It is only fitting I start my blog with the spiritual city of Fátima for two reasons. First, its the week of May 13th – a major week in Fátima as its the first sighting of Our Lady of Fátima to the Three Shepard Children back in 1917, although; this year it has been sad to see videos posted from family on how empty the streets are due to COVID-19. Second, my parents town is about a 10 minute drive from this globally known location, therefore, a frequent stop while we are visiting Portugal.

Location:

Fátima consists of about 10,000 inhabitants, and is a part of the municipality of Ourém. It is located about 130kms North of Lisbon. Fátima is globally known from the religious visions that took place between May and October of 1917. It has since remained an important pilgrimage location for people of the Roman Catholic faith, attracting approximately 7 million people a year. 

A Brief History:

On the day of May 13th, 1917, Three Shepard children: Lúcia dos Santos and her two younger cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, took their flock of sheep to graze in a field called Cova da Iria. They seen a flash of light where they said, ‘a lady more beautiful then the sun’ appeared to them, telling them to pray the rosary every day to create peace. She would also reveal to them three secrets about mankind as she would return on the 13th of every month until October. On her last visit she would tell them who she was and create a miracle known today as ”The Miracle of the Sun.”  The three secrets were prophesies regarding events like WW2, the rise and fall of communism, and the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. The ”Miracle of the Sun” was witnessed by 70, 000 people who stated that the light from the sun ‘danced in the sky.’ The two siblings Francisco and Jacinta passed away a couple years later due to the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic.  Lúcia lived a devoted life as a Carmelite Nun and passed away in 2005.  

Planning Your Trip: 

Getting There:  Fátima is very easily accessed from anywhere in Portugal, although it is the quickest to access when in Lisbon.  Going by bus may be the cheapest route to take, and you can get a direct ticket from most major cities in Portugal.  The train is also available to take from most major cities although the train station in Fátima is about a 15 minute drive to the towns centre, therefore you would need to take a taxi into town from the train station.  You can travel to Fátima by car. From Porto it takes about 2.5 hours and from Lisbon it is about a 1 hour and 20 minute drive. It is not hard to travel to Fátima by car, the problem is finding parking – it is very difficult to find parking especially in the summer months. Another way to get to Fátima is the pilgrimage route. There are 4 main routes that I will discuss below for those interested. 

Curency: Euros 

Language: Portuguese, although most shops/museums/restaurants do speak English 

Getting Around: The city is small enough to travel by foot, but there are areas around Fatima that are must sees (like the coin caves) that are accessible by taxi, or tour guides. 

Attire: What you bring to wear depends on time of year. Make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes as there is a lot of walking around the city. Casual attire is acceptable.

Travel Tip: Fátima is busiest in the months of May – October the 12-13th days of these months being the most popular. If you are planing just to see the town and what its all about avoid those days, but, I highly recommend going during these times to experience the true meaning of Fátima.  The candle light procession is my favourite. 

My Must See/Do:

• Basilica of Our Lady of Fátima: Construction began here in 1928 and the tombs of the Three Shepard Children are here. It is free to visit.  While you are there, walk around the sanctuary. 
• The houses of Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta are about a 3km distance  from the city centre. These homes show how they lived in 1917. The location of their houses is in Aljustrel. 
• The Wax Museum of Fátima is a great place to go to hear the story of Fátima. It has scenes in chronological order of all the events that were taken place. Entry for adults is 7,75€. https://www.mucefa.pt/en/ 
• Grutas da Moeda (coin caves). This is a MUST SEE! It is located just outside of Fátima, about a 3 minute drive. The caves are full of galleries of beautiful limestone formations that continue to grow and change daily! Entry for adults is 7,00€. https://www.grutasmoeda.com/en

Food and Accommodations: 

• Food: Restaurants in Fátima offer great meals at affordable prices. My tip is to take a look at the menu and see what they have to offer as their special because this changes daily. If you want to keep costs down, say no to the bread, butter, and cheeses that they put out on the table as this is not free – there is a cost to this.  A great restaurant to go to is called ‘Restaurante Panorama,’ we really enjoy eating here when we are visiting. It is right off the sanctuary.
• Accommodations: There are many places to stay in Fátima on any budget, of course filling up in May-October especially the weeks of the 13th, so remember to reserve your rooms well in advance. There are also a number of campsites that will accommodate tents and campers. A website I like to use and have had good luck with when I travel is, http://www.booking.com it compares rates and has places to stay for any budget. 

Pilgrimage Route: 

People may decide to visit Fátima by foot.  People decide to do this for several different reason – personal and/or spiritual. The four routes: Tagus Way, the Northern Way, the Nazaré Way and the Carmelite Way avoid major roads and stay in rural areas where the traffic is not as heavy. They all have variety of stopping points where once can eat, sleep, or rest. These routes are marked with blue arrows on the roads as the Tagus Way and the Northern Way both coincide with the Santiago Way which is marked with a yellow arrow. 

1. Tagus Way:  Between Lisbon and Fátima lasting about 140kms. 
2. Northern Way: This route starts at the Spanish border in Valença, and passes through Porto and Coimbra. It runs for about 260kms. 
3. Nazaré Way: This route connects from Nazaré to Fátima and is approximately 48kms long. 
4. Carmelite Way: This route connects Coimbra to Fátima, running 111kms long. It is divided into 6 stages and is made up form the inspiration of the work of Sister Lúcia who lived in the Carmelo de Santa Teresa. 

Although Fátima is a religious place, you do not have to be Roman Catholic to appreciate the spiritual feelings and enjoy the city. There are many day tours that depart out of Lisbon and go to Fátima for the day – this is a good option especially if you are not interested in attending masses, or taking the small spiritual walk along the Hungarian stations of the cross that are displayed through olive tree paths that the Three Shepard Children took daily. If the masses or spiritual walks do not interest you I would recommend a day tour that goes from Lisbon to Fátima and stops at Batalha along the way to see the Mosteiro da Batalha. (Monastery of Batalha) – this is discussed in my Next Post!

Until next time and remember to live laugh E amar!