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Portugal

Porto

An old river port stacked on the slopes of the Douro. A modern metro and heritage trams share the hills.

Douro river crossings (Travessias Fluviais do Douro)

Two river crossings to Gaia joined Andante in July 2026 - the ticket you already hold works, and buying on board costs more. Seven minutes across, every 30 minutes; not the sightseeing cruises moored on the same quays.

Updated on August 19, 2026

How to ride

  1. 1
    Pick which crossing
    Ribeira to Cais de Gaia links the historic centre with the wine lodges; Cais do Ouro to Afurada is the upstream pair.
  2. 2
    Check the departure time
    One boat every 30 minutes; the last departure varies by day, and the two ends of each route are 15 minutes apart.
  3. 3
    Get your Andante beforehand
    No official page describes a ticket point at the piers, so buy at a metro station or an Andante sales point first.
  4. 4
    Validate as you board
    An Andante ticket must be validated every time you board; no official page says where the validator sits on the boat.
  5. 5
    Or buy on board
    If you board without an Andante, tell the crew whether you want a single or a return and buy there.
  6. 6
    Keep the ticket until you land
    You must show it to inspectors out of your wallet, in a form they can take and check.

Fares

Single fares3

Andante single ticket, zone Z2
What you pay on an Andante you already hold; this is the rate in force since 1 January 2026
1.4 EUR ≈ $2
Single ticket bought on board
For passengers without an Andante; nothing official says whether it is good on the rest of the network
3 EUR ≈ $3
Return ticket bought on board
Same day only, so if you plan to come back another day buy two singles or use an Andante instead
5 EUR ≈ $6

Passes & multi-ride1

Andante 24, zone Z2
Valid for 24 hours from the first validation, and it also covers the metro, the buses and the urban trains
5.35 EUR ≈ $6

Card itself1

Andante Azul card
The paper card the tickets load onto, charged once per card on top of the fares
0.6 EUR ≈ $0.7

Estimates use exchange rates as of November 4, 2026

Payment

Card payment on board Unverified
No official page says whether cards are taken for the on-board ticket
IC card
Andante occasional tickets and passes work as they are; validate every boarding
App tickets Unverified
Anda issues Andante titles, but nothing official covers the boats
Paper tickets
On board: Without an Andante you buy on board: a single, or a same-day return
Cash Unverified
On board: Tickets are sold on board, but no official page lists the means of payment

Quick facts

Hours
07:30-20:00; from 09:30 at weekends, to 22:00 Fri and Sat
Frequency
Every 30 minutes in both directions
Fares from
1.4 EUR+

Heads-up

  • Bad weather can stop the boat - don't rely on the return

    The service only started on 22 July 2026, and the boat is due to be modified in September to cope with bad weather, so rain or rough water can stop it until then. TMP says the service will continue after the six-month contract, but beyond that it plans an international tender for a different vessel, and the predecessor route ran four months as a pilot and then stopped. Do not build a plan whose return leg depends on the boat.

  • The boats look like cruise craft but just cross the river

    The two boats are rabelos operated by Douro Azul and look exactly like the sightseeing craft moored along the quays. What you are boarding is a seven-minute crossing to the other bank, not a river cruise. One landing stage was built on each bank for the service: on the Porto side it is opposite Praça da Ribeira at the upstream end of Cais da Estiva, on the same quay the cruise boats use, and on the Gaia side it is opposite the Clube Fluvial Portuense.

Timetable

Operating hours 07:30-20:00; from 09:30 at weekends, to 22:00 Fri and Sat
Typical duration About seven minutes to cross
Check the official site for the latest times and service status
Editor Naotaka