Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Douro runs for 350 miles through the northern Portuguese heartland. The most in-
teresting segment—and the heart of the port-wine-growing region—is easily the 17-mile
stretch between Peso da Régua and Pinhão.
Coming from Porto, you'll see that the first 55 miles of the Douro are pretty and lush.
When you reach the town of
MesãoFrio,
the terrain becomes far more arid and dramatic.
The prized, demarcated port-wine-growing region of the Douro technically begins here,
and stretches all the way to the Spanish border.
Peso da Régua,
about seven miles beyond Mesão Frio, is the biggest town of the re-
gion and a handy home base. Seventeen miles beyond Peso da Régua is smaller
Pinhão.
Each town has a big, fancy hotel and one or two cheap
residencial
s, with a
quinta
nearby.
Peso da Régua benefits from more striking scenery, but feels urban and functional; Pinhão
enjoys more of a small-town ambience and has better accommodations. Neither is worth
going out of your way to visit.
The Douro Azul company has something of a monopoly in the region, operating the
biggest tour boats and running several of the accommodations (including Vintage House
Hotel in Pinhão).
I've described the most enjoyable and accessible stretch of the Douro, but there's
much more—vineyards stretch all the way to Spain. The train goes as far as Pocinho. Just
south of Pocinho, Vila Nova de Foz Côa sits between the Douro and a fine “archaeologic-
al park” with cave paintings.
A big part of your Douro experience will be determined by where you choose to sleep.
The most memorable place is the classic Vintage House Hotel in Pinhão. Both the Quinta
de la Rosa and Quinta de Marrocos offer you a homey farm experience. All are described
later in this chapter.
Getting Around the Douro Valley
By Boat:
Lazy cruise boats float up and down the Douro between Porto, Peso da Régua,
and Pinhão. (The feisty Douro was tamed in the 1970s by a series of five dams with locks,
including the highest one in Europe, the Barragem do Carrapatelo—which inches boats
up and down, like a giant elevator, over 140 feet.)
The boat trip takes about seven hours from Porto to the heart of the Douro, and
it comes with lunch and passage through two locks (longer trips include a third lock
between Peso da Régua and Pinhão). If you've got the time and don't have a car, this is a
slow but scenic way to enjoy the Douro Valley.
