Lisbon sunset and wine sailing tours put you on a small sailboat for two hours with the wine in the fare, not one welcome glass. You leave from the docks under the bridge, and a captain or guide tells you what you pass as the light goes.
Two hours on a sailboat for up to ten from Santo Amaro, Gate 1, with white wine, port or soft drinks and a captain who tells the city's story. Blankets and a toilet on board. Only the last departure of the day meets the sunset.
From $34 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Two hours on a sailboat for up to ten from Alcântara, Gate 1, with white wine, beer, water and snacks. You may take the helm and help with the sails when the wind allows. Red wine stays ashore; arrive 30 minutes early.
From $38 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Two hours on a classic sailboat from Alcântara, Gate 1, with Portuguese wine and a board of local cheeses. The last 45 minutes are given to the sunset, and a live guide points out what you pass in four languages.
From $34 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Two hours on a sailboat for up to ten, with white wine, port or soft drinks and a captain who tells the city's story. Pick the last sail of the day for the sunset.
See this tripIt is a two-hour trip on a small sailboat where the wine is part of the fare, not a single welcome glass. You board at one of the docks close to the bridge, the crew take you out and use the sails when the wind allows, and you drink Portuguese wine as the city goes past.
The wine-and-history sail leaves from Doca de Santo Amaro, Gate 1, in front of the tennis courts under the 25 de Abril Bridge. The helm wine sail and the tapas sail leave from Gate 1 at Doca de Alcântara, a short way east. From either dock you head out to Belém Tower and the waterfront, then back towards the old town.
What each boat pours differs. The wine-and-history sail offers white wine, port or soft drinks. The helm sail pours white wine and beer with water and snacks. The tapas sail serves Portuguese wine with a board of local cheeses.
Because you want a small boat, a real sailboat and a drink that lasts the evening. Four things set a wine sail apart.
On most sailboats your fare buys one welcome drink or two, and anything more is extra or not sold at all. On a wine sail the wine comes with the fare, so you can settle in without counting glasses or reaching for your wallet.
The wine-and-history and helm sails take ten guests at most, and the tapas sail sells a classic sailboat of the same kind. You talk to the crew, you get a seat by the rail, and nobody has to shout over music.
The wine-and-history sail is sold on its captains' history of the city. The helm and tapas sails each list a live guide, in English, Spanish and Portuguese, with French on the tapas sail as well.
On the helm wine sail you may steer and help with the sails when the wind allows, with no experience needed. If you would rather sit with your glass, nobody minds that either.
Bigger boats pour wine through the evening too: the traditional boat from downtown and the open-bar yacht from Santo Amaro. Here is how they compare with a wine sail.
| Wine sail | Wine cruise | |
|---|---|---|
| Boat | Sailboat, up to ten guests | Traditional boat or spacious yacht |
| People aboard | Ten on most | Up to 47 on the traditional boat |
| What is poured | White wine, port or beer; cheese on one | White wine freely, or an open bar |
| Commentary | A captain or live guide | A crew on the yacht; none listed on the traditional boat |
| Sails | Used when the wind allows | Not promised |
| Docks | Santo Amaro and Alcântara | Santo Amaro and downtown |
| Fare | $34 to $38 | $40 to $56 |
See the wine-and-history sail from $34
A wine sail costs less and carries fewer people, with a crew who talk to you. A wine cruise has more room, more company and a bar that never pauses, but you give up the sails and the small group. If the boat matters more than the pour, sail.
You get two hours on the river, a skipper and crew, the wine your fare lists, and blankets on the wine-and-history sail when it turns cold. The helm sail adds beer, water and snacks; the tapas sail adds its cheese board.
Two hours on a ten-guest sailboat from Alcântara with white wine, beer and snacks. Take the helm when the wind allows, and arrive 30 minutes early.
Check availabilityFares run from $34 to $38 a person for two hours, and each covers the boat, the crew and what the fare pours. Every wine sail cancels free up to 24 hours before the start.
Pick the right slot. The wine-and-history sail runs several departures and only the last is timed for the sunset, so check the start time before you pay. Sunset falls about 17:15 in early December and about 21:05 in early July, and the clocks change on the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October.
Arrive 15 minutes early at Santo Amaro, and 30 minutes early for the helm sail at Alcântara, which says the time is mandatory. Wear flat shoes with soft soles, and bring a warm layer for the way back. Our weather by month explains the summer nortada, and the map of the four docks shows both gates.
Drinking is for adults. Alcohol on board is for over-18s, so a wine sail suits a couple or a group of friends better than a family.
A wine sail is a small, adult evening on a sailboat. It is the wrong booking if any of these is you.
Not sure which boat suits you? The guide to choosing a sail weighs every kind of sail, and the first-timer's guide to a sailboat explains what a first evening on a sailboat feels like.
Set the wine sails beside the cruises and the other sailboats on Lisbon Sailing Tours.