Pilgrimage to Fatima and Santiago de Compostela

Depart on our flight from London Gatwick to Porto. Our guide and coach driver will be waiting to greet the group in the airport then transfer to Santiago de Compostela, a UNESCO world heritage site. Check-in to your hotel and overnight here.

We leave our hotel early in the morning to celebrate Mass in a chapel within the iconic Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, renowned as the burial site of St. James the Great and a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture. Following breakfast at our hotel we then return to this magnificent basilica for a guided tour that culminates in viewing the beautiful Pórtico de la Gloria and sacred tomb of St. James lying beneath the high altar. Afterwards we will enjoy a walk around the Old Town steeped in medieval charm followed by lunch in a nearby restaurant. Free time for the remainder of the afternoon. Evening dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast we take our coach westward to Muxia where we visit a beautiful church built along the coast, the Sanctuary of Our Lady A Barca. Next we will visit the ancient Benedictine Monastery of Moraime. Heading southward we arrive at Cape Finisterre, derived from the Latin finis terrae meaning end of the earth. As per tradition, many pilgrims extend their Camino walk here as the final destination, after visiting the shrine of the apostle St. James. We will stop in Fisterra for lunch and some free time to explore before continuing south to the Lighthouse of Finisterre to complete the Way of St. James. Return to our hotel in Santiago de Compostella for dinner.

In the morning we will check out of the hotel and travel southward over the border to Braga in Portugal. Here we visit the famous Bom Jesus do Monte (God Jesus of the Mount). It is located on the stunning hills just outside Braga, famous for devotion and pilgrimage for the faithful since 14th century. The summit has various caves, chapels, fountains, grottoes, lakes and stunning views. Continue our journey to Fatima and check in to our hotel. Evening dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast the guide will be waiting in the hotel lobby at 8:30 and we will walk together to the Sanctuary for a guided tour showing you around the Sanctuary Square, visiting the Chapel of Apparition, the Rosary Basilica where the tomb of the seers are buried, followed by Mass at the Apparition Chapel. After lunch we will have a video show in the theatre about the Apparitions of Our Lady. Return to the hotel for evening dinner. We participate in the Rosary at the Chapel of Apparition followed by a Candlelight procession around the Sanctuary.

We have private Mass in the morning followed by the Stations of the Cross along Via Sacre to Valinhos, where according to tradition this is the place where the first and the third apparitions of the Angel to the seers (Francisco, Jacinta and Lucia) took place. While reciting the Rosary between the 8th and the 9th Stations, we stop and view the place where the fourth Apparition of Our Lady in August 1917 occurred. Continue on to the village of Aljustrel and visit the homes where the children lived with their families. We stop at the Old Parish church to say the Rosary and return to the hotel for evening dinner. We will participate in the International Rosary at the Chapel of Apparition followed by a Candlelight procession.

We leave the hotel early for Lisbon and on to St Anthony’s Church (the birthplace of St Anthony - The Patron of Lost Objects). We celebrate Mass here followed by a short tour of the church. Afterwards back to the coach, we will have a quick tour of Lisbon and if time allows we have lunch here. We proceed to Lisbon airport for our flight back to London Gatwick.