North Portugal Tourism Guide - Pinhao

Pinhao, Douro

Twenty two kilometres upstream of Peso da Regua is Pinhao, the current port wine capital. The town lies at the base of hillsides covered in vines where the Douro and Pinhao rivers meet.

Pinhao is dominated by the various port wine lodges and once again there are a variety of quintas from which you can taste the local wines. Even the train station has an azulejos display illustrating the wine harvest.

Pinhao is a good base from which to explore the Douro wine region and the Tourist Information office in the town can provide information on trips, tours and tastings. One of Portugal's most beautiful narrow gauge railway journeys, the Linha da Tua, runs from near Pinhao at Tua. The journey travels up through the Tua Valley, ending at the pretty market town of Mirandela and takes two hours.

Cruises along the River Douro of either one or two day trips leave or stop off at both Peso da Regua and Pinhao. Trips naturally tend to focus on the wine growing and production of the area and overnight trips incorporate stays at country estates and manor houses alongside the River Douro. This is a leisurely way to visit the historic sights of the area and get a riverside view of the countryside of the region. The main routes usually end up in Porto and can be started or ended at either Peso de Regua or Pinhao. Cruises run from March through to November.

The Tua Railway, Pinhao, Douro

The Tua Railway, Linha da Tua, is an historic narrow gauge railway built in 1887 and is one of the most beautiful railway journeys in Portugal.

The 54 kilometre journey starts at Tua Station east of Pinhao beside the River Douro and then takes you up into the mountains and into the Tras-os-Montes region in the north of Portugal ending at the pretty town of Mirandela.

The journey takes about two hours and can be done as a day trip, (check the most up to date timetable to make sure).

The line was apparently cut through the countryside by blowing up the rock with dynamite. The journey now takes you through some spectacular scenery where you can see the mountains and narrow gorges where the river flows hundreds of feet below.

The Port Wine Route - Rota do Vinho do Porto

The Port Wine Route has been identified through the Douro region as a tourist trail that takes you through the Douro countryside where you can stop off points at quintas to find out about the various stages in the production of port wine. Needless to say there are many quintas offering wine tasting tours along the route

The Port Wine Route Members' Association produce a helpful website that can help you plan a journey with maps indicating where the quintas are throughout the Douro region, they can even help you organise tours.

River Douro Cruises

Cruises along the Douro are popular and a different, leisurely way to see the countryside. These are one or two day trips, often with the emphasis on the wine production of the region. The two night trip incorporates overnight stays at country estates and manor houses alongside the River Douro; both trips give you a chance to visit the historic sights of the area and include themed dinners and wine tasting. The main routes are to and from Porto and ending/starting at either Peso de Regua or Pinhao. Cruises run from March through to November.

Journey routes are commonly: Porto-Barca de Alva-Porto; Porto-Pinhao-Porto; Porto-Regua-Porto; Regua-Pinhao-Regua; Regua-Porto. River cruise operators include Barcodouro, Rota do Douro, Via D'Ouro and Endouro Turismo - more details from their websites - links to the right.