Portugal's Douro River Cruise Bike Tour

The ships we sail on are like floating hotels, so you can visit a new destination each day without touching your suitcase once you’ve settled in. Our ships are custom‐designed with a variety of inviting spaces that offer plenty of room for both relaxing and socializing. These ships are vastly smaller than most cruise ships, with up to just 150 passengers on our river trips and up to only 250 on our ocean trips.

We sail with up to 30 Backroads guests per group. Occasionally there may be more than one Backroads group onboard and you may cross paths with the other group on routes or at restaurants. When this occurs, each group will have their own dedicated onboard Backroads leaders.

On our active cruises, we seek out diversity by including regionally authentic and inventive meals for onshore lunches, picnics and the occasional onshore dinner. On-ship meals, though delightful, are meant to appeal to a wide cross section of passengers and may at times feel more conventional for some and less reflective of the region than on Backroads hotel trips.

Our daily itinerary is based on scheduled sailing and port arrival times, and as a result, some days have more opportunities for exploring on land while other days have more sailing time. Every river has its own unique temperament, and for centuries water levels have shifted due to rain, temperature and agriculture. High water levels may mean the ship cannot pass under a bridge, low water levels result in slower sailing, and a disabled lock can also result in extra cruising time. Should any unforeseen change happen during your river cruise, we will work closely with AmaWaterways' captain and staff, who are very experienced in going with the flow.

In contrast to our usual land-based trips, which have similar room categories, AmaWaterways ships offer a wide range of stateroom categories. Top-tier staterooms often fill fast, so book as early as possible if this is important to you.

Most port conditions require that ships tie up alongside each other, in which case you may need to walk through another ship to access our ship. This is a part of river cruising, due to its popularity. You may experience obstructed views from your stateroom when the ship is double-docked, but as soon as we set sail again your beautiful views will be restored.