Exploring Portugal by train

The Alfa Pendula train is one of the major lines in Portugal and connects the northern city of Braga, famous for its dramatic Bom Jesus do Monte church, with Faro in the Algarve in the south. This high speed route stops at several of Portugal’s most important destinations including Porto with its picturesque skyline and Port wine cellars, the historic university city of Coimbra and the country’s bustling capital, Lisbon. We work with a number of hotels in these areas such as the wonderful 18th century Palacio do Freixo in Porto, the Pousada de Condeixa-a-Nova near Coimbra, the Pousada de Lisboa, Pestana Palace Lisbon and a large selection of hotels in Lisbon, and the Pousada de Estoi near Faro.

One of Portugal’s most picturesque train lines runs alongside the Douro River, the Linha do Douro, and dates back to 1887. This line runs through wine country, snaking through the Port vineyards, ‘quintas’ and stepped valleys. The train departs from Porto from the São Bento station – a marvel in its own right with its intricate, blue-tiled entrance hall – and includes stops at Peso da Régua, Pinhão and Tua before terminating in the small village of Pocinho. The journey takes around 3.5 hours from beginning to end, although please note that the services are not as frequent compared with the inter-city lines, so we would advise that you pre-plan your day. You could always take a river cruise from Porto to Pinhão – perhaps spending a night at the lovely Vintage House Hotel – before catching the train back to Porto.