Private tours in Oporto & surroundings
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Program
08:30h Pick-Up at the Hotel.
10:30h Arrival at Fatima - Visit Fátima Sanctuary. Free Time for Religious Activities.
14:00h Departure to Coimbra. Visit Historical Centre
17:00h Departure to Oporto. 18:30h Expected arrival in Porto.
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Description
Fatima is becoming the most famous pilgrimage shrine in the world dedicated to Marian devotion. Our Lady appeared 6 times to 3 shepherds in 1917
telling them 3 secrets about world policy performance.
We stop close the huge sanctuary where you can visit:
The Basilica with the tombstones of the shepherds witnessing the apparitions of Our Lady - Lucia, Jacinta, Francisco.
In the Basilica and side chapels or in the new church you can confess, as there are priests in several languages.
The Apparitions’ Chapel - heart of the shrine, built on the place where Our Lady appeared to the shepherds. It’s here that most masses are commonly held
in several languages. There’s the statue of the Virgin made at her likeness, according to Lucia's description.
Right in front of the Chapel, a source of water came to light. There's a tap near the monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, where you can get the pure
water to be blessed by a priest.
To the left side of the chapel, in the exterior, there is a stone column that points out the place where there the holm oak tree where Our Lady appeared to
the shepherds was before. Nevertheless, we can still see a tree from the time of the apparitions, under which the shepherds waited the Virgin.
Also, to the left of the Apparitions’ Chapel, you’ll find a spot full of candles where you can light a candle and make a vow to Our Lady; not far, is the
main Office of the Information Service, where you can get all the information you want about Fatima.
House of Our Lady of the Pain - Situated behind the Chapel of Apparitions, it is destined to receive the Sick during the great pilgrimages.
On the floor of the vast square, there is a marble passage crossed by pilgrims on their knees until they reach the Apparitions’ chapel to ask physical and
spiritual heal from Our Lady or fulfill a promise.
Coimbra - Famous for its university, ceramics and fado music, Coimbra is a quaint town offering winding cobblestone alleys, commercial plazas and hilltop
views overlooking the Rio Mondego. Coimbra, a wonderful mix of centuries of culture, is one of Portugal's major historic capitals and is divided in the
upper part – the Episcopal and University section - and lower part near the river - the shopping district. From the more modern lower town on the right
bank of the Mondego steep lanes climb to the upper town, with the extensive buildings of the University, on a hill 100m above the river. This University,
rich in history and said to be the oldest seat of learning in Portugal, was founded in the XIII century.
Cafes on Largo da Portagem near Avenida Emídio Navarro overlook a grassy area with flowerbeds and offer a place to watch locals. Or, feel the rapture as
you sip your coffee beneath the solemn looking Igreja Santiago on Praça do Comercio. Many of the restaurants along the main plazas also offer outdoor
seating as well as full menus.
Coimbra's historic center is full of ancient alleyways. But to feel the atmosphere, the best route is to stroll along the Rua Ferreira Borges/Rua Visconde da
Luz, Coimbra's main shopping street. Shops, galleries, and cafes line Coimbra's streets, including an assortment of bars and wine taverns catering to the
student population of the city. The Arco de Almedina just off of Rua Ferreira Borges is the gateway to the Upper town.
Once you pass through Almedina arch the cobblestones rise to meet you on a consistent upward stretch. About half way up the hill you’ll meet up with
the Quebra Costas (Backbreaker) stairs.
Among many other historic buildings worth a visit we have the Romanesque Sé Velha (imposing, castle-like structure, one of the most important
Romanesque Roman Catholic buildings in Portugal).
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...The Catholic Church regards the three parts of the Fatima Secret and the total Fatima
message to be important and of great value to the spiritual lives of its people. It consists only of
prophecies about the new condition of the Church in the world.... Fatima and its Secret do
present us with something deeply serious, for they bring us face to face with the mysteries of
eternal life. Fatima is undoubtedly the most prophetic of modern apparitions. Faith and prayer
are forces which can influence history and that in the end prayer is more powerful than bullets
and faith more powerful than armies...
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...This city holds a special place in the hearts of all the Portuguese. Rich in its history and is the oldest seat
of learning in Portugal with a University founded in 1290 by King Dinis, one of the oldest in the world. Six
of Portugal’s Kings were born here and between 1139 and 1256 it was the chosen capital of the country.
Old Coimbra sits on a hill on the right bank of the River Mondego, with the university crowding its summit.
Centuries of history lie under a fine mantle of huddled white washed houses, intersected by endless winding
streets, steps, arches and lanes which decorate this beautiful, centuries-old Upper Coimbra. The city has a
few archeological remains of ruins dating from the time it was a Roman town called Aeminium.With a
dense urban grid the city of Coimbra is famous for its monuments, churches, libraries, museums,
numerous parks, gardens, nightlife, health-care and shopping facilities, but above all for its University,
which made Coimbra develop into an important cultural centre and has notable monuments from that era
and beyond. Due to its monumental buildings and history, attracts tourists from around the world...
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