Fátima Essentials

About 130 kilometres north of Lisbon, up the A1 motorway, which is roughly an hour and twenty minutes each way. We collect you wherever you are staying and drive straight there, so the travelling is done in one comfortable stretch rather than in stages.

Yes. Entry to the Sanctuary of Fátima is free, and that includes the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Chapel of the Apparitions and the Basilica of the Holy Trinity. There is nothing to buy at the gate and no admission for us to add to the price.

Yes, at no extra cost. Your driver-guide times the day around a celebration of the day rather than selling you a separate option. Leave a note at checkout or message our team when you book, and we build the visit around the Mass you want to attend.

The half day is five hours and covers the core of the Sanctuary: the prayer square and colonnade, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Chapel of the Apparitions and the Basilica of the Holy Trinity. The eight-hour full day adds Aljustrel, Valinhos with the Way of the Cross, and time for lunch.

Pilgrims gather in the prayer square with candles after the rosary at half past nine in the evening. Since February 2025 it takes place every night, all year round. The great pilgrimage form, when the image is carried to the altar in the square, is on the night of the 12th, May to October.

Yes, on the full day, from March to October, at the same price. Tell us when you book and we move the departure to the late afternoon so you are in the square for the procession, returning to Lisbon in the evening rather than at the end of the afternoon.

The 12th and 13th of each month from May to October are the great pilgrimage dates, along with 15 August and 8 December. They are moving, and crowded. Because the candlelight procession is now nightly and year round, a quieter date still gives you the experience. Tell us your dates and we advise.

It sits in the crown of the image of Our Lady at the Chapel of the Apparitions, given to Fátima by the Pope in 1984. The precious crown that holds it is worn only on the 13th from May to October, on 15 August and on 8 December. A silver crown is used on other days.

Many travellers come for the history rather than the faith: a 1917 event that shaped a country's identity, an enormous twentieth-century square, and two basilicas built around it. Your driver-guide reads what you want from the day and tells the story without asking anything of you.

Not wheelchair accessible. It is stroller accessible, infant seats are available on request, and service animals are welcome. On the full day the Way of the Cross at Valinhos is outdoors on uneven ground, so wear comfortable shoes. Children are welcome and must be accompanied by an adult.