A Final Voyage On Portugal’s The Presidential Train

Update: September 5, 2024

The following is a feature on The Presidential gourmet train experience that was created by the incredible LOHAD team not to be mistaken for the superficially similar Comboios Presidencial by Chakall trip being operated and offered by CP (Comboios Portugal).

Below is official statement from the LOHAD team regarding the revival of their project:

LOHAD, the creators of the multi-award winning The Presidential Train, hereby clarifies to its clients and the general public that it has no participation with the format launched yesterday by the state owned CP, FMNF and Chakall, which usurps the company’s intellectual rights and the projects worldwide recognition, causing it considerable damage.

If The Presidential Train earned awards and international acclaim it was, to great extent, because it never succumbed to the temptation of replacing acclaimed chefs with mere TV personalities and exchanging professionals for dilettantes, choosing instead the highest standard of quality and the resulting international prestige of Portugal’s rail tourism over fast profits.

We issue this clarification because we believe consumers should be fully aware, as this initiative from our former rail partners purposefully aims to confound the public, who will surely mistake it for LOHAD’s highly recognisable project. As such, this matter will, from today onwards, be handed over to competent judicial bodies, including those available at the European Union level, os that it can be resolved at the appropriate venue.

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Like the famous Orient Express, Portugal’s own The Presidential Train is a perennial member on the exclusive list of the world’s most luxurious train trips. Onboard, passengers are treated to world class dining prepared by a rotating cast of Michelin-starred chefs as they make the one day return trip from Porto to the Douro Valley wine region.

More than that, passengers get to experience riding on what was once a purpose built train to serve royalty. They will, decades removed, be in sitting in the same seats and dining in the same carriage that was once reserved for the likes of kings, queens, presidents, heads of states, and popes since 1890. It is history…unfrozen and untethered from time.

A Second Farewell For The Presidential Train

To say it was a privilege to be guests on this luxurious train journey would be an understatement, but the whole thing felt even more so after learning that we would be on one of the Presidential Train’s final trips (for a second time in it’s storied history).

A little backstory.

In 1970, the Presidential Train carried the body of Portugal dictator António de Oliveira Salazar, following his death, to his hometown of Vimiero. That was its farewell trip and would have been the end of the story, had the train not been restored in the 2010s by Portuguese entrepreneur, Gonçalo Castel-Branco, to take a new generation of guests on a world class culinary tour to the Douro Valley.

For 6 1/2 years starting in 2016, the train welcomed world class chefs and lucky passengers on daily weekend trips from Porto to Quinta do Vesuvio and back.

On October 29, 2022, The Presidential Train will welcome an astonishing six of the best Portuguese chefs to come aboard and create one final unforgettable dining experience. The train will then pull into Sao Bento station one last time and return, indefinitely (because who can say forever), to the National Railway Museum as part of its permanent exhibition.

Our own journey took place on September 11th, just a few trips before the final farewell.

Bringing The Presidential Train Back To Life

But let’s rewind. The story of how The Presidential Train was brought back to life can be attributed to a whimsical suggestion by a child and the determination of an man to make it happen.

After Salazar’s funeral journey, the train was decommissioned and mostly forgotten about for decades.

Eventually, it found a home at the National Railway Museum in Entroncamento, where Gonçalo happened upon it and immediately fell in love.

As he tells it, “at dinner that night when I tried to share what I had seen with my family and said, ‘we must have an idea for this train!,’ my 10-year-old daughter replied, ‘why don’t we make a restaurant on it?”

That idea stuck, and after years of planning, restoration work, pitching the idea to investors, partners, chefs and purveyors of Portugal’s finest products, permission to run the train on the historic Douro Valley line was secured and The Presidential Train was reborn.

Returning To A Different Era Of Travel

In an age where speed and efficiency rules, one can easily question how some slow and old train trips that cost between $4000-$10000 and beyond can exist. And yet they do.

The Belmond British Pullman, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, and the Mahajaras’ Express are regularly sold out months in advance. The Cruise Train Seven Stars in Japan has a 4 day 3 night trip that works on a lottery application opened for just one month a year in advance.

The demand is there, because these train rides, the slower and longer they are, offer an nostalgic escape to a different time where traveling was mostly a privilege.

And those who could afford such travels, had the same taste for high class comfort and service on the road as they did at home. One can hardly expect Monsieur Hercule Poirot to dine on canned tuna when he ventures outside of England to solve a murder.

The Presidential Train at €750 is almost a bargain.

Michelin Starred Chefs…Aboard

The main idea behind Gonçalo’s The Presidential Train experience to build something around the senses, specifically that of taste and smell.

And there’s no better way to provide high-end dining than to invite a changing cast of Michelin-starred chefs to design their own bespoke menu lasting from the first moments you step onto the train and ending only when it returns to Sao Bento station.

With the incredible number of different Michelin-starred chefs that have been invited to cook on The Presidential Train, I wonder if there’s anyone who’s more connected in the high-end Portuguese dining scene. And passengers on the train are the luckily beneficiary of that network.

On our journey, we had Chef Diogo Rocha, author of three award-winning books, and a holder of a Michelin Star since 2019 for his Mesa de Lemos Restaurant.

Paired with him was Chef Óscar Geadas, a member of the Portugal’s elite culinary society and known for his turn as a jury member on Masterchef Portugal. Geladas, too, has held a Michelin Star since 2019, for his restaurant, G Pousada.

In other words, we were in good hands.

Amuse Bouche

Our scheduled departure from Sao Bento station was 11:30 am. After checking in at 11 am and being handed a welcome invitation reminiscent of old train tickets, we eagerly began to explore the different carriages.

At 11:29 am, we were in our cabin just in time for the arrival of a bottle of sparkling 2016 Niepoort Spumante Olo. At exactly 11:30 am on the nose, I had the first, of many, glasses of wine in my hand.

A few minutes late, we were off and the same waiter came back with an amuse bouche of cured tuna that just melted in my mouth. Outside, the sun was beginning to warm our cabin as we followed the Douro River east away from Porto.

Let The Lunch Begin

A second appetizer of partridge terrine came out alongside a refill of our glasses, which I happily accepted. We had a chance to chat with the cabin companions. The gentlemen was a food writer in Lisbon, so we shared a mutual appreciation for good eats and travel.

The cabin itself has the same look and feel it had in the past, but with new interiors commissioned to be remade by the same company that made the original.

Shortly after noon, we were invited to take our seats in the dining carriage for lunch. Dining like this on an old train has long been one of my dream bucket list items. Everything was ready and neatly laid out – crisp linen cloth, spotless wine glasses and, of course, the menu.

A Culinary Showcase of Portugal’s Flavors (Part I)

Our waiter informed us that all the wine we’d be drinking on the train today was from the Niepoort Winery, a historic producer of port wine in Portugal since 1842. Their wines are considered to be some of the best in the country.

We started with a 2021 Douro Redoma Reserva Branco. Bright and fresh with a slightly dry finish.

It was served alongside the first course, Scarlet Prawn with White Bean. The prawn was from the southern Algarve region and the humble white bean is a staple in many of Portugal’s traditional stew.

Here, they are both presented very simply. The prawn was soft and sweet and the texture was delicate, but still had a firmness to it. The beans were prepared in a way that reminded me of risotto. I could have easily eaten a dozen more of these prawns alone.

Next was a 2018 Niepoort Vinhas Velhas Bairrada. I really liked this white and found it very crisp with both fruit and floral notes, acidic but not in an overly sharp way.

The second course was a cod neck with “couscous.” Bacalhau (dried and salted cod) is a staple of the Portuguese dining repertoire and the local chefs have come up with many creative ways of preparing and serving it.

The “couscous” of the dish was a rustic take on the grain with a creamy contrast to the tender cod. The whole dish was topped with a savory foam and micro greens.

Using The Same Toilet As Queen Elizabeth

With a few glasses of wine already in me, it was time to excuse myself to visit the restroom. Relieving oneself on a moving train is rarely something to look forward to, but not on The Presidential Train.

The toilet itself has a seat made of solid wood to match the interior of the train. Connected to the exposed water piping is a mechanical flushing lever with vintage plated signs pointing to “Fechada” for closed and “Aberta” for open. I love these details and it was satisfying to flush.

The faucet and sink was unlike any that I’ve seen in my travels. What I thought was the lever to turn on the water was actual the spout itself. Swing it towards you and water comes out. I may have stayed in the toilet longer than usual to admire all the little details.

And it wasn’t just the toilet. These original details were everywhere on the train and helped to add to the feeling of traveling back in time.

I tried to imagine how Queen Elizabeth II might have once stood in the same spot to wash her hands before making her way through the very corridors back to her seat.

A Showcase of Portugal’s Finest Flavors (Part II)

For our third course, we had Kid Goat and Potato. This was my favorite dish of the meal. The goatling meat simply melted and the rich jus helped accentuate the gaminess in the thin layer of fat.

It was served with a slightly sweet compote and a crispy medallion of potatoes created from one long thin layer tightly rolled onto itself and fried. Crunch on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Simplicity and elegance.

The Wines Never Stop Coming

With the goat, we had moved onto the red wines starting with a 2019 Niepoort Charme. I found the wine to be similar to Cabernet Francs in the way that it has a complex mouthfeel and drinks very smooth. A robust wine with notes of fruit, but not overly sweet.

Surprisingly, the alcohol percentage was only 13.5% in this unfortified wine,

Somehow, we had at least 6 glasses of wine by this point and it was only 1:35 pm when we pulled in the town of Regua, one of the gateway towns to the Douro Valley.

Chefs Diogo and Oscar took a break from the kitchen and came out to mingle with the guests. I loved their playful energy and was glad to be able to personally express my appreciation.

World Class Staff

From my first conversation with The Presidential Train’s marketing liaison, Sofia, to the moment I stepped off the train, the entire team and staff of LOHAD was incredibly jovial and professional. There was an obvious sense of pride in the service and presentation of their project.

I’ve been lucky to experience some amazing world class service in different countries, but it can sometimes feel very old-fashioned or too formal.

Everyone member of the team we encountered seemed genuinely excited to be there and almost a little sad that the entire journey was coming to an end.

This is very much a testament to the type of people The Presidential Train brings on board.

A Dessert Too Pretty To Eat

São Pedro Velho Strawberries and Basil. The name is an understatement of the dish. What came out was a visual delight that teased the palate with a surprisingly variety of flavors and texture. Sweet, tart, creamy, refreshing, and crunchy only sort of describe how everything comes together.

This was a fun dish.

And it was paired with a Niepoort Bioma Crusted port, which is usually a blend of 2-3 ports that are then matured. They share similarities with vintage ports. Both leave sediments at the bottom of the bottle which adds to the character and profile of the wine. And both are rarer in production than your normal port.

The Man Behind The Presidential Train

One of the unique aspect of The Presidential Train is that man behind the curtain, Gonçalo, joins on every journey with the passengers. Early on, he stopped by our cabin a welcome introduction. During lunch, he was going between the two dining carriages and chatting with the guests.

Though I knew the wines would still continue to pour, I mistakenly thought we were done with the meal.

A plate of petit fours with truffles and cookies came out to accompany an afternoon coffee. With the warm sun and the ample amount of wine, I was glad for a caffeine fix.

Moments later, we pulled up to Vesuvio station. The meal was timed to finish at the exact moments of arrival. It was nice to stretch the legs after a full three hour meal.

Following Gonçalo, we walk to picturesque vineyard that reminded me of the Tuscan countrysides of Italy. Here, he gave a little history about the train and the winery before we continued on towards the estate.

Experiencing Quinta Do Vesuvio

Home to the Symington family, whose been producing port wine in the Douro Valley since 1882, the Quinta Do Vesuvio is one of their finest estate and one that’s not usually open to the public.

Through The Presidential Train, we got the chance to visit this private working estate to enjoy a selection of wines, vintage ports, cigars and cocktails on their estate terrace that overlooks the river and adjacent chapel.

For those interested, Gonçalo brought us to the stone lagares to show where the grapes are still stomped by foot and the wine is still produced in the same original method following the harvest.

UPDATE: Quinta Do Vesuvio is for the first time offering private tours to the estate that includes a tasting and lunch. This visit requires advanced reservation and starts at €450 per person.

At around 5:10 pm, we stood by the station tracks to await the return of The Presidential Train with its distinctive whistle.

Back on the train, our new table was on the opposite side of the carriage to give us a different view for the return journey. A thoughtful touch.

There’s Always Space For Charcuterie

A new menu card was provided and a quick count revealed 15 different dishes. I had no idea how we would eat all of that if the lunch was any indication.

Luckily, several of these dishes were all plated together as part of two “charcuterie” platter. The first I would call a meat and cheese plate.

1. 12 month aged Ilha cheese from Lactacores
2. Chiba goat and sheep cheese from the Queijaria Cheese Shop
3. Varanegra cured ham from Salsicharia Estremocense
4. Smoked sausage from Pinhao
5. Sweet red pepper jam from Jose Gourmet

The second was more of a seafood charcuterie plate.

1. Cod pate and cuttlefish and shrimp pate from Jose Gourmet
2. Trout with garlic and parsley and smoked sardines from Jose Gourmet

All of this was served with a selection of Niepoort wines and a refreshing cold tea. At this point, I was admittedly a little more than tipsy, but the flavors of the never ending treats continued to deliver.

I slowed down on the wine and eagerly consumed all the bread served with the charcuterie and cheeses to help absorb some of the alcohol from earlier.

Slowing Down Time

As a photographer, I was compelled to step away from the table every few minutes to try to capture the magic of the fast changing sunset light and landscapes.

Leaning out the window, with the feeling of the wind in my hair, I tried to just soak it all in. There was a happiness that begged for time to slow down, for the light to stay the way it was, and for the journey to keep going forever.

As we slowed to a station, I noticed a woman with a large basket of white bags waiting for the train. This image brought back memories of train travel through places like India or Myanmar, where each stop would offer passengers a chance to buy food and drinks from a chorus of vendors selling through the windows.

Next thing I knew, she was on the train going through the carriages and dropping off little white bundles on each table.

On closer examination, the bags had a “The Presidential 2022 Edition” sticker on it. This small gesture left a deep impression on me as this was pre-orchestrated to add another nostalgic element to the train experience. I loved it.

When we took off again, I used the last bit of light from golden hour to capture the many details that I had missed early in the day.

Room For Dessert

In between plates, we walked around to the different carriages. Near the front, there’s a salon with some comfortable vintage couches. The previously empty space was now occupied by a piano player who entered us with beautiful music.

We sat a while and just listened.

Whenever I saw servers moving along the corridor with a new dish, we promptly returned to our table, not wanting to miss out on any of the thoughtful menu.

1. Yuzo and Cardamom Financier
2. Red Fruits Tartelette
3. Carob, Tonka Bean and Salted Caramel Cookie
4. Scones with Cranberries and Whipped Cream
5. Red Fruits Jam and Pumpkin Jam with Walnuts
6. Madeleines

It was never ending.

Portuguese Guitarra and Belgian Chocolates

While the piano music entertainment was confined to the salon carriage, a Portuguese guitar player moved about and put on an evening performance in each of the dining carriages.

I recognized a couple of classical pieces that were being played on the traditional twelve string Portuguese guitarra and it was relaxing to listen to while we digested our desserts.

Another beautiful detail that added to magic and experience of this type of travel.

And then as if all the desserts weren’t already enough, two servers came out carrying a beautiful wooden glass box that I initially mistaken from afar as a large cigar box.

Close up, the content was an assortment of truffles and chocolates in all sorts of elegant and intricate shapes from Neuhaus, one of, if not the best, Belgium’s finest chocolatiers.

As we listened to all the different options, I was thinking aloud that it was so hard to choose.

“Choose as many as you like.”

While that was tempting, I limited myself to three pieces.

A Memory Of The Journey

I already feeling a sense of sweet sadness at the thought of this journey ending. As if my mind was read, we were handed a gorgeous hard cover booklet telling us the story and history of The Presidential Train

It was beautifully designed inside and out and break down each part of our journey including the route, food and wine, the chefs, the team, and the vineyard visit. A lovely memento to remember a once in a lifetime trip.

Until The Train Pulls In

As we neared Campanha station, the dining had yet to be concluded and one final dish was saved for last – a traditional Portuguese Caldo Verde.

It was strange to see soup come out after all the deserts, but having this soup at the end of the celebratory night is something most Portuguese understand. It was a fitting way to end this night as well.

To my delight, the creamy vegetable soup closed the entire meal perfectly leaving us with a warm feeling in our bellies as the train pulled up to Sao Bento station around 10 pm.

A Parting Well Made

When we stepped off the train and walked towards the exit, the full staff of The Presidential Train was already lined up to offer a warm farewell. And then, for one last surprise, we were given a gift bag to take home.

“So the culinary experience doesn’t end here.”

Inside was a bottle of Graham’s 10 Year Tawny Port, a bottle of Niepoort wine, an artist sketchbook, and a bar of the wonderfully smelling Portus Cale soap from Castelbel.

Was The Presidential Train Worth It?

At €750 per person for a one day train journey, the price might not be for everyone. But having experienced everything The Presidential Train offered, I have this to say:

While I don’t know the exact economics of putting together a trip of this caliber, Gonçalo and The Presidential Train spared no expenses in giving their guests the a beautifully crafted and curated train and culinary experience. And I have to speculate that this cuts incredibly deep into the profitability, if there’s any, of operating The Presidential Train.

From sourcing the train, pulling the Michelin-starred chefs away from their restaurants, bringing on board an endless supply of fine wines, procuring private access to Quinta do Vesuvio, and sending us off with all sorts of treats, the trip was worth every penny and more.

It feels like a deep passion project. A love letter of sorts to Portugal to showcase what the country has to offer in terms of history and culinary prowess. While the trips have come to an end, the memories imprinted on its guests over the years, will surely endure. I can’t wait to see what Gonçalo will set his sights on next.

Looking for more travel inspirations? Scroll through some of the 450+ experiences on my bucket list. Maybe you’ll find your next adventure on there.

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Updated on September 5, 2024