By rail
Pinhão station, ~2.5 h from Porto
Europe · Portugal
Douro Valley, Portugal
Terraced vineyards along a winding river
Getting there
By air
Porto (OPO), ~2 h by road
Best time to visit
September to October — the harvest
Don't miss
Pinhão
Peso da Régua
The São Leonardo de Galafura viewpoint
Things to do
Wine-estate visits
River cruises
The Douro railway line
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL · CC BY-SA 2.0
What to pack
Layers
A quieter corner
The Casal de Loivos viewpoint
Questions travellers ask
When should I go to the Douro Valley?
September to October, for the harvest. Bring layers.
Can I reach the Douro Valley by train?
Yes — Pinhão station is about 2.5 h from Porto. By road, it is about 2 h from Porto's airport (OPO).
What is there to do in the Douro Valley?
Visit the wine estates, take a river cruise and ride the Douro railway line. Do not miss Pinhão, Peso da Régua and the São Leonardo de Galafura viewpoint.
What should I eat and drink in the Douro?
Port and Douro wines, with roast kid. For a quieter view, head to the Casal de Loivos viewpoint.
About Douro Valley
- Riverside
- Hills
Where it is
The Douro Valley follows the Douro river through northern Portugal, from the Spanish border west towards Porto, where steep schist slopes around Peso da Régua and Pinhão are carved into terraced vineyards.
History
Wine has been made along the Douro for centuries, and flat-bottomed rabelo boats long carried it downriver to Porto, where English merchants built up the port wine trade. The Douro railway line was completed in 1887, dams and locks later made the river navigable far upstream, and in 2001 the Alto Douro Wine Region became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
People
The people of the valley speak Portuguese and live largely from the vine, working on the wine estates (quintas) and bringing in the grape harvest each autumn, when some estates still tread grapes by foot in stone troughs called lagares. Olives and almonds also grow on the terraces.
Known for
- Port wine and Douro table wines
- Terraced vineyards on steep schist slopes
- River cruises
- The Douro railway line
- Pinhão and its tiled railway station
Did you know?
In 1756 a royal charter drew formal boundaries around the Douro's port-wine vineyards, making it one of the first wine regions in the world to be legally demarcated.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.