We chose to sail Viking's Douro River after talking with a member of Viking's staff on our last cruise in Bordeaux. She said the fall was a fantastic time to visit Portugal. She was correct.

We began our trip in Madrid 3 days earlier on a pre-trip extension. Madrid is very modern and easy to get around on ones own. Viking's representative met us everyday and gave us ideas and tips for things to do. We would recommend the optional "Tapas Tour in Madrid" and the optional day trip to "Toledo". The Intercontinental Hotel in Madrid was near the Metro and several tasty restaurants. The included breakfast was great.

We left very early on day 4 to meet the rest of Viking's passengers in Lisbon. We arrived at 7am at our hotel, the Trivoli. Of course the room wasn't ready and the Viking staff was tied up with the previous cruise who were leaving Lisbon for the ship in Porto. The hotel stored our luggage and provided us with coffee. We were able to meet with the Viking staff at 830am and get some advice for our first day in Lisbon. The hotel was less than a mile walk to the touristy section of town. We spent a fun day exploring on our own and then met the rest of the passengers at 7pm for introductions. Read more