Marian Pilgrimage Through Fatima, Lourdes & Barcelona

Your journey begins today as you depart on your international flight to Lisbon. Meals and drinks will be served aloft.

• Arrive to Lisbon Airport and be greeted by a Glimmer Tours representative.
• You will then be escorted to your bus where your driver will bring you to your first hotel, in Lisbon, for dinner and a restful overnight stay.
  

• We will kick off our first full day in Lisbon with a visit to Belem Tower. Officially known as the Tower of Saint Vincent, this structural masterpiece is considered the gateway to Portugal’s capital city.
• Next, we will visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site, St. Jerome’s Monastery. This ornate monastery is truly a sight to behold.
• Following St. Jerome’s Monastery, we will pay a visit to St. Anthony’s Church, built over the birthplace of St. Anthony of Lisbon who is known as the patron saint for the recovery of lost items and people.
  
• We will also get to see Rossio Square, Lisbon’s main square since the Middle Ages.
  
• Our next stop will be to Restauradores Square. This Square is dedicated to the restoration of Portugal’s independence in 1640 following 80 years of Spanish control.
  
• We will then make our way to Fatima, but not without stopping first in Santarem to witness the miracle of the bleeding host. This is where blood started to trickle from the consecrated host during mass.
  
• When we arrive in Fatima, we will experience one of the most visited Marian Shrines in the world — visited by roughly 4 million pilgrims every year. We will then continue to our hotel to enjoy dinner, free time and a restful overnight stay.
  

• Our first full day in Fatima begins with a visit to the Little Chapel of the Apparitions. This is where the Virgin Mary appeared to the three children on May 13, 1917.
• The children to whom Our Lady appeared went on to become saints: St. Francisco, St. Jacinta and Sister Lucia. The remarkable Our Lady of the Rosary Basilica, our next destination, contains their tombs.
• We will then head to the Holy Trinity Basilica, a modern basilica with beautiful mosaics and artifacts that our pilgrims love to explore.
  
• We will next pass by Via Sacra, also known as “The Sacred Way,” which consists of 15 small chapels commemorating the Passion of our Lord. We will have the opportunity to pass several of these Stations of the Cross on the same path taken by the three children to their first apparition of Our Lady. Continuing to Valinhos, we will experience the site of Our Lady’s fourth apparition on August 19, 1917, and the first and third apparitions of the Guardian Angel of Portugal.
  
• After dinner, we will end the evening with a beautiful candlelight procession and rosary with devoted pilgrims from all over the world.
  

• On day 5, we will depart Fatima and head to one of Spain’s most fascinating cities, Salamanca. Salamancais known for its sandstone architecture and large historic university.
• We will begin the day with a stop at Plaza Mayor, Spain’s most beautiful plaza. It is a popular gathering area located right in the center of Salamanca.
• Following Plaza Mayor, we will make our way to La Clerecia. This historic Catholic church features iconic bell towers and sweeping city views.
• We will then head to the Casa de Las Conchas, a historic building built in the late 14th and early 15th century that currently operates as a public library.
• We will also visit The University of Salamanca which was founded by Alfonso IX of León in 1218. You will have the opportunity to be transported back in time as you take in the mesmerizing architecture of Spain’s oldest university in existence.
  
• The Roman Bridge is our next stop. This ancient bridge, and national monument, spans the Tormes River and entrance to the city of Salamanca.
• We will continue on and visit La Iglesia de San Marcos. This round-shaped church contains numerous paintings portraying scenes of Our Lady’s life.
• On our next stop, we will pass by La Iglesia de San Martin. Here you will see a church devoted to St. Martin de Porres. He is the patron saint for people of mixed race and all those seeking racial harmony. We end the day with dinner and a restful night’s sleep.

• The morning of day 6, we begin with a short ride to Alba de Tormes. This town is home to the Carmelite Monastery that Saint Teresa founded in 1571.
• Our first stop is the Basilica of Saint Teresa, where Saint Teresa died and was buried.
• A short walk then takes us to the Carmelite Museum, where Saint Teresa’s remains are buried and displayed in a small chapel. Here you will see her incorrupt heart and arm, enshrined and displayed.
• We then depart Alba de Tormes to head to Avila. This Spanish city is best known for its medieval city walls that surround the town. The impressive walls are still fully intact even after many hundreds of years.
• At the Cathedral de Avila, you will experience the Romanesque and Gothic architecture that makes this cathedral both a church and a fortress.
• We will then head to the Basilica de San Vicente, which stands on the traditional site of the martyrdom of St. Vincent at the hands of the Romans.
• Following our visit to the basilica, we will head to the Incarnation Convent of St. Teresa. This convent is where St. Teresa became a nun, lived, wrote and had many mystical experiences.
• Once we have completed our tour of Avila, we will depart for Burgos. This timeless city is host to many historical landmarks and churches from the medieval age.

• We begin day 7 with a walking tour of Burgos, starting with a visit to the Burgos Cathedral — Spain’s third-largest cathedral and Burgos’ main attraction.
• We will continue on to the Arco de Santa Maria which is a stunning sight to behold. This fortified gate is one of the 12 medieval doors the city had during the Middle Ages.
• After we finish exploring Burgos, we will head to Lourdes with a stop along the way to Loyola, to explore the Basilica of St. Ignatius of Loyola. This basilica was built around the birthplace of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who is the founder of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits..
• After our visit to Loyola has concluded, we will make our way to Lourdes while enjoying a scenic drive through the beautiful Pyrenees Mountains.
• In the Southwest of France, Lourdes is home to one of the world’s most visited Catholic Marian Shrines. Upon arrival, we will enjoy dinner and spend a restful night in preparation for day 8.

• We will spend the next 2 full days in Lourdes exploring and experiencing the home of the life-changing transformations that now bring 6 million pilgrims each year. The following is an overview of all the places we will visit while in Lourdes.
• We will start at the Grotto of Massabielle, where Our Lady first appeared to 14-year-old Bernadette in 1858. If available, we will attend a beautiful mass at the grotto.
• We will then proceed to the Miraculous Spring in the Grotto. This spring was discovered by St. Bernadette during one of her apparitions.
• If current entry restrictions allow, we will have the opportunity to submerge ourselves in the waters of the Healing Baths. The water here flows from the Grotto of Massabielle.
• We will be able to fill a personal bottle of Lourdes Water from the spring in the Grotto at the fountains outside. We can drink the water and take it home with us to share with our family & friends.
• Next we will visit the Boly Mill, where St. Bernadette was born on January 7, 1844. Since her parents were poor millers who worked in the grain mill, they were generally known in Lourdes as the Millers of Boly.
• We continue on to The Cachot, the tiny prison where St. Bernadette and her family lived in the 1850s.
• Each evening, after dinner, you will have the opportunity to join an awe-inspiring Candlelight Rosary Procession with people from all over the world.

• On the morning of day 10, we will depart Lourdes and head to Barcelona. This city is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. We will enjoy free time, dinner and a restful night’s sleep.

• Day 11, we will start our full day in Barcelona with a panoramic city tour, including a drive up Montjuic Mountain. Here, we’ll enjoy sweeping city views and see the facilities of the 1992 Olympic games.
• The Plaza de Catalunya is next on our list, and it is Barcelona’s busiest square located by the old city center.
• Another highlight is the walk down Las Ramblas. Barcelona’s most vibrant street is filled with delightful restaurants, fun shops and beautiful architecture.
• We will continue on to Barcelona’s most famous landmark, La Sagrada Familia Basilica. The basilica is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Today a Glimmer Tours representative will drive you to the Barcelona airport so you can catch your flight home safely with unforgettable memories to last a lifetime.