Foz do Tua: the old railway, the winery and a riverside lunch
Most visitors drive straight past Foz do Tua on the way to somewhere more famous. We spend a lot of our weekends there, and we think it is one of the most interesting corners of the valley. It is a tiny place where the Tua river meets the Douro, with an old railway story and very good wine.
Where the Tua meets the Douro
Foz means “mouth”, so Foz do Tua is simply the mouth of the Tua. It sits on the north bank of the Douro, upriver from Pinhão. There is a station on the Douro line, a handful of houses, a bridge, a winery and a restaurant with a terrace over the water. That is more or less it, and that is the charm.
The Tua line: a railway that went up the valley
In 1887 a narrow-gauge railway opened from Tua station, climbing north along the Tua river towards Mirandela and, later, Bragança. It was famous for how it was built: cut into the side of a steep, rocky gorge, with tunnels and bridges hanging over the river. For a century it connected villages that had no other easy way out.
The northern section closed in the early 1990s. After a fatal derailment in 2008, trains stopped running in the valley. Then the Foz Tua dam was built a few kilometres upstream, and when it filled, around 2016, part of the old line disappeared under the reservoir.
What is left at Foz do Tua is the end of the story: the old station buildings, sidings with rusty wagons, and a gravel track where the rails used to run. On a summer evening, with the sun going down behind the hills, it is one of our favourite places in the valley.
Plans to bring a tourist train back to the upper part of the line, away from the reservoir, have been announced more than once over the years. If that matters to your trip, ask us how things stand when you visit.
The winery next to the station
The Foz Tua winery works out of an old stone building right beside the station. Tanks, barrels and the tasting tables share the same space, so you taste where the wine is actually made, not in a showroom.
We host tastings there from Friday to Sunday, with three tastings to choose from. Our private days start there, with their table wines and Costureiro, one of their reds.
Lunch with a view
Right by the river is Calça Curta, where we send guests for bacalhau à lagareiro: roasted salt cod with potatoes, garlic and plenty of olive oil. Ask for a table on the terrace.
How to get there
- By train: Tua is a stop on the Douro line, the next stop after Pinhão heading upriver, about 15 minutes away. Check the CP timetable, because trains are not frequent.
- By car: from Pinhão, follow the river road east. Like every road here it is narrow and full of bends, so take your time.
- With us: Foz Tua is part of our Classic and Signature days, so you do not have to think about any of this.
Is it worth the detour?
If you want the big postcard views, Pinhão and the viewpoints above it are easier. If you want to see a side of the Douro that most tours skip, with a real working winery, a railway story and a quiet riverside lunch, Foz do Tua is worth an afternoon.
Book the wine tasting at Quinta da Foz Tua, or see it as part of our Classic day.
