In this post we will tell you ALL you need to know about the cruise around Douro river with your dog. In our 2-day itinerary of Porto with a dog, we told you that you can take a boat trip around Porto with a dog. To answer whether it's worth it or not, we're going to tell you a Galician classic: it depends. As we already mentioned in the post about Porto, it's a good plan to relax while you enjoy the views of the riverside, especially if you go with your dog. Is it a compulsory plan? Obviously not, and it depends on how much you want to see Porto from the water. The audio guide on the boat is only in Portuguese and English, so if you don't speak either language, you won't undertsand much. Even so, if you have already done or are going to do a free tour of those that we previously recommended, you will know that the most important is the Dom Luís I Bridge. We want to point out that we are the first blog that includes the option of doing the cruise around Porto with a dog.
WHAT ARE THE SIX BRIDGES SEEN DURING THE CRUISE?
Dom Luís I Bridge
It is the most famous bridge in Oporto, as it crosses the Douro and links Oporto with Vila Nova de Gaia. It is 45 metres high. Likewise, it was built between 1881-1886. It has two floors, one upper and one lower. The upper floor is used by the tramway or metro line of Oporto, which is 390 metres long. Vehicles (cars, buses, lorries...) pass through the lower one, which is 174 metres long. Both floors have a pedestrian area, so you can cross it on foot both above and below. It is undoubtedly the bridge that we liked the most, and the one that attracts the most tourists. The bridge together with the Clérigos Tower is a must in Porto. . Next to it you will find the funicular and the cable car, which we talked about in more depth in the post of Porto in 2 days with a dog.
Infante Dom Henrique Bridge
It is the last bridge to be built, and therefore the most modern (30 March 2003). It was built to replace the upper part of the Dom Luís I Bridge. It is 370 metres long. It is upstream from what for us is the main one, Dom Luis I.
Maria Pia Bridge
It is the next one, continuing upstream. It was built between 1876-1877. It is 563 metres long. It was the first railway bridge to connect the two riverbanks of the Douro. And that's what's special about it, it's just railway. It's quite similar to the Dom Luís I Bridge, but without the lower area which would be the part for vehicles.
Sao Joao Bridge
We continue upstream and the next one is the Sao Joao Bridge. This is another 1140-metre long railway bridge. Unlike the previous one, this one is not an arch bridge but a pier bridge. It was built between 1984-1991 as a support for the Maria Pia Bridge, as at that time it was the only track and could not handle the large flow of traffic. When it was inaugurated, it held the world record for the length of this type of bridge.
Freixo Bridge
The last bridge upstream, therefore, is the easternmost bridge on the Douro. It was built with the aim of speeding up traffic on the bridges at Arrábida and Dom Luís I. There are two bridges, 10 centimetres apart, with 4 lanes in each direction. From here, the cruise would turn around and follow the same route to reach the last bridge, which is further west, almost at the mouth of the river.
Arrábida Bridge
The last bridge before the mouth of the Douro and the last of our trip. It was built in 1963. At that time it was the largest reinforced concrete arch bridge in the world. It is 2016 metres long and 70 metres high. Once we had seen the cruise, I would return to the starting point and finish the tour.
SIX BRIDGES CRUISE: WHICH OPTION TO CHOOSE
Boat trips are a very popular attraction in Oporto, and there are several companies that offer them. We highlight two of them:
- Douro Acima
We chose Tomaz Do Douro because we liked the vendor, and he was good value for money. It must be said that the prices vary very little, euro up, euro down, they are almost the same. Nevertheless, we list the two shipping companies in case you want to look for information. BE CAREFUL because Civitatis says that they don't allow pets, but the facts are the same: no problem to go up with him, and we explicitly asked if they allowed dogs, and they said yes, so we didn't pay any attention.
COMBINING THE CRUISE WITH OTHER ACTIVITIES
This is our favourite part because we love to recommend other things so that you don't get bored on your trips. There is the option of combining activities: Six bridges cruise (with or without lunch, with dinner and live music), sunset sailboat cruise, tuk tuk tour, sightseeing buses, tickets for the funicular or the cable car, free tours and a long etcetera. We recommend that you take everything booked, of course, as it saves queues and can be cheaper. One of our favourite websites is Civitatis, although we recommend that if you go with a pet before booking you make sure that they are allowed, as many of them say that they don't accept pets, but we didn't have any problems as you can see in the post. So don't hesitate to ask before booking, the people are very nice and will be happy to help you.
HOW MUCH DOES THE OPORTO SIX BRIDGES CRUISE COST?
Something we have to value and take into account when doing any activity is what it costs, because none of us have money to spare. It cost us €18 per person, Snow didn't have to pay, and that's appreciated, as Porto is not a cheap city. We didn't think it was expensive, because a one-hour tuk tuk tuk ride usually costs €50. Besides, we thought it was a great plan to do with Snow, as he was happy all the time. It is possible to book more than one activity as a package, which is very tempting because you always save some money (e.g. cruise + cable car, cruise + tourist bus).
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WHAT IS THE TIMETABLE FOR THE SIX BRIDGES CRUISE?
As we mentioned before, this is a VERY popular activity, so the timetable for the cruises is practically all day long. They start at 10:00 and the last one is at 18:00. The frequency is every hour between one and the other and without a break for lunch. Therefore, you will have no problem to take your walk along the Douro.
PORTO CRUISE: OUR HONEST OPINION
We have to say that we loved it, it's a great plan to see the city from a unique perspective while you rest. We did it with Snow, they are pet friendly and they offered him some water. The crew was very kind with us and Snow, one of them was telling us that he also had a dog and was chatting with us. The only negative point is the heat, we did it at 13:30 and on hot days we don't recommend it at all. Our advice is to do it in the morning or in the afternoon after the critical hours of sunshine. If you want to skip the queues and go with the itinerary done, you can always book it on Civitatis, as in our opinion, booking in advance is the best option.
OTHER INTERESTING THINGS TO DO DURING YOUR VISIT TO PORTO
There is a lot to choose from in Porto. Apart from the aforementioned six bridged cruise, there are many alternatives. We are going to explain some of them.
- Funicularthe funicular will save you a few stairs or slopes to go up or down from the upper part of the Dom Luís I Bridge from the riverbank of Porto. They allow dogs, so it's a good activity to do with them. The price is €4 per person if it's a single ticket. The return ticket costs €7. Dogs travel for free.
- Gaia cable car: it runs along the river from Vilanova de Gaia. It takes about 5 minutes and there are cabins for up to 8 people. Pets are also allowed, so you won't have a problem bringing them along. The price is €6 per person one way and €9 return. Children from 5 to 12 pay half price. Pets don't pay. We think the price is a bit excessive for what it is, but it all depends on how tired or in a hurry you are, as it will save you a good climb or descent to get to the bridge from the Vilanova de Gaia shore.
- Free tours: A free tour is always a very good option to get to know the city better, wherever we go we do free tours. Because you learn about the history of the city, it's not so typical places and meet people. A website that we recommend hiring them is Civitatis, they have a large catalogue of excursions and we have never had any problems.
- Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Tour: Another very good way to see the city in a very comfortable way is by bus. Using Civitatis you can book online. The prices are: €35 for adults, €17.5 for children and free for children under 4. It includes: 48 hour ticket for the bus, cruise on the 6 bridges, guided tour of the Cálem winery, wine tasting and discounts on monuments, museums and activities. The website says they don't accept pets, but the cruise also says they don't accept pets, and we had no problem. If you are travelling with a pet, it is best to check before booking on Civitatis or book in Porto and ask there.
- Tuk Tuk Tour: Another alternative to the tourist bus. If you prefer to be more private and go with your own people, you have the option of a tuk tuk. It lasts 2 hours and includes an English-speaking guide, a glass of wine and soft drinks. A minimum of 2 people are required to book and the price is €39 per person. Children under the age of 2 are not allowed on the tour and according to the website pets are not allowed. But we think the same as with the bus, the best thing to do is to ask because it also depends on the size of the pet, if it is a small dog you will probably have no problem. But we insist, ask beforehand or make the reservation on the spot.
- Cruise with lunch/dinner included and live music: A good option for romantics. It has a duration of 3 hours. The price is €44 adults, €22 children and children under 4 years free. For dinner there is only one hour available which is at 20:00 and can be booked up to the day before. According to the website pets are not allowed and here we can't get involved, because as it is a dinner and there will be food service, you may not be able to enter with a pet.
If you would like more information, we have an article about things to see in Porto with your dog in 2 days, so don't hesitate to take a look while we tell you about our experience with Snow.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO ORGANISE A TRIP LIKE THIS?
Te recordamos que ofrecemos un servicio de asesoramientos online en los que organizamos el viaje por ti, el que nos pidas dentro de todos los destinos que hemos visitado. Tenéis un servicio de asesoramiento exprés, en el que tendremos una videollamada para ultimar detalles o resolver cosas puntuales y otro asesoramiento totalmente personalizado en el que nosotros nos encargamos de hacerte el itinerario completo en función de tu presupuesto.
If you need additional information we have a Patreon channel where we publish vlogs about our trips.
TRAVEL SAFELY WITH YOUR DOG IN PORTO
Even if it is a short trip, think that many things can happen, such as your dog getting sick, getting cut by a bottle (in Brussels there was a lot of glass on the ground), or simply getting sick because of the change in temperature or for any other reason. For this very reason, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you hire travel insurance. We recommend you IATI, as it is one of the few insurances that not only offers a very competitive price, but also covers practically everything, including your pet. Remember, you have a 5% of discount if you book using our link
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