The MiraDouro train from São Bento to Pinhão

What it is

The Douro line leaves Porto and follows the river upstream to Pocinho, near the border. From Régua onwards the track runs hard against the water, between slopes of terraced vineyards, in the heart of the Alto Douro Vinhateiro, a World Heritage Site. CP runs the MiraDouro on this line: passenger carriages from the 1940s and 1970s, of the Schindler and Sorefame series, with windows that open, so you can see and photograph the valley without glass in between. It travels on a normal line ticket and bicycles go free.

Pinhão, halfway between Régua and Tua, is the stop to get off: a town of quintas on the riverbank, with a station decorated with tile panels about the grape harvest.

Notice: works and bus from November 2026

With the timetable in force since 3 November 2026, CP replaces the train with a bus between Marco de Canaveses and Régua. The train runs between Porto and Marco de Canaveses and between Régua and Pocinho, with a road transfer in between. On the bus, bicycles, scooters and wheelchairs are not admitted, and small pets only in a carrier. While this lasts, the open-window journey through the valley starts at Régua. Before you go, check on the CP website whether the MiraDouro is running and on which section.

Sample timetables (from 3 November 2026)

From Porto São Bento to Pinhão, for example:

• Leaves São Bento at 9:25, change at Marco de Canaveses to the bus, train from Régua at 13:00 and arrival at Pinhão at 13:27.
• Leaves São Bento at 13:25 and reaches Pinhão at 17:16, with the same transfer.

On the way back, from Pinhão trains leave for Régua at 7:09, 10:22, 13:57 and 17:15; the 17:15 connects at Régua with the bus and at Marco de Canaveses with the train that reaches São Bento at 21:10. Connections are only guaranteed if everything runs normally. Allow about four hours each way with the transfer.

Price

A single ticket from Porto São Bento costs €10.85 to Régua, €12.95 to Tua and €14.80 to Pocinho; Pinhão falls between Régua and Tua. You buy at the station, at the machines or on the CP website and app. Check with CP whether these prices still apply with the transfer.

The historic train, in summer

If you travel between June and October, CP also runs the Comboio Histórico do Douro, with five early-20th-century carriages pulled by a diesel locomotive from the 1960s. In 2026 it made about 50 trips, on Saturdays, Sundays and some Wednesdays, from 6 June to 18 October, between Régua and Tua (36 km), with traditional music, a glass of port and a stop at Pinhão to see the tiles. It is an excursion train with its own ticket and limited places: buy on the CP website as soon as the year's dates come out.

What to do in Pinhão

Stroll round the station and its tiles, walk by the river and visit a cellar: Quinta do Bomfim, home of Dow's ports, is a few minutes' walk away, with tastings and a walk through the vineyards. Book the tasting for a time that fits the train schedules.

Tips for the journey

Sit on the right on the way upriver: from Régua the Douro is on that side. Bring water and something to eat: the journey is long. In summer the valley is very hot; in autumn, during the harvest, the vineyards change colour.

With children

The train with the windows open delights them, but the day is long: about eight hours of travel there and back with the current transfer. With small children, consider sleeping a night in the valley. If they are cycling, remember that the replacement bus does not take bikes.