Following a short welcome meeting, we join our coach to head north-east to Bragança, the former terminus of the metre-gauge Tua Line. We begin by heading to the historic centre and the castle, an imposing fortified tower and home to a museum with antique weapons & Portuguese military artifacts. After time to visit and explore the historic centre, we walk to the attractive town centre for lunch in an excellent family-run restaurant. Bragança station still exists, and in 2019 the long-stored rolling stock was put on display in an excellent new museum. We will visit the museum after lunch, before returning to Régua on our coach. Evening free.

This morning our coach takes us to Vila Real and Casa de Mateus, famous as the palace that appears on the labels of Mateus Rosé wine (though Mateus Rosé is not actually made here). The visit includes a guided tour in the palace, as well as time to explore the beautiful gardens.

We return to Régua by coach with free time for lunch before the afternoon’s highlight of the tour, the Douro Historic Steam Train. We join a restored steam-hauled vintage train, formed of five wooden bodied carriages dating from the 1920s.  We travel up the river through breath-taking scenery of terrace vineyards and olive trees, to the riverside station at Tua (about a 90-minute run). En-route we stop for water at the picturesque riverside town of Pinhão. Use the time here to see the famous tiled pictures, dating from 1938, that decorate the station. Many of the most famous names in port production have quintas (port lodges) close to the railway station which is decorated with dazzling tile panels depicting scenes from bygone days of port production. On board, we are treated to traditional singing and served local delicacies and port wine. After a break, we return on the steam hauled train to Régua. We end this exciting day with a short trip across the river to Quinta da Pacheca, another local port producer, where we will have a fine dinner and more opportunity to taste their wine and port.

We have the first of our two River Douro cruises, but to begin the day we once again catch the regional train with Schindler carriages east along the river all the way to the railway’s terminus at Pocinho.

At Pocinho we join our river cruiser and sailing down the river we pass through three of the dams built in the 1970s and 1980s to tame this once wild river. One of the locks we pass through is 32 metres deep and is an unforgettable experience.  This is a stunning part of the valley with steep terraced vineyards and dramatic rock cliffs and is probably the most stunning stretch of the river. A full three course lunch with wine is served on board.

We have another chance to see the Douro from the train as we head back west to Penafiel. Our coach will be waiting to take us the short distance to the vineyards at Quinta da Aveleda, one of the region’s top Vinho Verde estates with its fine gardens. Look out for the Goat Tower and the Old Wine Lodge.

After a guided walk through their beautiful gardens, we are taken to their dining room where we will be served an excellent three-course lunch with the chance to taste some of their popular green wines. From here we transfer by road to the pretty riverside town of Amarante, one of the gems of northern Portugal. Rows of 17th-century mansions with their brightly painted balconies line the narrow streets. There will be time to visit the Monastery and other sites after our walk through the town. We return to Régua by train from Livração station, arriving early evening.

One of the highlights of the holiday, we sail down the River Douro to Porto. We pass through two dams, firstly the spectacular Carrapatelo Dam. The lock in this dam will take us down 35 metres, one of the deepest locks in Western Europe and an unforgettable experience. Later we pass through the relatively small Crestuma-Lever Dam, as we start to see more settlements and finally the city of Porto. The approach to Porto is spectacular as we pass under a series of bridges, including the iconic Maria Pia railway bridge and the Dom Luis I two-level bridge. Our coach will have collected our luggage in Régua and will be waiting to take us to our hotel.. A full three course lunch with wine is served on board.

This morning we begin with a scenic walk from the hotel to the Cathedral where we have wonderful views down to the river. From here we continue our walk across the upper deck of the Dom Luis Bridge from Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia, the city on the south bank of the river. After time to enjoy the view, we board a cable car that takes us down to the quayside where we will have a guided tour in one of the famous Port Wine Cellars that fill the area. We meet up again after lunch for our historic tram ride, firstly on the line alongside the river, including a visit to the tram museum, and then up to Carmo.

Dinner in the excellent Abadia restaurant.

If you are leaving today there is a modern metro (mostly above ground tramway) which will take you to the airport for your flights back to the UK.

Today we head north by rail into the green Minho region and the important city of Viana do Castelo. We will explore the historic centre, lined with Manueline, Renaissance and Baroque mansions, and on to the fort, guarding the mouth of the River Lima. Free time to enjoy lunch in one of the many excellent restaurants here or visit the Gil Eanes Hospital Ship, now a fascinating museum. There is also a funicular to whisk you up to the Santa Luzia church with splendid views of the city and coast. Return to Porto at the end of the afternoon. On the return journey, we visit the railway museum at Lousado, dedicated to the metre gauge lines that existed throughout northern Portugal.

We catch a suburban train to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Guimarães where we have time to explore the quaint historic centre is considered to be the birthplace of Portugal. You will have time to visit the Dukes’ Palace and the castle (entry fees not included). This afternoon we continue to Braga where we ride on the Bom Jesus water-powered funicular. Return to Porto by train at the end of the day.

Today we head south to the lovely town of Aveiro. On arrival we walk to the historic centre with time to explore its narrow streets and have lunch in one of its many restaurants. After lunch we meet up at the station for our trip on the Vouga narrow gauge railway line. After being stored in Régua for many years, the metre-gauge Vintage Train has been brought back into service on the Vouga Line, and today we will take a step back in time to travel on the original rolling stock along this scenic, but often forgotten, line. For so long threatened with closure, it managed to hang on, and is now having a renaissance due to the presence of this train. A visit to Macinhata museum is included. If for any reason the historic train does not run today, we will still do the Vouga Line and Macinhata museum, but on normal service trains. There are currently two available locomotives on this line, diesel loco 9004 and steam loco E214, though E214 can only operate in times of low fire-risk.

We return to the airport for return flights to the UK.

This tour has some walking, including hills and steps. Some Portuguese railway stations still have low platforms. In Porto you will need to be able to walk a few hundred metres from the pier to the coach park.