North Portugal Tourism Guide - Douro Narrow Gauge Railways

Railways and Narrow Gauge Railways of the Douro

One of the more sedate ways of taking in the Douro countryside is on one of the train journeys throughout the region. There are historic railway routes along the Douro, Corgo and Tua Railways. The Douro railway line is also the route for the mainline today.

The Douro Railway

The Douro railway, Linha do Douro, runs for 203 kilometres from the beautiful tiled Sao Bento station in Porto all the way along the Douro Valley to Pocinho.

For the majority of its journey it runs alongside the Rio Douro giving you spectacular views of this most famous wine region. In order to cut through countryside engineers had to build 26 tunnels and 30 bridges. It was completed in 1887 having taken 12 years to build. Some of the older stations are of interest, particularly Regua, which was the most important in the region when Regua was the capital of the port wine trade, and the station at Pinhao, which is one of the more elaborate with facades of decorative tiles depicting scenes of vineyard workers and views of the local countryside.

Steam trains sometimes run this journey for a true historic experience or more regularly modern trains run from Porto.

Many of the boat trips on the River Douro link their itineraries with the train journeys to give you the opportunity to see the Douro region from land and water.

The Tua Railway

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.

Corgo Railway Line

The Corgo Railway Line, completed in 1906, is 96 kilometres long and connects Regua to Vila Real.

This is another mountainous route with winding curves reaching an altitude of 360 metres over a 26 kilometre distance, following the left bank of the river Corgo. The line used to carry on through to Chaves in the north of the country, but this was closed in 1990. The line used to be a popular route for the wealthier classes to journey to the thermal spas at Pedras Salgadas and Vidago.

There is a railway museum in Chaves with examples of some of the old steam trains.