12 Days
Specific Tour
30 people
English
DAY 1 – DEPARTURE
Flights, Nashville to Lisbon – with connection. Meals on the plane.
Day 2 – ARRIVAL LISBON
Your tour escort and driver will welcome you before our transfer to the hotel in Lisbon for check-in. Time permitting, we celebrate mass at the Monastery of St Vincent de Fora, where St Anthony of Padua entered as a Monk, followed by a tour of the Monastery to include a panoramic view over Lisbon from the Monastery rooftop, considered one of the secret viewpoints of Lisbon. Return to our hotel. Dinner and overnight. (D)
Attention: The schedule on this day is subject to change depending on flight details. To complete all the visits, the groups need to arrive early in the morning.
Day 3 – LISBON
After breakfast, we will enjoy a guided walking tour of Lisbon. We start the day with a visit to The Museu Nacional do Azulejo (tiles) set in the former Madre de Deus convent. Visit the Museum to include the church that is decorated in full Portuguese baroque splendor, with gilded and carved wood, paintings and tile panels. On to Alfama quarter visiting the Cathedral, St Anthony church marking the birthplace of St Anthony of Padua where we celebrate mass. Precede along the Praca do Comercio, passing Rua Augusta toward Rossio Square medieval market. Independent lunch with some free time. This afternoon visit FATIMA WITHIN LISBON at Rua de Estrela where St Jacinta lived her last days at the orphanage of Our Lady of the Miracles where Jacinta reported that she had many apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
On to visit Belem Quarter along the Tejo River seeing the Monument of Discoveries, Belem Tower, Monastery of St Jeronimos. End the day with a stop at Pasteis de Nata where you have the chance to try the famous Custard Portuguese desert known as Pastel de Belem following an ancient recipe from the nearby St Jeronimos Monastery. Return to your hotel to refresh. Enjoy a welcome dinner at local restaurant. overnight Lisbon (B,D).
Day 4 – LISBON – SANTAREM – OBIDOS – FATIMA
After breakfast and check out, we depart for Santarem visiting the Sanctuary if the Eucharistic miracle. The relic is venerated at Church of St Stephen in the historical center of the town. Mass. On to Obidos one of the most charming and picturesque towns in Portugal. we enjoy a stroll along the narrow-cobbled streets lined by shops, coffee shops offering various local delicacies, passing traditionally painted houses, churches. Independent lunch with some free time for shopping or a walk along the walled town ramparts. On to Fatima. check in. dinner and overnight. (B,D)
Day 5 – FATIMA
Today we visit the Fatima to include the Chapel of Apparition, where Our Lady first appeared to the children, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, where we can visit the tombs of St Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco, the Basilica of Holy Trinity, and the Way of the Cross. Mass at the Shrine. Proceed to Visit the church of St Anthony where the children were baptized. On to visit Ajustrel seeing the homes of the children an Arneiro well where the Angel of Peace appeared to the children in 1916. on to Valinhos seeing the small chapel that marks the location of the fourth apparition of Our Lady. Lunch on your own followed by free time for personal meditation, prayers and shopping. After dinner, we join the nightly candlelight procession. (B,D)
Day 6 – FATIMA – TOMAR – COIMBRA – PORTO
After breakfast and check out, we depart for Tomar set long the Nabao River. We visit the town to include the 12th century hill-topping castle, the Convento de Cristo a grand master of the Knights Templar religious order featuring middle eastern techniques picked up during the Crusades to the Holy Land. On to the old town along the Ponte Velha “old bridge” to the town main square, Praca da Republica” where we would enjoy some free time to nurse a drink at a café or have a light lunch enjoying the relaxed tempo of local life. On to Coimbra where we visit the Carmelite convent of St Teresa where Sister Lucia resided until her death. Mass. On to Porto. check in. dinner and overnight (B,D)
Day 7 – PORTO – BOM JESUS DO MONTE – TUY – SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
After breakfast and check out, we depart for Braga to visit the Shrine Bom Jesus do Monte located on Monte Espinho. the Shrine is famously known for its zig zag staircase consisting of 573 steps with 17 landings adorned with baroque style fountains reaching the church of the good Jesus with six chapels dedicated to the Passion of Christ where we celebrate mass.
*** For those who wish not to climb the stairway we will take the world oldest water-powered funicular dating to 1882. Independent Lunch. On to Santiago en route we will stop at Tuy where the last 117 kms of the Portuguese El Camino begins. Visit of the Dorothean Convent where St Lucia lived for 17 years, and it was there that she had the famous apparition of Our Lady of Fatima over the altar, with the Holy Trinity. Time for prayer and reflection. Arriving in Santiago de Compostela. Check in, dinner, and overnight. (B,D)
Day 8 – SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
In the morning, we will visit Monte Gozo which marks the last 3 kilometers of the el Camino. Optional to walk the last few kilometers of El Camino. we will tour of the historical center of Santiago to include a guided tour of the Cathedral to include the crypt holding the relics of St James the Apostle and the Porto de Gloria. Celebrate mass at the Cathedral. Lunch on your own. Afternoon at leisure. dinner and overnight. (B,D)
DAY 9 – SANTIAGO – LEON – BURGOS (318 kms – 5 hrs drive)
This morning, we depart for Leon. Independent Lunch. This afternoon explore Leon seeing the 13th century Cathedral, with its soaring towers, flying buttresses and breathtaking interiors. On to visit the Real Basilica de San Isidoro. The church is dedicated to Saint Isidore of Seville, the stunning Pantheon Real houses royal sarcophagi, which rest with quiet dignity beneath a canopy of some of the finest Romanesque frescos in Spain. Colorful motifs of biblical scenes drench the vaults and arches of this extraordinary hall, held aloft by marble columns with intricately carved capitals. Mass. Continue on to Burgos where we visit the Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos, main shrine dedicated to St Dominic who was born in the town of Calerguega not far away. The monastery, of Visigoth origin, was razed to the ground by the Arabs, and rebuilt by Santo Domingo, whose remains lie in a sarcophagus that was carved on the rock. Its sensational Romanesque cloister, whose most important storey is the bottom one, dates from the 11th and 12th centuries, and has beautiful capitals, with varied sculptures depicting a variety of themes. Mass. Independent Lunch. On to Burgos visiting the Cathedral with its 15 stunning chapels to include St Enrique with the Ecce Homo Statute. The Cathedral is the only one in Spain that is on UNESCO list not being part of a historical old town center. check in. dinner and overnight. (B,D)
DAY 10 – BURGOS – LOYOLA – LOURDES (407 kms – 6 hrs drive)
In the morning after check-out, we depart for Loyola to visit the birthplace of St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuit Order. St. Ignatius dedicated himself to becoming a soldier of the Christian faith, and because of many tribulations, he wrote the ever-famous Spiritual Exercises. In Loyola, you will see the 17th-century Basilica dedicated to this remarkable saint. Mass at the Shrine. Independent lunch. Proceed to Lourdes, where we will spend the next two nights. Upon arrival in Lourdes, check in, dinner and overnight. (B,D)
DAY 11 – LOURDES
We visit the historical and spiritual sites associated with the visionary child Bernadette. We begin at the Grotto of the Apparitions, and then continue on a guided walking tour visiting the Basilica of St. Pius X, Boly Mill, Soubirous family home, the Basilica of the Rosary, the miraculous spring and the healing baths. Celebrate Mass. After dinner, join the candlelight procession. (B,D)
Day 12 – DEPARTURE LOURDES / TOULOUSE (177kms 2hrs drive)
Check out early in the morning for the Toulouse airport for our flight back home.
