The boat crew were professional, helpful & friendly. Private Douro River Sailing Cruise 49 Recommended Day Cruises from C$187.45 per adult (price varies by group size) 3-hour Port and Douro Wines Tasting Tour With 10 Tastings 126 Recommended Private and Luxury from C$57.47 per adult Porto: Morning City Tour with Six Bridges Cruise and Lunch 5 Bus Tours from C$94.31 per adult 6700 AL Wageningen Our ship featured a tour to Grahams, a gorgeous facility that included a visit to the winery in addition to a tasting. 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. This was also our last trip with Viking. The Douro has some help, though, in avoiding water level-related snafus. Remember, look for the comfort zones and you will find the fish. The Douro (UK: /dro, dru/, US: /dru, dro, doru/,[1][2][3][4] Portuguese:[do(w)u]; Spanish: Duero [dweo]; Latin: Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. The portuguese name it's "Tainha", no idea about the english name. Porto is the main hub city in northern Portugal. 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. Whether a river has high or low water levels is something youre unlikely to consider when planning your river cruise. Bookended by two genuinely intriguing cities -- Spain's Salamanca and Portugal's Porto -- a fair portion of the weeklong itinerary is actually pastoral and laid-back. Still, events have occurred in the past. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. The crew got out the tape measurer and waited it out until the water had slackened enough to allow us to pass unscathed. Speaking of water in the Douro, here is a question I've been meaning to ask someone from Porto . The scenic Douro railway line runs close to the river. This was one of the best things we did on our trip and we'd recommend it to anyone. Our personal expertise & experience, local partners in our destinations, & access to over 150 small ships are all invaluable to designing your unique journey. River cruise lines will typically attempt to keep your itinerary as operational as possible. The drainage basin was depopulated in the 8th century. The day ends with a tidal coefficient of 73. And they have input to a degree into their own ships; AmaWaterways, for instance, has incorporated its popular balcony/picture window suite design. This is considered important to the archaeological pre-historic patrimony, and it has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are five locks positioned along its length that help ships transit to other levels and control the flow of the water downstream, aided by the region's climate that tends to be dry and hot for the summer months. If things are bad enough (like during the once-in-a-century flooding that occurred along the Danube in 2013), your river cruise might turn into a bus trip as the cruise line attempts to do its best to hit all the major sights and attractions along the way. The Douro Vivo Network is a multidisciplinary partnership of Portuguese and international academics, legal experts and conservationists with the aim to promote the protection of free-flowing and clean rivers, with a special focus on the Douro river. Alternatively, you may use. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in Canada. The moon set at 6:00 h at 302 northwest. Can highly recommend Barracouda Tours at the quayside at Gaia, bookable at Tourist offices for a wonderful day cruise, returning to Porto by train. Most were maybe 10 cm long, but some were substantially larger. Tide times and charts for Porto (Rio Douro), Porto and weather forecast for fishing in Porto (Rio Douro) in 2023 Tide tables and solunar charts for Porto (Rio Douro): high tides and low tides, surf reports, sun and moon rising and setting times, lunar phase, fish activity and weather conditions in Porto (Rio Douro). 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. These events are inconvenient, but it is important to remember that they arent all that likely to happen, and certainly not all the time. CITAB published an approach for prioritizing dam removal for river connectivity improvement based on a cost-benefit analysis. July, August, and September are the three warmest months, respectively. While there's plenty to do, one oddity of the Douro experience is that there's no night navigation, so ships must cruise from sunrise to sunset. . To use our mobile site, please enable JavaScript. If the (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Any idea what kind of fish those might be? You can have confidence in our experts' dedication to traveler safety, comfort, & providing a seamless trip. What problem?? The reason for this was as there had been so much rain, the dam in Spain was full and head waters had to be released - this making the river unsafe for such trips.Disappointed, but understand the rationale. The most populous cities along the Douro River are Valladolid and Zamora in Spain, and Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal. And while there are tons of souvenir shops scattered all over the old town selling magnets and such, don't miss A Vida Portuguesa for high-quality, handmade products that are designed and crafted in Portugal. The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of Wetlands International-European Association and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission. Salamanca: An absolute highlight of a Douro cruise, Salamanca, northwest of Madrid, is one of the most gorgeous cities in Spain. This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. We can compare these levels with the maximum high tide recorded in the tide tables for Porto (Rio Douro) which is of 4.2 m and a minimum height of 0.3 m. The following graph shows the progression of the tidal coefficient in the month of March of 2023.These values give us a rough idea of the tidal amplitude in Porto (Rio Douro), forecast in March. The seven-night cruise itself travels between the delightful UNESCO World Heritage city of Porto (where you'll likely spend a couple of nights) and either the last little village in Portugal, Barca de Alva; or, just over the Spanish border, another tiny village called Vega de Terron; both are the jumping-off point for the two-hour bus ride to {#widget:image|decorators:article_image|image:3568|title:Vega de Terron (Salamanca) (Photo:canadastock/Shutterstock)|description:Vega de Terron (Salamanca) (Photo:canadastock/Shutterstock)#}. Her ideal travel day: venturing to a new place, learning something interesting and sharing a smile. Its a bit like experiencing a flight delay at the airport: you can fly dozens of times successfully, but the one that was horrifically delayed or cancelled is the one that sticks out in most peoples minds. A small tributary of the river has the Ca Valley Paleolithic Art site which is considered important to the archaeological pre-historic patrimony, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For the municipality in the Philippines, see, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, "The Esla River Basin: From the Cantabrian Mountain to the Duero", "Spanish-Portuguese Albufeira Convention", "Hydrological response of Mediterranean headwaters to climate oscillations and land-cover changes: The mountains of Duero River basin (Central Spain)", IPTM Instituto Porturio e dos Transportes Martimos, Delegao do Norte e Douro, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Douro&oldid=1142166763, Articles containing Spanish-language text, Articles containing Portuguese-language text, Articles containing Proto-Celtic-language text, Articles needing more detailed references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 21:54. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-68898124', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');cruises are schedule this means that the river has "sufficient water" for it the water level in (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? The cruise-ship tours, while good overviews of the making of port and the history of the area, are by no means satisfying enough. Eventually, the moon will rise again in the northeast (60) at 15:28 h. When the solunar period coincides with sunrise or sunset, we can expect more activity than initially planned. Moreover, the new information will be used to change public perception of the impacts of hydropower on river ecosystems and to create a movement to support river protection and restoration. The reason for this was as there had been so much rain, the dam in Spain was full and head waters had to be released - this making the river unsafe for such trips. See ourfeatured river cruise sailings >>, Talk with Teresa Skeim who has over 30 years experience for more ideas planning your trip >>. We safeguard and restore wetlands for people and nature. The waves you will find on the shore can be slightly affected by the orientation of the coastline and the seabed of the beaches, although in most cases they are usually equivalent. Alternate titles: Durius River, Ro Duero, Rio Douro. Fish are cold blooded, which means their metabolism is strongly influenced by the temperature of their surrounding environment. Adjacent areas produce port (a mildly fortified wine) and other agricultural produce. 747 reviews. River cruise lines will typically attempt to keep your itinerary as operational as possible. "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. For up to date GENERAL overview of water levels in Europe please visit http://riverinfo.eu/ In Porto and in Salamanca, where the primary languages are Portuguese and Spanish, respectively, English-speakers can get around well enough. Horapark 9, 6700 AL Wageningen 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]. These peak periods are reflected in green. The inverse is true: just because a sailing is having to operate with adjustments and modifications one week doesnt mean that the following weeks will be the same. To mitigate issues, Viking runs sister ships sailing the same itinerary, but in opposite directions. and in Italy Dora, etc. Belgium, P.O. 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 latter two are located at the mouth of the Douro at the Atlantic Ocean. 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. +31 (0) 318 660 910, E-mail: [emailprotected], Wetlands International-European Association, Mundo J, 55 helpful votes 1. Consider this, too: this could have been one of several sailings that the crew has had to deal with so far this season. Got through the first dam and then halted. Example: We traveled 1 1/2 hours by bus over winding roads to visit a palace where we had a half hour tour and then drove another 1 1/2 hour bus drive back to the boat. Please, use with caution. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Report inappropriate content. To improve the knowledge on the impacts of existing dams (including the Portuguese Large Dam Program) and projected new dams, the Douro Vivo Network studied the cumulative impacts of hydropower on ecosystems and livelihoods. 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). Unlike ocean cruises, river cruises operate in the margins. While the 2017 season was abnormally large, hot and dry summers create all the necessary conditions for potentially devastating wildfires. [11] The Douro River basin encompasses an area of approximately 97,290 square kilometres.[12]. In 1998, Portugal and Spain signed the Albufeira Convention, an agreement on the sharing of trans-boundary rivers to include the Douro, Tagus and Guadiana. Tributaries here are small, merging into the Douro along the canyons; the most important are Ca, Tua, Sabor, Corgo, Tavora, Paiva, Tmega, and Sousa. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Part of the TTC Family of brands. Although in most places we get a value very close to the actual sea water temperature, it may not be accurate in certain areas. The Water Level is defined as the height, in meters above the geoid, of the reflecting surface of continental water bodies. So dont stress about the what-ifs; be excited about your amazing journey through the vineyards and history of Portugal. Most of the attractions are well off the river, requiring motorcoach transportation that averaged about 45 minutes per place. Low bridges, power lines, and other navigational obstacles restrict the height of a vessel. Be Prepared for a Ride to Reach Off-ship Douro River Attractions. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. But bear in mind that this tidal amplitude may be greatly affected by the weather and you should also consult the weather forecast in Porto, the wind in Porto and the surf forecast in Porto before you go fishing. Sheep rearing is also still important. Cruises on this Portuguese and Spanish waterway stretch from Porto on the Atlantic Ocean, all the way east into Spain's Vega de Terron (essentially a docking station where passengers head to the gorgeous golden city of Salamanca). While most of the cruise lines do offer pre- and post-cruise trips to better-known cities like Lisbon and Madrid, consider spending a few extra days there. Omissions? 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 . Cruise Specialists Voyage Hosts reporting on their round the world journeys. more, You seem to have JavaScript disabled. 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. Here are a few things you should know about taking any river cruise, not just one operating along the Douro: Chances are good that your Douro river cruise will proceed exactly as expected but there are some things that are good to know about these water-related events, and what to do should one arise. These studies (some in Portuguese, some in English) and presentations (in Portuguese) can be found on the Douro Vivo Network website: The Douro Vivo Network is led by GEOTA in partnership with International Union for Conservation of Nature Center for Mediterranean Cooperation, Wetlands International Europe, WWF Portugal, and the Inducar Network. If in difficulty, those with swimming pools on board can empty them. Thus, river cruise ships have a very narrow margin in which to operate; a sweet spot where the water isnt so low that the hull touches bottom, and not so high that bridges and overhead obstructions become impassable. Generally, when high/low water levels hit the Douro, three options are available to cruise lines: Continue the affected itinerary by having guests 'swap ships' - typically, being bussed from one town to the next, where you will embark a sister . There are lots of options for tasting port in Gaia. We did the six bridges tour. About 14% of waves will be higher than the significant wave height (about 1 in every 7 waves). 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). Itineraries vary very little between cruise lines. It formed a historical barrier to invasions, creating a cultural/linguistic divide. Climate varies; Porto can be cool, due to its location right off the Atlantic, but the further inland you travel, the warmer it gets. I looked it up; we call them grey mullet (not to be confused with my hair style). Very enjoyable cruise to see and the Douro Valley, where wine and port are made. This is the rarest option, exercised when no other alternatives are available. Be aware that it can be a lot cooler on the water so take a sweater or something like that with you. Porto. Douro River cruises offer travelers the perfect opportunity to segue from buzzy Porto on the Atlantic coast to Portugals pastoral wine region. Getting angry, yelling at staff or threatening the cruise line rarely fails to accomplish much, as the issue is almost entire out of their control. 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. Since the 1930s the Douro has been harnessed extensively for hydroelectric power and irrigation. Moreover, they shared approaches to restore and protect this natural hotspot. Updates? The most frequent wave height will be about half the height of the significant wave. Wondering if any locals can provide insight into the extreme water levels of the Duoro River that are causing river cruises to be cancelled. Douro River cruises are from Porto, Portugal to Vega de Terron, Spain. 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. Data available from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2024 *. Outright cancellation. 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. At a press conference on July 23 rd, the Douro Vivo Network launched seven studies providing new information on the Douro river basin ecosystem. Mid-July through August is another good time for snagging deals; the region can be very hot then. New for 2023 - Zurich & the Rhine River Valley 10 days from Nuremberg to Zurich 580 helpful votes. 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. TIDES4FISHING | HIGH TIDES AND LOW TIDES IN PORTO (RIO DOURO) | 4 MARCH 2023, TIDES4FISHING | TIDAL RANGE IN PORTO (RIO DOURO) | 4 MARCH 2023, TIDES4FISHING | PROGRESSION OF THE TIDAL COEFFICIENT | MARCH 2023, You can change the time format and the default unit for height in the. One of the downfalls? 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 . This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in India. BUT the BMW is a car and the VW is a car so we actually delivered on our contract. Observation Decks & Towers, Churches & Cathedrals, Historic Sites, Civic Centres, Architectural Buildings. 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. It is a nice escape on a warm day. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-49042501', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Porto. The Dom Luis Bridge, which you can cross by tram, car or on foot on either upper or lower levels, was designed by a disciple of Gustave Eiffel. If things are bad enough (like during the once-in-a-century flooding that occurred along the Danube in 2013), your river cruise might turn into a bus trip as the cruise line attempts to do its best to hit all the major sights and attractions along the way. The premier times to visit the Douro are in springtime, May and June, and then again during harvest season -- in fall months of September and October. 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. The old travel adage, forewarned is forearmed, is very appropriate. There is a wide range in average temperatures in the stunning Douro Valley. The depth of water underneath the keel, or bottom, of your ship can be less than a foot in many instances. That's devastatingly low - at 40 centimeters, commercial shipping becomes unprofitable. Onone memorable sailing down the Danube, we only found out halfway through our voyage that the passage from Nuremberg to Passau was impossible; wed have to swap-ships (more on that later) to complete our journey. In the last decade, Douro River cruises have become increasingly popular. 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 But note: It has become so popular that they charge to get in, and if don't want to wait in line for an hour, buy your tickets online and get there early. Our prediction algorithm for water temperature is in development phase. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-68898309', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');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. Nothing in the information given us by Viking indicated that all river traffic on the Douro in April is "ify" at best. 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. It is normal to expect a wave of twice the height of the significant wave about 3 times in 24 hours. Unlike you, they dont get to leave instead, theyre treated to greeting busloads of unhappy guests week after week. 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). Does any one have experience with this river and any suggestions on the best time to go to avoid a problem. (Salamanca was the farthest away, some two hours drive.) The length of time the moon will be visible is 14 hours and 32 minutes. We left at 8am, breakfasted on board the boat, cruised along the beautiful Douro Valley, passing through amazing locks, and had an excellent 3 course lunch before arriving in Regua at 3pm. 3. We can sympathize; after all, if we liked coach tours, wed call our site. For the rest of the trip, you'll be stopping at places like Bitetos, Regua, Pinhao, Barca d'Alva and Vega de Terron -- small rural villages that you've likely never heard of. Albert Dauzat linked this river name to a Pre-Celtic hydronymic root *dor- which is well attested in Western Europe: in France Doire, Doron, Douron, etc. You will find most of the itinerary highlights on all the lines. I can't locate any news regarding these issues. Fish want to stay comfortable. 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! Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The good news? Some of the places in which you'll dock are actually nothing much but piers with access to a place to board the motorcoaches. However (after booking the trip with our helpful receptionist) we were called the night before to be told the trip would not be happening. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. 7 years ago. The fact of the matter remains that the vast majority of Douro river cruises will be completed without a hitch. [6] The meaning of this element is however unknown. Winery tours and port wine tastings are available year-round at riverbank vineyards, but the region really comes to life in the fall months of, If youre hoping to snag a deal,consider traveling during the, Veteran river cruisers might be wary of planning a cruise in the spring months where you can get some excellent discounts. 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 northern Portugal. 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. Dont let people (or past reviews) put you off unnecessarily. 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]. You'll also likely visit Mateus Palace, known for its gorgeous gardens. This makes for a relaxing, easygoing vibe onboard, and the scenery is magnificent, including an intriguing series of locks. "My feeling is this was a unique year. This was a big disappointment and was preventable on their part by honest and better communication. Its a huge logistical nightmare, and one that is guaranteed to displease some. Its a huge logistical nightmare, and one that is guaranteed to displease some. Beginning at the headwaters, the first five dams are in Spain: Cuerda del Pozo, Los Rbanos, San Jos, Villalcampo and Castro Dams. Some cruises spend overnights there, giving you time to explore the waterfront. Rue de l'Industrie 10, 1000 Brussels, Plan Far, Far Ahead, Porto (Leixoes) (Photo:ESB Professional/Shutterstock), Cruise ship in Port (Photo: joyfull/Shutterstock.com). The highest lock, at Carrapatelo Dam, has a maximum lift of 35 metres (115ft). CroisiEurope, Scenic, Viking, Uniworld and Emerald fully own and operate their ships. Research the Douro Rivers Weather & Dress for the Occasion. WOW-- some fun!The grand finale was at the end of the time they asked us to fill out a survey of the tour but then proceeded to tell us how to do it by saying that "they did the best they could under the circumstances" and therefore we should not reflect poorly on their effort. 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. The river mouth is silted, and the artificial port of Leixes (erected in 1892 and further developed in 1916) has grown up to the north of the estuary. 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. Most of the ships that ply the Douro have small swimming pools on their sun decks. . (She was teaching English in Porto and spent a lot of time there.) To use our mobile site, please enable JavaScript. Considering Tagging Extra Days onto Your Vacation to Explore Porto, Madrid or Lisbon. Viking had known about this condition for at least two prior weeks but did not notify their customers. [9], It is the third-longest river in the Iberian Peninsula after the Tagus and Ebro. At this moment the current water temperature in Porto (Rio Douro) is -. Just because one year was affected by abnormally-heavy rainfall doesnt mean the following one will be identical. For 112 kilometres (70mi), the river forms part of the national border line between Spain and Portugal, in a region of narrow canyons.