Portugal by rail: The Presidential‬

Flying into Porto, you’ll be met by your private driver to be introduced to the varied delights of Portugal’s second city. Its mercantile past has brought great riches to its terracotta-roofed jumble, with its churches gilded with Baroque fineries and great cathedral rising above the city’s medieval rabbit warren. Your private tour will also bring you to the Casa da Música concert hall, an icon for both Porto and modern architecture. End with Serralves; part contemporary art museum, part park-framed conservation project and part architectural masterpiece, this Art Deco institution is among Portugal’s finest cultural achievements. Come the evening, you’ll settle into your 19th-century palace accommodation.

Today you’ll board The Presidential at Porto’s spectacularly marbled São Bento Station, settling into its dark-wood cabins as you strike out into the Douro Valley. Watch as Porto’s urbane charms fade into rolling greenery, terraced into vineyards and dotted with pretty whitewashed villages. And, as you trace the Douro River’s meandering laze, you’ll be treated to a true gastronomic education. You’ll begin with lunch, prepared on the train by a Michelin-class chef and paired with some of the region’s finest oenological offerings. Then, arriving at Vesúvio, you’ll enjoy a wine tasting at the superb Quinta do Vesúvio. Dating back to 1827, the vineyards of this historic farmhouse are famed for their vintage ports and D.O.C. reds. You’ll even be treated to a foot treading ceremony. The estate is one of the few remaining that still practises this tradition. You’ll then end the day in the luxurious Six Senses Douro Valley, a 19th-century manor house whose infinity pool and spa command giant views over the river and its fabled vineyards. It’s the spectacular backdrop for your evening meal; indulge with menus that come fresh from the kitchen’s organic garden.

Perhaps start the day with an award-winning spa treatment before you tuck into further gastronomic fineries with lunch at Rui Paula’s Michelin-recognised restaurant, DOC. As the name suggests, its diverse dishes highlight the very best of the valley’s regionally protected ingredients, served up to pretty river views. You’ll then board The Presidential once more, retracing the Douro River’s sweeping curves to arrive back in Porto. Here you’ll be treated to a final dinner at O Gaveto. A traditional Portuguese restaurant, you’ll enjoy an excellent selection of seafood, paired, of course, with some of the country’s finest varietals.

After breakfast, your private driver will see you to the airport in time for your flight home.