Experience Spain’s Historic Andalulcia Region on a Guadalquivir River Cruise:
Cordoba's Mezquita
River cruising in Spain in the past has mainly been limited to the Douro River cruise – a cruise which starts in Porto in Portugal and which strays into Spain for a couple of days. However, now there is an exciting river cruise on two of Spain’s major rivers – the Guadalquivir (the Great River) and the Guadiana rivers covering the historic Andalucia region.
This interesting cruise on the Guadalquivir and the Guadiana rivers includes a section of coastal cruising along the Andalucian coast joining the two rivers.
A Sample Itinerary
The following itinerary for a river cruise on the Guadalquivir and the Guadiana rivers in Spain is from CroisiEurope’s “Charms of Andalucia Cruise” on the MS Belle de Cadiz.
This is a 7-night cruise which starts and ends in Seville. Passengers board the river boat from Seville and cruise downstream on the River Guadalquivir to the Atlantic. From here the boat cruises along the coast of Cadiz Bay up to the Guadiana River on the Spanish-Portuguese border and then returning to the Guadalquivir River to cruise back to Seville.
On this cruise, you’ll get to explore Seville and Cordoba, cruise alongside the Donana National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage site, tour Cadiz and the Rock of Gibraltar or go on an excursion to Tangiers. At Alcoutim, Vila Real and Faro there’s the opportunity to experience a part of Portugal’s famous Algarve region.
| DAY AND DESTINATION |
ACTIVITIES |
| 1 Seville |
Travel to Seville. Embark river boat from 17:00. Evening free or go into the historic city centre for a walking tour. |
| 2 Seville – Cadiz |
Morning – guided tour of Seville. 13:00 – Ship sails along Guadalquivir River through pristine countryside and the Donana National Park. Evening arrival in Cadiz. |
| 3 Cadiz and the Rock of Gibraltar or Tangiers
|
Day allocated for optional touring of Rock of Gibraltar and Cadiz or Tangiers. Cruise sails for Alcoutim at night. |
| 4 Alcoutim, Vila Real, Faro |
This morning sail up river on the Guadiana to Alcoutim. Free time in this Algarve village till lunch time when the boat leaves for Vila Réal. Free time in Vila Réal or optional tour to Faro. Boat overnights in Vila Réal. |
| 5 Vila Real, Sanlucar de Barrameda |
Morning departure – boat sails for the Gulf of Cadiz and on to Sanlucar de Barrameda. Overnight here. |
| 6 El Puerto de Santa Maria – Jerez – Seville |
Depart for El Puerto de Santa Maria. Free time in this 2,800 year old town. Afternoon optional excursion to Jerez. Boat sets sail in evening towards Seville. |
| 7 Seville – Cordoba |
Day allocated for optional visit of Cordoba. Dinner on board and free evening. |
| 8 Seville |
Disembark after breakfast. |
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Has anyone been on this cruise, I would love to see a review!
It looks great.
Gloria or anybody else….
We are very interested in this cruise. So far I’ve not found any reviews specifically related to Spain. Most are of the Douro River. I’ve toured Portugal. Now time to tour Spain. Anybody have comments or reviews? I’m interested.
Thanks