Meet your guide at your Lisbon hotel, and learn about Portuguese history and faith as you travel north to Fátima, home to the Sanctuary of Fátima, a legendary pilgrimage site. Learn how three local shepherd children described the appearance of ‘a lady in white’ in 1917, then visit the basilica where the three children are buried.
Continue to the UNESCO-listed Batalha Monastery, a 14th-century Domincan convent built to commemorate a fierce battle between Portuguese and Castilan troops in 1385. Discover the rich details of the Gothic building, and trace the influence of local Manueline architecture through the site.
Stroll the picture-perfect center of Alcobaça, where historic neighborhoods and a quiet river wrap around the Alcobaça Monastery, another UNESCO site that’s among the most beautiful places in Portugal. Pay your respects to a pair of famous lovers buried in the monastery, and hear the tragic story of Prince Pedro and Inês de Castro, the queen who was crowned after death.
Make a final stop of the day at the walled city of Óbidos, and follow a maze of cobblestone streets to a historic castle, local shops and perfectly preserved homes; watch sunset from the pretty hilltown, then make the return trip to your Lisbon hotel. From March 28th to October 31st, this tour can accommodate a visit to the Fátima Candlelight Procession which takes place daily between 9:30pm and 11pm.
