B = Breakfast L = Lunch D = Dinner
Please note that this itinerary is a guide and may be amended for operational reasons, including river conditions. Exact timings and individual activities may also change closer to departure.
Day 1 – Wednesday, 22 September
Lisbon
Arrival in Lisbon and transfer to EPIC SANA Marquês, our home for the next three nights.
As the group gathers from different corners of the world, the journey begins properly over a private welcome dinner — the first evening together, and the first chance to settle into the rhythm of the days ahead.
Day 2 – Thursday, 23 September
Lisbon
Lisbon opens with Belém, where the city’s maritime past is written into monasteries, monuments and the broad riverfront. The great Jerónimos Monastery sets the scene, with a pause for one of Portugal’s simplest pleasures: a warm pastel de nata.
Back in the centre, the walk continues through Rossio Square and Terreiro do Paço, where Lisbon opens onto the broad Tagus.
After lunch together, the focus turns from monuments to making.
We visit Retrosaria Rosa Pomar, founded by researcher and author Rosa Pomar, one of the most important contemporary voices in Portuguese wool and knitting. Her work has helped bring renewed attention to Portugal’s native sheep breeds, traditional textile practices and regional knitting techniques, and she is the author of Malhas Portuguesas (Portuguese Knitting), a key reference on the country’s knitting traditions.
During our visit, we are introduced to Portuguese wool and traditional Portuguese knitting, before there is time to explore Retrosaria, the Lisbon shop and studio she founded around her work with local wool, yarn and textile heritage.
The evening is left free.
Day 3 – Friday, 24 September
Lisbon
A different side of Lisbon and its surroundings comes into view through one of Scenic’s Freechoice experiences.
Scenic Freechoice
Visit Sintra & Palácio Nacional
The road climbs into the hills to Sintra, where the Palácio Nacional rises above the town with its distinctive twin chimneys. A blend of Moorish and Portuguese Gothic architecture, the palace was a royal residence for almost five centuries and remains one of the country’s most important medieval buildings.
Traditional Portuguese Cooking Class
A more hands-on introduction to Portugal, beginning with the ingredients and traditions of its cuisine before preparing a traditional dish yourself.
The afternoon is free for Lisbon on your own terms: a favourite neighbourhood, a long lunch, a little shopping, a tram ride, or simply following the streets without a plan.
In the evening, the group comes together again for dinner in a local restaurant.
Day 4 – Saturday, 25 September
Lisbon to Porto
Leaving Lisbon behind, the journey turns north towards Porto — and towards the river that will carry us for the next week.
At the quay, Scenic Azure becomes our floating home. Porto rises around the Douro in layers of granite, tiled façades, wine lodges and bridges, with the city pressed close to the water.
Once settled aboard, there is time to step ashore and explore Porto at your own pace — perhaps a walk along the riverfront, a first look at the steep streets of the old city, or simply time to wander before returning to the ship.
Dinner is served aboard.
Day 5 – Sunday, 26 September
Porto to Pinhão
Porto slips away behind us as Scenic Azure turns east.
The change comes gradually at first: fewer buildings, steeper banks, the first vineyards. Then the terraces begin to dominate, climbing the hillsides in long, sculpted lines until the Douro becomes the landscape we have been waiting for.
By Pinhão, we are deep inside wine country.
The village’s famous railway station tells the story of the valley in blue-and-white azulejos — harvesters in the vineyards, baskets of grapes, boats and barrels, the annual cycle of work rendered in tile.
Back aboard, there is also the opportunity to try this very Portuguese art form ourselves during an azulejo-painting workshop.
Day 6 – Monday, 27 September
Pinhão to Barca d’Alva
Above the river lies Provesende, a small village surrounded by vineyards and orchards, with views stretching far across the Douro.
Here, the scale becomes more intimate. There is the village church, the old bakery, local handicrafts and the historic manor house Morgadio da Calçada, where we taste traditional bola.
It is a glimpse of the Douro away from the river itself — the houses, skills and routines that belong to the landscape just as much as the terraces do.
Back aboard, Scenic Azure continues east, deeper into the upper valley and towards the Spanish border.
Day 7 – Tuesday, 28 September
Barca d’Alva to Pocinho
Near the Spanish border lies one of the most distinctive textile traditions of the journey.
In Freixo de Espada à Cinta, silk is still processed entirely by hand — the last place in Portugal where this tradition survives.
We have chosen this experience for the whole ARNE & CARLOS group.
At the local silk museum, the story unfolds through fibre, tools and techniques passed down across generations. It is not a reconstruction of something lost, but a tradition that still belongs to this place.
The visit continues with a tasting of regional produce before returning to Scenic Azure for lunch.
Day 8 – Wednesday, 29 September
Pocinho to Régua
The upper Douro feels different: drier, more open, more remote.
From Pocinho, the road leads into the Côa Valley and the traditional village of Freixo de Numão, before continuing to Casa Painova.
Again, this is an experience we have selected for the entire group.
Here, the craft is domestic rather than decorative: sugared almonds, made through a process that turns a simple local ingredient into something associated with celebration, hospitality and tradition.
We see the family home, learn how the almonds are harvested and prepared, and taste them alongside olives, fruit products and other flavours of the region.
Back aboard, the river carries us onwards towards Régua, where terraced vineyards and historic wine estates once again dominate the landscape.
Day 9 – Thursday, 30 September
Régua to Porto
Régua offers three very different ways into the landscape.
Scenic Freechoice
Lamego
High above the town, the Baroque Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies crowns one of Portugal’s most dramatic staircases, descending in tiled terraces towards the streets below. The visit includes a taste of local delicacies before time to explore independently.
Mateus Palace
An elegant 18th-century house surrounded by formal gardens, reflective ponds and avenues of cypress — one of Portugal’s finest examples of Baroque domestic architecture.
Kayaking on the Pinhão River
A quieter perspective on the valley, close to the water and surrounded by vineyard-covered slopes, patchworked farmland and sprawling estates.
Scenic Azure then begins her return towards Porto.
By evening, the river has brought us back into the city for one of the most atmospheric moments of the journey.
Scenic Enrich – Classical Concert in São Francisco Church
Behind the restrained Gothic exterior of São Francisco Church lies an interior almost completely transformed by gilded carving.
For one evening, this extraordinary space becomes our concert hall for a private performance of classical music.
Day 10 – Friday, 1 October
Porto
The final full day offers three different perspectives on Porto and northern Portugal.
Scenic Freechoice
Guided Tour of Porto
The city’s history and architecture come together at the magnificent Palácio da Bolsa, followed by time to explore independently — perhaps among the stalls of the historic Bolhão Market.
Guimarães
Often described as the birthplace of Portugal, Guimarães combines a beautifully preserved historic centre with the imposing Ducal Palace.
Quinta da Aveleda
A historic wine estate where the tasting is only part of the pleasure; the gardens themselves are among the highlights.
The afternoon is free to enjoy Porto at leisure — a last walk through the city, coffee on deck, a little knitting, or time simply to watch life along the river.
As evening falls, Scenic Azure sets out on an illumination cruise through Porto, passing the glowing city skyline and travelling beneath the six bridges that span this stretch of the Douro.
Later, the journey closes with a farewell dinner aboard.
Day 11 – Saturday, 2 October
Porto
Breakfast aboard, then disembarkation in Porto.
The Douro has carried us through vineyard terraces, small villages, textile traditions, food, wine, tile and seven days of slow river travel — a journey that began in Lisbon and ends here, with Portugal seen not only through its landscapes, but through the things people continue to make by hand.
