Pinhão Train Station

Pinhão is the small town at the centre of the Douro wine country, and its railway station is one of the best-loved little buildings in the valley. The station opened in 1880, when the Douro railway line was extended upriver from Régua, and for many decades it was the point where barrels of Port and bottles of wine were loaded for the journey downriver to Porto. The line follows the bank of the Douro for much of its length, and the journey to Pinhão, with the river and the terraced vineyards sliding past the window, is considered one of the most beautiful train rides in Portugal.

The station building is small and plain from the outside, a typical country station with a low façade and a platform canopy, and the surprise is on the walls. Along the front of the building and the waiting room, panels of blue and white azulejos tell the story of the valley. They were painted by Jorge Colaço, the leading tile painter of his day, and installed in 1937. Around two dozen panels show scenes of the wine harvest, with workers carrying baskets of grapes, treading them in tanks, and loading barrels onto the flat-bottomed rabelo boats that once carried wine down the river. Other panels show views of the Douro landscape and local places, and a few show the daily rhythms of the region, with labourers, carts, and festivals. The tiles give a simple, direct picture of the working life of the valley.

The station is open all day and free to look at, and many visitors stop here while they explore Pinhão. A walk of a few minutes leads down to the riverfront, where cruise boats and rabelos are moored, and the wine estates around the town include Quinta de la Rosa on the riverside. The town itself is small, with a few cafés, shops, and hotels, and it makes a good base for the valley.

Trains on the line run from Porto São Bento and the journey takes a few hours, with services varying by season, so check timetables before travelling. The ride is a good way to see the landscape without driving. The best light for photographing the tiles is in the morning or late afternoon.

The station suits railway enthusiasts, photographers, and wine travellers, and a visit takes only a few minutes.