Douro Valley, May 2026

By Beatrice Wong
June 29, 2026
7:30 pm
2 Comments

Douro Valley can be reached by train, boat, or car. Instead of trying to navigate Douro Valley by myself, I chose to go with local photographer, José Santos (Pictury Photo Tours), by car to enjoy the panoramic views of the river and vineyards along the N222 road. It was extremely helpful to have José show me his favorite photo spots in the area. First stop was Amarante, located halfway between Porto and the Douro Valley. The city, on the banks of the River Tamega, is one of the most ancient settlements in northern Portugal founded in 360 BC and served as an economic and cultural center of the area for centuries.

Ponte de São Gonçalo spanning the Tamega River

Ponte de São Gonçalo & the historic Igreja de São Gonçalo

Ponte de São Gonçalo leading to the historic Igreja de São Gonçalo

Igreja de São Gonçalo

Igreja de São Gonçalo

Igreja de São Domingos

After a brief stop in Amarante, we continued to Douro Valley. Just 100 km east of Porto is Douro Valley, the world’s oldest demarcated wine region and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The area is known for its steeply terraced vineyards and the shimmering Douro River as well as being the birthplace of Port wine. It is a photographer’s dream with its every-changing light and beautiful vistas. Key towns in Douro Valley are Pinhão and Peso de Régua with their river cruises and historic quintas offering wine tastings. You can take a rabelo boat tour which is on board one of the tradtiional wooden vessls historically used to transport barels to Vila Nova de Gaia’s port houses. There are several viewpoints, one of which being the São Salvador do Mundo viewpoint with magnificent views of the Douro River and the surroundiing vineyards spilling down the hillsides.