Pilgrimage to Fatima & Lourdes with Barcelona

What's Included

• Transportation

  Travel overnight to Portugal, then journey through Spain and France, including a scenic drive through the Pyrenees Mountains, with transportation included for optional excursions in Barcelona.

• Accommodation

  Stay at the Hotel de Fatima in Portugal, the Abba Hotel in Fatima, the Mercure Imperial Hotel in Burgos, and the Occidental 1929 Hotel in Lourdes, offering comfortable accommodations throughout your pilgrimage journey.

• Culinary Experience

  Enjoy regional wine with every included dinner.

• Farewell Dinner

  Gather for a memorable farewell dinner in Barcelona.

What's Not Included

• Optional Excursions

  Optional tours such as exploring Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter with dinner or visiting Montserrat are not included and require additional payment.
  
  

• Personal Expenses

  Personal expenses such as souvenirs, additional meals, and gratuities are not included.
  
  

Experiences

• Worship in the most revered basilicas of Fatima and Lourdes.
• Spend time at the magnificent Cathedral of Burgos.

Options

Barcelona: Montserrat

A leisurely drive through picturesque villages brings you to majestic Montserrat Mountain, soaring 4,320 feet above sea level. A local guide will lead you on a tour exploring the area's most important sights. While here, stroll the grounds of the 8th-century monastery and see its famous Romanesque sculpture of the "Black Virgin," patron saint of Catalonia. This is also the site of many pilgrimages and where Christopher Columbus brought missionaries to pay homage. Duration approximately 5 hour(s). Transportation is included. A minimum of 15 passenger(s) is required to operate this option.

Step back in history as you explore Barcelona’s bustling Gothic Quarter, founded by the Romans over 2,000 years ago. As you make your way through its medieval streets, discover the stories and legends of the city’s oldest district. Uncover centuries’ worth of history as you head to the world-famous Cathedral of Barcelona. The intricate spires of this 13th century Gothic cathedral greet you on arrival. Explore the medieval artistry of this iconic Barcelonian landmark before heading to a local restaurant for traditional Catalonian dishes. Duration approximately 3.5 hour(s). Transportation is included. A minimum of 10 passenger(s) is required to operate this option.

Please note: If our visit to the cathedral falls on a Sunday, we will not be able to tour inside the cathedral but instead will have the opportunity for individual reflection time inside, if desired.

Culinaries

• Enjoy regional wine with every included dinner.
• Gather for a memorable farewell dinner in Barcelona.

Must See

• Visit Gaudi's masterpiece La Sagrada Familia and celebrate Mass.
• View the site of the fifth apparition in Valinhos.

Choice Highlights

Fatima

Whatever your beliefs, you can’t help but be impressed by the vast reserves of faith that every year lead as many as 6 million people to the glade where, on May 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary is said to have first appeared to three awestruck peasant children. Where sheep once grazed there are now two huge churches on opposite ends of a vast 1km-long esplanade. For Catholic pilgrims, Fátima has a magnetic appeal like few places on earth, and a trip here will provide any visitor with new insights into Portugal’s religious facet.

Close to the town of Fatima lies the tiny hamlet of Aljustrel, the home of the three child seers and their families. It was in the home of Jacinta and Francisco Marto that Our Lady appeared four times—three times to Jacinta and once to her and Francisco. It was in the home of Sister Lucia dos Santos, the last living seer of Fatima and the last child in a family of seven, that the first interrogations of the shepherd children took place.

The fourth time Our Lady appeared was at the pasturage at Valinhos on the 19th of August, 1917. Coming to the children shortly after they had been abducted and unjustly imprisoned in the nearby town of Ourem, the Blessed Virgin told the seers that they must continue going to the Cova da Iria on the 13th of each month.

The extraordinary Gothic cathedral of Burgos is one of Spain's glittering jewels of religious architecture and looms large over the city and skyline. This Unesco World Heritage–listed cathedral is a masterpiece. A former modest Romanesque church, work began on a grander scale in 1221. Remarkably, within 40 years most of the French Gothic structure had been completed.

This sprawling town, 43km southeast of Pau, has been one of the world’s most important pilgrimage sites since 1858 when 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous was visited 18 times in a rocky grotto by the Virgin Mary. The visions were subsequently confirmed by the Vatican, and Bernadette was beatified in 1933. Now known as the Sanctuaires Notre Dame de Lourdes, the grotto is considered one of the holiest sites in Christendom. Over six million people arrive in Lourdes every year, hoping to be doused in the miraculous waters.

The spiritual centre of Lourdes is the subterranean grotto where Bernadette Soubirous experienced her visions in 1858. From the Porte St-Joseph , a broad boulevard sweeps towards the gilded spires of the Basilique du Rosaire and the Basilique Supérieure. Underneath is the fabled Grotte de Massabielle , where people queue for hours to enter and take a blessed dip in the cave’s icy-cold baths, while other pilgrims content themselves by lighting candles of remembrance outside.

Barcelona is an enchanting seaside city with boundless culture, fabled architecture and a world-class drinking and dining scene. Barcelona's architectural treasures span 2,000-plus years. Towering temple columns, ancient city walls and subterranean stone corridors provide a window into Roman-era Barcino. Fast forward a thousand years to the Middle Ages by taking a stroll through the shadowy lanes of the Gothic quarter, past tranquil plazas and soaring 14th-century cathedrals. In other parts of town bloom the sculptural masterpieces of Modernisme, a mix of ingenious and whimsical creations by Gaudí and his Catalan architectural contemporaries for which this city is so well known. Barcelona has also long-inspired artists, including the likes of Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró, whose works are in bold display in the city's myriad museums.

La Sagrada Familia, the Holy Family, is a church of the people, built by the people, with the money of the people. While it is not the cathedral of Barcelona, it is widely known due to its unique architecture and phenomenal design initiated by architect Antoni Gaudí. Work on the exploratory church began in 1882 and continue to this day, but with modern technology and the rising number of visitors and donations, the church’s completion date has rapidly become closer. The facades of the church are breathtaking in their intricate and artistic details all of which were inspired by Gaudí. The church is divided into parts including the apse, chapels, cloister, crossing and transepts, crypt, glory facade, the nativity facade, the passion facade, the main nave and the sacristies.

Mode of Transport

Travel overnight to Portugal, then journey through Spain and France, including a scenic drive through the Pyrenees Mountains, with transportation included for optional excursions in Barcelona.