This riverside town in the Douro Valley is a central hub for Port wine production. Its riverfront promenade and 19th-century train station reflect its wine trading past.
Peso da Régua stretches along the Douro River in northern Portugal, with terraced vineyards rising up the valley slopes. You can visit the Douro Museum to learn about wine production, take a river cruise on a rabelo boat, or climb to the São Leonardo viewpoint for views across the valley. The surrounding quintas (wine estates) welcome visitors for port wine tastings, while a historic steam train runs along the riverbank during summer months.
Exploring the Douro Museum
The Douro Museum occupies an 18th-century warehouse on the riverfront. The exhibits explain wine-making methods, show maps of the valley's geography, and tell stories about the wine merchants and workers who built the region. In the museum shop, you can buy local ports, and staff members help arrange visits to nearby vineyards.
Taking to the Water
The Douro River remains central to wine transport and tourism in Régua. You can join one-hour trips on smaller boats or full-day cruises that stop at riverside villages like Pinhão and Tua. The flat-bottomed rabelo boats, which carried wine barrels until the 1960s, now run short trips from the town center.
Riding the Historical Steam Train
Between June and October, a vintage steam locomotive travels the Douro riverbank from Régua to Tua. During the two-hour ride, local musicians play Portuguese folk songs while you taste port wine and rebuçados da Régua - candies made with honey, sugar, and port wine.
Wine Tasting in the Valley
Dozens of wine estates dot the hills around Régua. At Quinta de Santa Eufemia, you can walk through the vineyards and taste their ports in a stone-walled tasting room. Quinta da Pacheca runs tours of their wine cellars and barrel rooms. Local company CMTour drives visitors between multiple estates on the winding valley roads.
Getting Around
Regular trains connect Régua to Porto's São Bento and Campanhã stations, with the two-hour journey following the riverside. The train route between Régua and Pocinho passes through steep valley sections with views of terraced vineyards, running five times daily. Buses connect to Vila Real (25 minutes) and Lamego (45 minutes), though a car gives you more freedom to explore the valley's wine estates.
Day Trip to Lamego
In Lamego, you can climb the 686 steps of the baroque staircase leading to the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios. The town's wine caves produce sparkling wines using local grape varieties, and many offer guided tours with tastings in their cellars.
