The Douro Valley is one of Portugal’s most extraordinary landscapes, where terraced vineyards, enduring traditions, and the winding River Douro come together to create one of Europe’s great wine regions.
On the surface, the city of Porto is an engaging, bustling 21st century metropolis – a mélange of medieval, Manueline, and modern-day architecture. It shouldn’t work but somehow it does; UNESCO agree, and the buildings in its historic quarter are now protected. Its impressive bridges are a visible record of the evolution of innovative engineering; they’re iconic landmarks marking the point at which the majestic Douro River meets the Atlantic Ocean. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find that Porto doesn’t sit in isolation – it’s part of a co-dependent triangle: a triumvirate whose lifeblood is port wine. Porto sits on the north bank of the river, whilst its sister-city, Vila Nova da Gaia, occupies the south. Porto needs Gaia and Gaia needs Porto – and thanks to port wine, they both need the Douro Valley.
Most obviously, Porto gives port wine its name – more importantly, the city’s Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (or IVDP) oversees all wine production, guaranteeing vinification methods and maintaining the highest quality; the paper label which tops every bottle of port is theirs. Most wines are aged in the port houses of Gaia, all are bottled there: young rubies, aged tawnies, chip dry whites, pinks and rosés, late bottled and single quinta vintages, true vintages and colheitos, and premium reserves. Every drop of wine passes through Gaia, every litre is logged and tracked in triplicate by the IVDP, and every pipe of port is born in the vineyards of the Douro Valley.
The Douro is one of the oldest demarcated wine region in the world. It’s divided into three remote sub-regions: Baixa Corgo in the west sees the highest rainfall, and its fertile terraces tend to produce the greatest quantity of wine, central Cima Corgo is where higher-end port wines are often produced, whilst many of the oldest grape varieties survive the summer heat on the arid terraces of Douro Superior in the east. Winters are cold, but the region is protected from the harshest weather by the hills of the Serra do Marao. Summers can be intensely dry, but the valleys are well-irrigated by the Douro and its many tributaries. The terroir of the distinctive, ordered terraces which traverse the steep sided valleys is primarily schist stone, and life is made deliberately tough for the vines: their roots are forced to search for water and nutrients through this loose shale. The search is worthwhile, as the ground stores the heat of the day and radiates it homogenously through the roots during the night.
The Romans were undoubtedly aware of this when they planted their first vines here around 150 BC – the Swabians, the Visigoths and the Moors followed suit. Henry of Burgundy, the father of Dom Afonso I, Portugal’s first king, is said to have introduced the Pinot Noir grape to the Douro in the 11th century. Confirming the influence of port wine on the national character is centuries old, the region’s farmers rechristened the grape Tinta Francisca, claiming it as their own, and Portuguese obstinacy was born. The country’s Denominacao de Origem Controlada which protects a range of regional produce, from fruits and olives to cheeses and wines, permits 82 different grape varieties to be used in the production of port – the IVDP recommends only 20: Tinta Francisca, Touriga Franca, and Touriga Nacional are arguably the most treasured.
The Douro Valley survived Spanish rule in the 16th & 17th centuries, invasion from France and Portugal’s own civil war in the early 1800s, followed quickly by the dark days of phylloxera and the insect plague which decimated vineyards right across Europe. Industrialisation was then slow to arrive – harvested grapes were traditionally crushed manually underfoot in large granite tanks, known as Lagars: a time-honoured technique which is still in use today. Most producers introduced mechanical de-stemmers, automated pressies and stainless-steel fermentation tanks generations ago, and yet the narrow terraces and steep topography of the land still dictates that grapes are harvested by hand. Manual labour preserves the heritage of the wine, modern technology and the IVDP ensures its consistent quality.
Prior to 1887, the river was the superhighway connecting Porto, Gaia and the Douro Valley. Wooden Rabelo boats ran the gauntlet from Pinhao and Peso da Regua, their precious cargoes of new wine in danger of being lost to the turbulent, fast-flowing waters of the old Douro. The new Douro is a much calmer beast, thanks to the five impressive dams which were constructed in the 20th century. All too late for the captains of the rabelos: their way of life ended with the arrival of the railway at the end of the 19th century. The railway was quickly superseded by the road, and both the train journey and the drive are now considered two of the most beautiful routes in Europe. The Linha do Douro is a heritage railway line in all but name: its vintage diesel locomotives and antiquated rolling stock are a result of under-investment and are all the more charming for it, whilst the meandering highways and byways which criss-cross the region are coveted by cyclists and drivers alike for their striking scenery.
To this end, we offer you four different ways to explore the celebrated Douro Valley: by train, by car, by bike and on foot.
Departing from Porto’s impressive Sao Bento train station, this magnificent railway snakes its way up the Douro River, via rugged river gorges and remote port wine vineyards. You could view the Linha do Douro as neglected, yet the lack of modernisation is one of its main attractions. The décor of the old coaches is an endearing mix of Art Deco meets 70’s brown, the air con is courtesy of a window which opens uncomfortably wide, but is perfect for taking snaps of the stunning scenery, and there’s no buffet car or trolley service: passengers with a good reach can pluck oranges from the overhanging branches at each station. Most of Portugal’s old Class 1400 diesel locomotives have been retired due to their environmental unfriendliness – it’s only really here on the Douro line where they’re still used for passenger services, and their incredible engine sound reveals their BR Class 20 ‘chopper’ roots.
Pinhao is the most popular destination on the line: arguably the true centre of the port industry, barrels of new wine were once transported from Pinhao’s vineyards by train, heading west to be aged or bottled in the port houses of Vila Nova da Gaia. The latter section of the line is certainly the most rugged and remote, driving its way through the Cachao da Valeira river gorge to its current end at Pocinho. There’s talk of the reinstating the line from here to the Spanish border, and perhaps one day a high-speed link between Lisbon and Madrid.
Day trips on the Linho do Douro are possible from Porto. To enjoy the whole line at a more leisurely pace, we recommend combining Porto and Gaia with a few days relaxing amongst Pinhao’s celebrated vineyards.
Learn more about visiting the Douro Valley by Train.
Douro Valley by Car – Explore further afield and at your own pace by car.
Both Porto and Gaia are fairly compact cities which are best explored on foot; we’ll often include a half-day walking tour at the beginning of your stay to help you to get orientated, with visits to the stately Se do Porto cathedral, the recently refurbished Mercado do Bolhao, and the iconic Ponte de Dom Luis I Bridge. The latter brings you to Gaia’s port house district where you can sample the wine in its many forms. Hitting the open road, you’ll visit the historic medieval city of Guimaraes, the birthplace of Portugal, before overnighting in the old spa town of Vidago: the former playground of the Braganza royal dynasty. Urban Portugal fades and your route becomes increasingly rural as you drop down into the Baixa Corgo. Your riverfront hotel in Pinhao overlooks Gustave Eiffel’s Ponte do Pinhao bridge – the start point for the N222: one of the country’s prettiest drives, the road shadows the river on its sinuous flow through the vineyards and valleys to Peso da Regua.
Turning north, a high pass brings you over the Serra do Marao hills and into Amarante on the banks of the Tamega River. Geographically, you’re not far from the Douro Valley, but it’s important to note that you’ve moved from port wine country to vinho verde country. This Entre-Douro-e-Minho region of Portugal (between the Douro and Minho rivers) is the home of vinho verde: a young wine made from the Alvarinho and Loureiro grape varieties. It’s hardly aged at all, creating a fresh, citrus effervescence – the perfect accompaniment to pasteis de bacalhau, sardinhas grelhadas, or the sweet conventual pastries which Amarante is famous for.
Explore the Douro Valley by car.
Year around, the weather of the Douro suits cyclists almost as appropriately as it suits the region’s vines: the peak heat of summer is tough and best avoided; winters can be wet and an exercise in endurance. Spring and autumn are ideal: there’s an almost co-ordinated explosion of life in April, as the vineyards, olive groves and orange orchards all awaken on cue. The demanding climbs are rewarded by striking view after striking view: from the ripe greens and shimmering whites of spring, to the mellow, rusting shades of autumn, whose imperceptible hues are a perfect match for the tawnies and ambers of the region’s coveted port wine.
Vidago’s your start point by bike, following the now defunct Corgo railway to Vila Real – named after the Corgo River, the railway and the river are the dividing line between the Baixa Corgo to the west and Cima Corgo to the east. The gradients ramp up as your route takes you deeper into wine country, peaking somewhere around Abrecovo as the grand Douro River reveals itself. A sweeping 15km descent brings you down into Pinhao, where your luggage and a glass of chilled porto branco are waiting.
Your time in the valley is flexible: take on a series of challenging local loops, sample a selection of regional wines and ports at their source, or relax on a gentle rabelo boat cruise. Most cyclists combine all three.
Tour the Douro Valley on two wheels.
There’s an old saying amongst the farmers of the Douro: ‘the finest port vintages are made where the vines can hear the river’. The great Joseph James Forrester might have something to say about that: his celebrated map of 1848 was the first truly accurate survey of the area. Join his dots for the towns of Pinhao, Alijo and Sabrosa, and you’ll have encircled many of the region’s most illustrious quintas – as true today as it was in Forrester’s time, and these grapes are definitely out of earshot of the Douro River. 
The vineyards of Casa Casal de Loivos are one such example. The Pereira de Sampaio family have been tending these vines since 1733 – Manuel de Sampaio is the current custodian, and his wine making collaborations with Cristiano Van Zeller are award winning. The casa is your start point for our walking holiday – taking you across the high country, through the olive groves and vineyards which the first Roman settlers helped to create, and quintas which wouldn’t look unfamiliar to Forrester even today.
The modern-day inhabitants take pride in this long history – a more-traditional lifestyle is embraced, and local communities nurture and protect their cultural heritage. Exploring on foot connects you to this landscape and its people, as cobbled lanes and dusty trails lead you from one rural idyll to the next. Hearty, homemade cuisine is still front-and-centre on most menus, and both the food and the wine are truly field to table.
Discover the Douro’s quieter paths on foot.
