Douro Valley in Portugal

The Douro Valley in Portugal is about a thousand kilometers long. The Douro River is 800 kilometers long, of which around 600 belong to Portugal and around 200 to Spain, and the Portuguese part is practically all navigable. The Douro Valley can be considered the jewel in Portugal’s crown. The Douro begins in Spain, at an altitude of around 2000 meters, and ends and flows into Porto, in the Foz area, which means the mouth.

Today, the Douro River is a navigable river and much of the navigation is for tourism, with thousands of tourists visiting the Douro River from the city of Porto every year.

Tours of the Douro Valley are varied. The best way is, of course, to take a driver-guide from Porto who will accompany you and follow you for the day. From Porto you can reach Pinhão, from where you can take a boat trip of about an hour, and then continue for lunch with a stop at one of the well-known ‘Quintas’ (wineries).

There you can taste the typical Port wine that is produced in the area, although we should remember that the Douro Valley is known for both Port and Vinho Verde. This is another typical wine from the Porto area and is widely consumed in Portugal. It’s a little rarer, as there’s a wide range of Port wine abroad and very little Vinho Verde, as it’s a simple wine that’s rarely imported into the world. But it’s very interesting for its dry, slightly citrus flavor.

If you want to take a day trip to the Douro, as described above, after leaving Porto go to Pinhão, which is a small town with a small boat dock. From there, boats leave every hour for a boat trip of about an hour, which is well worth it, as the boat trip in the Douro allows you to see all the vineyards where the famous Port wine is produced.

After the boat trip, a short stroll through the small town of Pinhão is recommended; bear in mind that there isn’t much to see because it’s so small. However, the most characteristic feature is the railway station, where you can take beautiful photographs, as it is a small station richly decorated with majolica and typical tiles, with typical scenes of the grape harvest.

Once you’ve toured Pinhão, I recommend a visit to one of the many quintas that exist and that correspond to our wineries. Some of them are modern and others ancient, a bit like the Chianti area in Italy and the Priorato area in Spain.

If you wish, you can also dine in the typical cellars, as many have beautiful restaurants, some of which overlook the Douro river. Leaving the inland area of Pinhão, we pass the Douro dam and return to the Régua area. This small town is much livelier than Pinhao and has more tourists, where you can visit the Douro Museum.

This museum tells the story of life on the Douro river and is well worth a stop. On sunny days, you can sit on the small patio and enjoy Port wine while admiring the view of the river. The museum is modern and also interesting in its exhibition, as you can even smell the various types of Port wine to better understand them.

Remember that Port wine is a sweet wine enriched with sugar and eau-de-vie, which is somewhat like our grappa. This was due to the fact that, in ancient times, the wine often arrived to be transported by sea when it had already been drunk and was no longer drinkable. So the story goes that thanks to a Benedictine monk who had a genius intuition, Port wine was created. Leaving the town of Régua, we return to Porto along the river and through the vineyards, so by 5pm you’ll be back at the hotel.

Naturally, using a tour guide with a car will allow you to take a guided tour of the Douro River in Italian, which makes the visit personalized. You can also take the train from São Bento station in the direction of Pochinho and get off at Pinhao.

There you can comfortably take the boat trip and then take the train back to Régua, visit the city with the Porto Museum and then take the train back to Porto. This is also feasible and cheaper, but of course you can’t visit the wineries in the hills with the ‘…