Things to do in

Fátima

Your tour begins with hotel pick-up in Lisbon before departing for Fátima, home to one of the largest shrines in the world, which attracts more than 5 million visitors each year. Once there, visit the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, a modern church completed in 2007. Then, stop and take your pick of religious articles or other products to get blessed at your next stop, the sanctuary. The Sanctuary is where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared and left 3 messages to the small shepherd: the end of the First World War, the end of Communism, and the attack on Pope John Paul the Second. After the sanctuary, you’ll continue your visit to the Monastery of Batalha, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This impressive convent was built by King John I of Portugal to thank the Virgin Mary following the battle of Aljubarrota against Spanish troops on the 14 August 1385 Next, visit Nazaré, near the ocean. Relax as you admire the wonderful beach, charming fishermen’s houses, and amazing cliffs over the Atlantic Ocean. Feel free to visit the top of the cliff, where the famous Nazaré legend took place. After lunch, continue with a visit to the village of Óbidos. A major center of Portugal’s historical heritage, the town is home to amazing churches and historic castle walls along its perimeter. Then it’s back to your hotel in Lisbon, where this day of fascinating cultural and religious history will end.

Benefit from pick-up in Lisbon city center, and then take a scenic drive to the shrine of Fatima. Learn more about the important Catholic pilgrimage site before going to the Gothic convent at Batalha. Admire the Manueline style of architecture typical of Portugal in the 16th century, and then enjoy a delicious lunch of regional food. Next, visit the beautiful seaside resort of Nazaré, popular with surfers and water sports fans. See the statue of the black Virgin Mary by Saint Joseph and look at the colorful fishing boats on the sandy beach from the top of the rock. Try some of the sweet cherry liqueur known as ginja in the medieval village of Obidos, and soak up the fairytale atmosphere of the cobbled paths and small medieval houses. Browse the handicraft stores along narrow streets, and then journey back to Lisbon through the lovely landscapes of central Portugal.

Take a full-day, multi-city tour that brings you to some of Portugal's most popular medieval and 20th-century architectural and religious marvels, beginning in Lisbon and ending in Fátima. Depart from Lisbon by bus at 9:00 and head to Óbidos, the 'wedding present town'. This is the town that King Dinis gave to his bride, Queen Isabel, on their wedding day in 1282. This romantic village is surrounded by the 45-foot-high walls of a medieval Moorish castle, the famous Pousada do Castelo. Stop for lunch in colorful Nazaré, a traditional Portuguese fishing village. If time permits, head to Sítio to enjoy a beautiful view of the beach and ocean. Then, kick off the afternoon with a trip to Batalha Monastery, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, with beautiful stained-glass windows and the Manueline-style Royal Cloister. Arrive at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima, a center of Catholic faith and globally recognized pilgrimage destination. Housed in the Basilica are the tombs of Lúcia, Francisco, and Jacinta, peasant children who, despite threats, never denied witnessing the apparition of Mary. The heart of the shrine is in the Chapel of Apparitions. Schedule permitting, you can attend Mass. Afterwards, you will return to Lisbon on a route that takes you through a rich agricultural region.

Take a trip north from Lisbon to visit the town of Fatima, home of the majestic Our Lady of Fatima Basilica, and famous for reported religious visions in the early 20th century. We will arrive first at the basilica, completed in 1953 and built at the site of religious apparitions that gained fame around the world. The basilica holds the tombs of the three children said to have seen the Virgin Mary, as well as a beautiful and ornate white marble interior. While at the basilica, you are free to attend mass if you wish. Afterwards, we will visit various sites related to the religious apparitions throughout the town. See the very site of the apparitions of an angel, and the place of the fourth apparition of Our Lady in 1917. After seeing the home of these extraordinary events, and experiencing this unique spiritual town, we will return to Lisbon in the evening.

Travel by air-conditioned minivan to Fátima and learn why millions of pilgrims make their way to the sanctuary each year. Continue to Batalha to see some of the best 14th-century architecture in Portugal, including the monastery built in commemoration of the 1385 Battle of Aljubarrota. Next, go to the charming seaside town of Nazaré and savor some fresh fish at lunch (own expense). Take a scenic coastal drive through São Martinho do Porto and the Óbidos Lagoon en route to the medieval walled village of Óbidos. Stroll around the cobbled streets and taste some authentic ginjinha (cherry liqueur).

Head to the Atlantic Coast from Lisbon, visit the romantic village of Óbidos, and see the important religious pilgrimage site of Fátima. This journey takes you into the rolling hills of the Portuguese countryside and on to the coast. Experience life as a religious pilgrim when you visit the Sanctuary of Fátima. This is one of Christianity’s most important sites, receiving around 5 million visitors every year. You’ll learn about the visitations of the Virgin Mary to 3 local children as you view the stained glass art, the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, and more. Next, you’ll discover the stunning 14th-century Batalha Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll see the lovely Gothic windows in the west façade and admire the stained glass art in the interior that depicts the Visitation, the Adoration of the Magi, the Flight into Egypt, and the Resurrection. You can visit the Founder's Chapel, the Cloisters, and see the unfinished chapels as well. Feel the ocean breezes as you travel along the Atlantic coast, passing the picturesque villages of Foz do Arelho and São Martinho do Porto. In the fishing town of Nazaré, stop for lunch and take in the sights from the top of the Nazaré Cliffs. As you travel to Óbidos, listen to the commentary of your expert guide. You'll fall in love with this romantic village as you admire its medieval architecture, including its castle and fortified wall.

Avoid the restricted timetables of other sightseeing tours and learn the history of Fátima at your own pace. Get an interactive folder to guide you around the shrine at leisure. Go to the Chapel of the Apparitions, built where Our Lady appeared to 3 shepherd children in May 1917. Visit the Monument of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the center of the sanctuary, designed to represent the central position Jesus plays in the message. Next, visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima, where the mortal remains of the seers are buried at the site where the shepherd children were playing before Our Lady appeared. See the path that the pilgrims take on their knees to pay for their promises. Look inside the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, designed by the architect Alexandros Tombazis to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the apparitions. Finally see the Tall Cross erected in 2007 in the grounds of the Santissima Trindade Church.  

Discover the religious and learned centers of Portugal on a 10-hour guided tour of Fátima and Coimbra from Porto, and see the nation’s most important pilgrimage destination, and one of the oldest university cities in Europe. Fátima supposedly owes its name to the Moors. But the city is best known for its apparitions of the Virgin Mary to 3 children tending sheep in 1917. Since the miracle was recognized by the Vatican in 1930, 3 different popes have been to Fátima on 5 separate occasions. Visit the stunning Neoclassical Basilica and Sanctuary, and can even attend mass in the Sanctuary if you desire. There will also be some free time for lunch in the bustling city center, full of modern-day pilgrims of retail therapy. Then, continue to Coimbra and discover Portugal’s only university city until the early 20th century. Founded in the 13th century, the hilltop college is one of the oldest in Europe, and provides a beautiful backdrop to a panoramic tour of the city’s narrow streets, full of young students. Visit the Sé Nova Cathedral to see the only church in Portugal to survive the Reconquista almost intact. During the visit in Coimbra's historical center you can walk through the Quebra - Costas, Arco da Almedina, Porta do Barbacã and Rua Ferreira Borges. End at the University in the former buildings of the medieval Royal Palace. Among the highlights is the stunning Joanine Library with baroque details of red and green lacquer and trompe-l’oeil features.

This 8-hour from Lisbon stops first at Fátima, where the famous apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima occurred. Explore the Sanctuary and experience the peaceful environment of this pilgrimage site. Visit the Chapel of the Apparition and the Holy Trinity Cathedral. See the houses of the little shepherds as well. Continue the journey to Nazare, known around the world for its giant waves and McNamara's world record for the largest wave ever surfed. Enjoy lunch at the beach and see the giant waves for yourself. Next stop is Óbidos, a place of ancient legends and miracles. Enter the walls of the most romantic village in Portugal and experience what it was like to live in medieval times.

Follow in the footsteps of Catholic pilgrims on a full-day sightseeing tour of Central Portugal from Lisbon. Transfer from the Portuguese capital, and drive through a vast variety of landscapes. Your first stop will be the extraordinary town of Fátima, where an apparition of the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared before 3 children every month between May 1917 and October 1917. Now one of the major shrines of the Catholic faith, the complex contains the tombs of 2 of the young shepherd children, the crown of the Virgin in the Chapel of the Apparitions, and a section of the Berlin Wall (said to be a tribute to God’s part in the fall of communism) . Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant (own expense) far from the tourist crowds, and get a taste for authentic Portuguese food. Continue to the fishing port of Nazaré for panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean. Popular with surfers, Nazaré was the site of a 79-foot wave, surfed by Garrett McNamara in 2011. Finally, tour the picturesque town of Óbidos, taken from the Muslims in 1148. Forming part of the dowry of numerous Portuguese queens, Óbidos maintains its medieval feel inside the old city walls, with cobblestone streets and flower-bedecked houses.