Relaxed Seniors Tour: Porto, Douro, and Madeira

Back-dropped by granite cliffs and perched over the Douro River, Porto is one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval cities. Port cellars cascade along one bank, their famous names illuminated the evening sky while lanes of charming cobblestone fill the other bank, winding up the hill towards Sao Bento Station. Neither side of this UNESCO World Heritage center is wide enough for vehicle traffic, so the soundtrack is generated by your own footsteps and by the harmonious ringing of church bells. The riverside promenades are flat and easy to walk on, and the good news is that you will not need to walk far, nor will you want to walk fast when azulejo tiles line the lanes everybody likes to take it slowly.

Land at Porto’s airport and you will be greeted at the arrivals gate by your guide. Transfer into old Porto and your hotel porter will meet your vehicle where the road ends. The final few minutes are on foot as you will be staying at a boutique hotel inside the city’s medieval core, and you will be escorted right to your hotel room door. Your guide will introduce you to Porto over a coffee, wine, or beer, offering some historical context to where you are staying. Nothing specific is planned, and there are a number of beautiful little places within easy walking distance of your hotel so you can easily stretch your legs and relax away the evening in a wine bar or on a restaurant terrace.

Narrow townhouses stand upon the cobblestone lanes, their facades enlivened by floral displays. Azulejo tiles line the backs and sides of buildings, providing blue beauty to the vernacular. These tiles create mosaics with thousands of them forming a painted scene from a medieval era, and they give Porto a harmonic beauty, their presence binding together monuments from different centuries. On today’s city tour you will take a slow walk between the city’s key attractions, following a historical trail in the UNESCO World Heritage center. Admire the imposing Romanesque exterior of Porto Cathedral, and then head inside to see its Gothic cloisters. Compare this to the Catholic church nearby, where a Baroque facade entices you into a dramatic Renaissance interior.

Heading across and down the steps you can stop at St Francisco Church, the Stock Exchange Palace and Ribeira Square, ending back on the riverfront for coffee and a caramelized almond tart – incidentally, not a pastel de nataas that famous treat is actually from Belem in Lisbon. After this, you will cross the Douro River to Vila Nova de Gaia, where a cellar master takes you on a tour of a famous port cellar. This will culminate in a hearty lunch with port tasting, including a chance to try a variety of vintages. Now, fully relaxed, you can embark on your cruise. Your luggage has already been brought on board, and you will spend the first night just a few miles east of Porto, in a quiet place just beyond city lights.

Wake up on the Douro River as iconic bridges compete with the rolling hills when you look westward. Gaze the other way, and the landscape feels wild, granite cliffs punctuated by grassy embankments and clumps of forest. You will be heading into this wild land, winding into a valley that becomes increasingly narrow. Cliffs rise higher and higher above you before vineyards begin to dominate. Each is a terraced landscape with vines clustered on slithers of flat land, everything too steep for modern machinery. Disembark at one of these vineyards and taste the hand-produced wine, at a lovely tasting room along the water.

Lunch is back on board as you cruise a little further. There are only a few points where the river meets a road, and it is at these where you disembark to see more of Portugal. On the afternoon of day three, the excursion takes you to Lamego. Here Baroque townhouses line the city lanes, while beneath you are vineyards and maize farms while the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies looks down from above. To reach the shrine, you must climb 700 shallow steps, but the real highlight is the Holy Staircase itself. Breathtakingly decorated in azulejo tiles, the staircase is like an art gallery telling a historical tale, encouraging you towards its utopian climax.

Back on board, you can rest your legs. You will be on a medium-sized boat with capacity for 60 passengers. There are indoor and open-air decks, both with lots of space to relax while you cruise. All of your meals are included, served in the large restaurant area on the second floor. Your en-suite cabin has broad windows that open onto the river, giving Douro views as you travel. A multi-night trip allows you to journey much deeper into the valley, almost all of the way into Spain. Just sit back and luxuriate in the UNESCO World Heritage landscape with wines from the surrounding vineyards served with dinner.

The next day you will cruise to Barca d’Alva, the last Portuguese village on the river. Encased by mountains on a quiet Douro bend, this soporific stone town looks untouched for 400 years. Vineyard terraces cover the flatter slopes while across the river, trains whistle along a stunning archway bridge. This is a great destination for senior travelers, as although it’s perched high on a hill, you can get a lift to the top and stick to narrow streets with fantastic views. Eat your lunch up here, trying a local delicacy. Yesterday it was bolas de lamego, a bread stuffed with smoked ham, but today’s cuisine is designed to accompany the local wine. This is your final night on board, and there is not much better than sitting back beneath the Iberian stars after dinner.

Today you will travel back to Porto with your boat leaving before breakfast and traveling downriver to where you started. By midday, you will be back in the city with the flight to Funchal leaving in the afternoon. Although it could be quicker to travel by road to Porto, it is far more relaxing by boat, keeping you in a laid-back frame of mind for the island retreat to come. Arrive in Funchal, and it will still be light. You will be surrounded by green, with cliffs standing high above the town and gardens dominating most of the streets. Take a walk to Quinta do Lago Gardens, and this green canvas extends, as tropical birds fly past the indigenous flora.

Standing isolated in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Africa, Madeira has one foot in Portugal and the other in its own distinctive history. Its secluded location has kept it clear of most contemporary changes, although there is a big modern museum dedicated to Madeira’s most famous resident, soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo. Mostly this is an island of nature, where villages hide in forests and waves crash against some of the world’s highest cliffs. Your hotel is along the oceanfront, not on a beach but gazing out towards the powerful drama the ocean can bring. Restaurants and cafes line the promenade, offering many places to spend your evenings.

These final two days in Madeira have been designed with guided tours. However, you will have a private guide, and this is a handcrafted tour, so there will be the flexibility to make changes when you are here. Each day could include half a dozen stops, or it could be much shorter. Western Madeira is wild and majestic, the road winding skyward to clifftop viewpoints and churches seemingly on top of the world. The classic tour is to first cross the vineyards at Estreito de Camara de Lobos, before driving all the way up to Cabo Girao and its unrivaled views over Funchal.

Descending on the opposite side of the cliff you wind to Ribeira Brave and an old-world church, before being immersed in the banana plantations of Madalena do Mar. Tiny villages dot the landscape, and their senior residents are very receptive to senior visitors, with many tours bringing an impromptu invitation to share a coffee or glass of wine. A beautiful loop road brings you back to Funchal, traversing the island’s plateau to a UNESCO World Heritage nature park, where turquoise pools stand in ancient lava holes. There is also a forest, the enchantment of Laurissilva a final highlight before you are back at the hotel. But, as mentioned, this full tour could be shortened should you wish.

Eastern Madeira is on your doorstep, and you will need less time to explore the highlights. Sublime views extend in all directions from Punta Sao Lourenco with both sides of the island and the Atlantic shimmering in the morning light. At Porto de la Cruz and Guindaste, you can stop and inhale the fresh ocean air. Santana village is a perfect final stop, its thatched rooftops flowing amid flowers and vines, a small cobbled terrace ideal for a leisurely lunch. Back in Funchal, you take the late-afternoon flight back to Porto, returning to where you started and connecting with your outbound flight.