and irrigation. In almost all cases, water levels are so fickle that they can change by the hour. Scientists uncover new information on the Douro river ecosystem We went on the Viking Torguil cruise in April 2016. The Douro (UK: / d r o, d r u /, US: / d r u, d r o, d o r u /, Portuguese: ; Spanish: Duero; Latin: Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula.It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in the Spanish province of Soria, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the northern part of the Meseta Central in Castile and Len into . the water level in Douro river is controlled, so between winter and summer time there's no much difference, but of course winter months the level is slightly over the year average. Her ideal travel day: venturing to a new place, learning something interesting and sharing a smile. Corrections? River water levels - Portugal Forum - Tripadvisor The most populous cities along the Douro River are Valladolid and Zamora in Spain, and Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal. [6] In Roman times, the river was personified as a god, Durius. The major tributaries of the Dourothe Esla, Pisuerga, and Arlanzn, all in Spainflow from the wetter northern zone; the southern tributaries are less important. more, You seem to have JavaScript disabled. The Douro has some help, though, in avoiding water level-related snafus. There are lots of options for tasting port in Gaia. Mid-July through August is another good time for snagging deals; the region can be very hot then. Rising in the Sierra de Urbin in Spain, the river crosses the Numantian Plateau in a pronounced bend and flows generally westward for 556 miles (895 km) across Spain and northern Portugal to the Atlantic Ocean at Foz do Douro. In its Spanish section, the Douro crosses the great Castilian meseta and meanders through five provinces of the autonomous community of Castile and Len: Soria, Burgos, Valladolid, Zamora, and Salamanca, passing through the towns of Soria, Almazn, Aranda de Duero, Tordesillas, and Zamora. Tell us your travel interests, dreams and desires, then let our experts tailor the perfect trip for you! At noon the tidal coefficient increases to 69. DOURO RIVER (Porto) - 2023 All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go - Tripadvisor We did not check out this time of year on the WEB (Our fault) so we were not aware that each year in April the River gets the snow melt from the mountains in Spain and the authorities control the water flow and for the most part close the river in April. These peak periods are reflected in green. Its total length is 897 kilometres (557mi),[10] of which only sections of the Portuguese section, being below a fall/rapids line, are naturally navigable, by modest rivercraft. If you own rights to any of the images and they are not credited, or you do not wish them to appear on our site, please contact us at [emailprotected]. We came to Porto (having made our own flight and hotel arrangements in September) with the specific of doing a day cruise to Pinhao and the train back. These reaches of the Douro have a microclimate[specify] allowing for cultivation of olives, almonds, and especially grapes, which are important for making port. Low bridges, power lines, and other navigational obstacles restrict the height of a vessel. 1470 Birchview Rd , Douro Dummer, ON K0L2H is a single-family home listed for-sale at $839,000. According to Claudio Snchez-Albornoz this was a deliberate act by Alfonso I of Asturias for the defence of his Kingdom, which led the area to be named Repoblacin. Our personal expertise & experience, local partners in our destinations, & access to over 150 small ships are all invaluable to designing your unique journey. The depth of water underneath the keel, or bottom, of your ship can be less than a foot in many instances. "It's hard to say that [what happened in 2018] had to do with global warming," said AmaWaterways' Schreiner, who has followed river water levels in Europe closely for nearly three decades. A folk-etymological derivation suggests that the name comes from the Portuguese or Spanish for "golden".[7][8]. On August 5, authorities reported that water levels on the river have fallen to just 56 centimetres (22 inches) -- so low that cargo ships plying the Rhine are being forced to sail nearly. To use our mobile site, please enable JavaScript. When I last visited, in October 2012, there were many fish visible from the quay along the Ribera. By proceeding, you agree to Cruise Critics, Douro River Cruises: Tips for Sailing Portugal and Spains Magical Waterway, Douro River Cruises Offer Tantalizing Scenery, Gastronomy and Relaxing Sailing, Expect a Long Season of Douro River Cruises, Selecting the Right Douro River Cruise Line for Your, Douro River Cruise Itineraries: Cruises to Suit Every Traveler, Douro River Cruise Destinations: Witness Ancient History and Quaint Quinta, Douro River Cruise Tips: From Weather and Climate to Pre-Planning advice, Drinking on the Douro: What to Sip on Your Portugal River Cruise. Just because one year was affected by abnormally-heavy rainfall doesnt mean the following one will be identical. We additionally point out in the chart the periods of greatest activity during the year with a big blue fish on the period bar + info, Arcozelo | Barra do Douro | Crestuma (Rio Douro) | Labruge | Lavra | Lea da Palmeira | Leixes | Mindelo | Porto (Rio Douro) | Pvoa de Varzim | So Flix da Marinha | Valadares | Vila Ch | Vila do Conde | Vila Nova de Gaia, Barra do Douro (4.1 km) | Vila Nova de Gaia (4.5 km) | Valadares (7 km) | Leixes (8 km) | Arcozelo (11 km) | Lea da Palmeira (11 km) | So Flix da Marinha (12 km) | Crestuma (Rio Douro) (13 km) | Lavra (15 km) | Espinho (15 km) | Labruge (18 km) | Vila Ch (20 km) | Esmoriz (21 km) | Mindelo (22 km) | Vila do Conde (25 km) | Pvoa de Varzim (29 km) | Furadouro (30 km) | Carregal (31 km) | Ovar (33 km) | Puxadouro (34 km), Changes in pressure have a considerable influence on the activity of fish, Rapidly fluctuating either way is indication of good fishing, TIDES4FISHING | WEATHER CONDITIONS IN PORTO (RIO DOURO) | 4 MARCH 2023, 9:33, TIDES4FISHING | WEATHER FORECAST FOR PORTO (RIO DOURO) | 4 MARCH 2023, TIDES4FISHING | ULTRAVIOLET INDEX IN PORTO (RIO DOURO) | 4 MARCH 2023, DAILY EVOLUTION OF WATER TEMPERATURE IN PORTO (RIO DOURO). Europe's Drought: Will It End River Cruises? - Out Traveler Re: River water levels. The drainage basin borders those of Mio to the north, Ebro to the east, and Tajo to the south.[10][11]. This region is generally semi-arid plains, with wheat and in some places, especially near Aranda de Duero, with vineyards, in the Ribera del Duero wine region. Douro River Cruise Tips | Cruise Critic There's enough water! It flows W across N Spain, then southwest to form part of the Spanish-Portuguese border before flowing W across N Portugal to the Atlantic Ocean at Prto. Very enjoyable cruise to see and the Douro Valley, where wine and port are made. As far as Aranda de Duero, Spain, it is narrowly confined by its banks; it then widens across the broad plains of Old Castile. Not their fault - blame it on the Spanish up stream! Report inappropriate content. The river has an half dozen dams on its course, the crossing of the dam locks it's another of the highlights (besides the landscape). My Bookings. In Portugal, between Peso da Rgua and Porto (Oporto), the river has considerable barge traffic, taking the wine from the port-wine area to Vila Nova de Gaia; from Pedorido to Porto there is some coal traffic. Floods upriver meant that it was too dangerous to proceed so our day trip became a coach trip back to Porto after lunch on board. The next five downstream are along the Portuguese-Spanish border; the first three are owned and operated by Portugal: (Miranda, Picote and Bemposta Dams), while the next two belong to Spain: (Aldeadvila and Saucelle Dams). Duoro River Water Levels - Porto Forum - Tripadvisor I am concerned about water levels. Updates? River cruise lines will typically attempt to keep your itinerary as operational as possible. [6] The meaning of this element is however unknown. While most cruise lines offer a handful of tours showcasing the attractions of Porto and, just across the river, the city of Vila de Gaia, it's a fascinating place to visit. We plan on taking a Viking cruise on (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Viking had known about this condition for at least two prior weeks but did not notify their customers. (One of the five we went through, Carrapatelo -- the largest in Portugal -- represented a drop (or rise) of 115 feet.). This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. The Douro's last five dams are in Portugal, and allow for navigation: Pocinho, Valeira, Rgua, Carrapatelo, and CrestumaLever dams.