A cruise in Portugal can mean a slow river or the open Atlantic. The country pairs one of Europe's most beautiful river journeys, the terraced Douro, with deep ocean ports and island harbors scattered across the sea. To take a cruise in Portugal is to choose between drifting past vineyard-striped hillsides on a calm river and sailing the Atlantic to volcanic islands and historic ports. The same country that once launched ocean voyages now offers some of the continent's most scenic cruising, on water both gentle and grand.

Geography drew the routes. The Douro River winds from Porto deep into the world's oldest demarcated wine region, its banks terraced with vines, now plied by river cruises that glide between the quintas. On the coast, Lisbon and the island ports of Madeira and the Azores welcome ocean liners, while Madeira's harbor at Funchal is a favorite Atlantic call. This combination of a celebrated wine river and a string of ocean ports gave Portugal a cruising tradition that spans the inland and the oceanic.

Today the choices range from calm to grand. The best cruises in Portugal run from Douro river journeys through the vineyards to Atlantic voyages calling at Lisbon, Madeira, and the Azores. Travelers searching Portugal cruise tours or top cruise experiences will find river wine cruises, sunset sailings, and ocean itineraries. Among the most scenic things to do in Portugal, a Douro cruise past the terraced slopes ranks among Europe's loveliest. The country was built by ocean voyages. Its rivers, it turns out, sail just as beautifully.