Pinhão Railway Station & Douro River Cruise

Pinhão is a well-known and popular town in the Douro valley, surrounded by vineyards and wineries, and where you can get cruise of the Douro River or take a train ride along the Douro. We stopped here for a brief visit to the train station, and then for a river cruise. 

The famous Pinhão Railway Station was built in the 19th century, but it's most well known for its azulejos, glazed ceramic tiles. There are 24 different mosaics with these azulejos, depicting the region as well as the production of wine, from harvest to transportation down the Douro. The azulejos were added to the building in 1937, created by J. Oliveira, a Portuguese artist, and built in the Aleluia Cerâmicas in Aveiro. There are a total of about 3047 tiles in these 24 mosaics. 

So, here are most of the azulejos pictures at that station.

 

Beautiful and informative, a look into the history of the Douro region and wine production. Definitely worth a visit if you stop in Pinhão. 

We also took a two-hour Rabelo boat tour of the Douro River with Magnífico Douro. You download an app so you can hear an audio guide during the course of the tour, which points out the various sights as you slowly journey down the river. 

It was raining a bit during our tour, but there's an interior area on the boat so you can remain dry. There's also a small canopy outside that interior area, which provides some protection from the rain. It was more of a drizzle so it didn't present a serious issue during our cruise.

As I've mentioned before, the beauty and allure of the the Douro River region is astounding, and photos don't fully do it justice. The steep vineyards, the majestic mountains, the fine architecture, the myriad colors and shapes. And seeing the valley from a boat on the Douro is a wonderful way to experience the region. 

If you love wine, if you love beauty, and if you want to visit a wine region, then I strongly recommend you visit the Douro Valley.