by Clia as one of the fastest-growing European river cruise destinations. None of us can resist having our photos


taken on the red-velvet chair, topped by a royal crest, beneath a portrait of the ोHHQ :H JORVV RYHU WKH IDFW WKDW WKH throne-like armchair wasn’t actually there when Her Majesty was on board, as the rest of the vessel remains virtually the same. :LWK LWV GLVWLQFWLYH FUHDP DQG


brown livery, any resemblance to a glamorous train rather than a ship is QRW FRLQFLGHQWDO ,QVLGH DUH ਭ[WXUHV DQG ਭिLQJV LQFOXGLQJ DUW GHFR FDELQ DQG bar signs and gorgeous Lalique glass wall panels, that formerly graced the 3XOOPDQ ([SUHVV WKDW XVHG UX]$ۑG &¶WH to whisk passengers from Paris to the ,WDOLDQ ERUGHU :H PLJKW EH DPEOLQJ along at a somewhat statelier pace, but it’s just as stylish a way to travel.


PORT HOUSES


ौH ਭUVW PRUQLQJ ZDV VSHQW LQ 3RUWR Portugal’s second city, divided by the Douro into two very distinct halves. ौH PHGLHYDO ROG WRZQ ZKHUH UDिOLQJ trams transport locals and sightseers, is topped by the 13th-century Sé do 3RUWR FDWKHGUDO LQ ZKLFK H[SORUHU Henry the Navigator was baptised. ौH RSSRVLWH EDQN &DLV GH *DLD is lined with 18th-century port houses; our tour ended with a visit to the atmospheric Ferreira cellars, located inside an old convent. 6HिLQJ VDLO D़HU OXQFK , IRXQG LW


hard to imagine the Douro was once a perilous waterway that caused many of the traditional wooden rabelo boats to founder, as they transported wine from vineyards to the warehouses of Porto. Although it has long since been tamed by dams, the once-turbulent river ਮDQNHG E\ WRZQV DQG WۑQVL FRQVHTXHQWO\ cities – unlike the Rhine and Danube. ,QVWHDG FOLHQWV FDQ H[SHFW WUDQTXLO VDLOLQJ through the spectacular and rugged green scenery of the Unesco-listed Douro Valley, coupled with daily coach H[FXUVLRQV WR UHDFK SODFHV RI LQWHUHVW


Left, from top: Porto; rabelo boats; port tasting; sun deck on Spirit of Chartwell


5 September 2019 travelweekly.co.uk/cruise


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