Douro Valley Wine Tour by Train from Porto?

Tom, Do you have the Rick Steves guide? I think it would help you. Just be aware, its not terribly current in terms of the quintas. I'm currently working on an itinerary for Portugal and we'll stay a couple days in the Duoro valley. Quinta Rosa is walkable from the Pinhao train station. In my opinion, you don't need to do a bus/van tour. What you do need to do is make a reservation for the winery tours/tastings with the specific quinta. I would also look at google maps and see which wineries are within walking distance or a short taxi ride from the train station.

You may only want to book one winery tour/tasting. Then scope out some others to stop buy and just purchase a glass of port/wine and/or lunch and enjoy the view. I've found the logistics of multiple appointments for tours to be complicated and makes for a less relaxed day. I think given you will spend, I think, 4 hours on a train, you want to be careful about how much you can do.

P.S. I looked at the option of taking a train from Porto. It does look very appealing. Also, the train station in Pinhao is supposed to be lovely. You can also take a boat ride from Pinhao

Now if you were going in June, this looks fun. I love old steam engines.

https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/how-to-travel/For-leisure/Nature-and-Culture/douro-historical-train

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p5mxLJtN2s&list=PLTUNbBBj-zChOcYwIMWTDbd5aZqA5FDfT&index=6

Jules & Gail- Thanks for your insights regarding our interest in using the train to our Douro Wineries. The allure of the train is tempting but after researching the logistics of getting to and from Porto, to and from Regua & Pinhao, to and from a couple of wineries at each destination, I think I am going to go the easy way and book a tour. I want to insure I too enjoy the excursion and don't become bogged down as the tour guide. Many thanks for your thoughts and ideas. Sincere regards, Tom

I took the train from Porto to Pinhao in October, 2022, so I'll offer insights that you can share with your travel companions as an alternative to the tour(s) you find.

The train was easy:
I bought my outbound ticket online (cp.pt) the morning that I went.
I researched return train times, but didn't know when I wanted to come back, so I waited until that afternoon to buy my ticket.
Tickets were €11.2 each way.

After admiring the tiles around the Pinhao train station (allow 15 minutes, they surround the building and are beautiful!) I walked about 5 minutes to Quinta do Bomfim, which has a lovely terrace with picnic tables that look out on the river. They have guided tours and wine tastings, and we bought glasses of port and a small cheese plate to enjoy with the views.

The scenery along the river, beginning about halfway into the journey, is stunning! For the best river views, you'll want to sit on the right side of the train on the way to Pinhao and on the left side of the train to return to Porto.

We are planning to go in June. I found these recommendations on another travel site:

In Pinhao you can walk from the train station to Quinta do Bomfim and Quinta das Carvalhas and you can take a taxi to Quinta do Seixo (Best views in Douro from a winery). About a mile walk from Pinhao is a beautiful winery. Quinta de la Rosa, with a great restaurant and they have walking tours inside and allow you to walk through the fields themselves to some very old buildings, etc.

CWsocial & y aalehuretiree - Thanks for your experiences and thoughts around my question. After your comments and further research, I have decided to take the train from Porto to Pinhao with a visit to 2 quintas followed by a stop in Regua for a visit to 1 quinta on our way home. Thanks again for sharing your insights. Best regards, Tom

It sounds like a lovely plan! On a weekday in late October, I didn't make any reservations; in May and for 6 people, you may be wise to do so. You'll probably also find more restaurant options in May (if you don't get enough to eat at the quintas) than I did in October.

I hope you'll enjoy the views from the train and from the quintas as much as I did!

CWSocial, did you happen to post a trip report of your time in Portugal in October? My trip is this October and I was intrigued by your comment about the possibility of unavailability of restaurants in October.

Linda, I did post a trip report:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/3-weeks-3-cities-solo-in-portugal

To clarify, the lack of restaurants in October was on a weekday in Pinhao only, not in Lisbon, Coimbra or Porto where there were plenty!

In Pinhao, I stayed within walking distance of the train station. There was a small restaurant at one end of town, but it must have been closing by the time I got there mid-afternoon. I didn't find any other restaurants open. I found a tiny cafe and felt fortunate because they had wonderful little ham and cheese pastries that, together with a coke, cost me €3.00.

Thanks CWSocial. I will look at your trip report. My Quinta stay is just East of Folgosa at Quinta do Tedo, so I may have the same issue you had in Pinhao with finding restaurants. However, since I am actually staying for two days at Quinta do Tedo, I’m sure they will be serving at least breakfast and dinner.

EDIT: Ha, I knew in the back of my mind that I had read your fantastic trip report before. I even bookmarked it previously. Thanks again

Glad you found it again! 😁😁