About this journey

The journey begins at Marco de Canaveses and follows the Linha do Douro south-westward along the Douro River valley toward Régua. The line extends 160 km from Ermesinde to Pocinho in northern Portugal, tracing the river for much of its length through a landscape shaped by centuries of wine production.

The Linha do Douro was built in stages, and Régua station opened on 15 July 1879 as a provisory station — a connection that transformed the region. Before rail reached Peso da Régua, the boat journey to Porto took between six and eight days; the railway made that link far more practical. Régua subsequently became a central point for Port wine transport, and a decree of November 1911 codified the rules governing wine carried on the Douro line. The station also served as a junction with the Corgo line, which ran north to Vila Real from 1906 until its closure in 2009; by 2016 the connecting infrastructure had been entirely dismantled. The train used on this service is a CP 592 CAMELOS, built by MACOSA, operating over one of Portugal's most historically significant rural railways.