Six Bridges cruise on the Douro

Cruzeiro das Seis Pontes (Cais da Ribeira)

Fifty minutes on a rabelo boat, under six bridges

Hours

Douro Acima: Apr–Oct 10:00–18:00, Nov–Mar 10:00–16:00 / Manos do Douro: May–Sep 10:00–19:00, otherwise 10:00–16:00; roughly every 30 minutes

Tickets

Douro Acima adults €20, ages 4–12 €10 (plus a €1.13 online fee) / Manos do Douro adults €18, ages 4–12 €9 / under-4s free. Buy at the quay kiosks or online

Address

Departs from the Ribeira quay (varies by company); some boats leave from Avenida de Diogo Leite 408 on the Gaia side

It is a 50-minute river trip on a boat built like the old rabelos that once carried port barrels downstream. From Ribeira it passes under the Luís I, Infante, Maria Pia, São João, Freixo and Arrábida bridges, each one a different shape. From the water you really see how tightly Ribeira's houses cling to the hill and how far the Gaia lodge signs stretch. Several companies run near-identical trips about every 30 minutes, so you can simply turn up on the quay and board.