Private tours in Oporto & surroundings
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Program
Fatima - Our Lady of Fatima is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary Who appeared to three shepherd children at Fátima, on
the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on 13 May, the Fatima holiday. Tour of Fatima where you can visit the
Sanctuary and the Basilica – with the tombstones of shepherds - and the Chapel of Apparitions, heart of the shrine – where Our
Lady appeared to the shepherds. Time to attend mass. Aljustrel, tour of the houses where Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia were born.
Valinhos, see the place where Our Lady of Fatima appeared for the 4th time in August 19th, 1917.
Loca do Anjo, visit the place where the children, Francisco, Jacinta and Lucia, saw the apparition of the Angel for the first and third
time.
Batalha - Proceed to Batalha Monastery, a XIV century masterpiece in Gothic style. Batalha Monastery, is a Dominican
monastery in the Portuguese town of Batalha, in the District of Leiria, Portugal. It is one of the best and original examples of Late
Gothic architecture in Portugal, intermingled with the Manueline style. It amazes the onlooker with its profusion of gables, spires,
pinnacles and buttresses. It has become a symbol of Portugal. Here you can admire the highest church in Portugal, the Royal
Pantheon of the “Conquerors of the Sea”, the manueline cloister and the “Unfinished Chapel”.
Nazaré - Nazare, the most colorful of Portuguese fishing villages and the richest fishing region of Portugal, where you’ll find
fishermen and their wives wearing traditional clothes; fishermen in knee length plaid trousers, and women in full skirts and seven
petticoats, mending nets. and find a beautiful handicraft. Nazare is known for its beautiful beaches and for its wonderful landscapes.
The traditions and the local gastronomy are all related with the Atlantic Ocean and t he people of Nazare are very kind welcoming
people.
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Obidos - Medieval city surrounded by the castle with picturesque narrow streets, whitewashed houses, iron balconies, flower pots in very window.
Inhabited by Romans and Arabs, this was the dwelling place of the Portuguese court for more than 500 years. Perched on a hill rising out of an agricultural
plain, Óbidos is one of Portugal’s picturesque gems. From its lofty centre one gazes upon expanses of vineyards speckled with whirling windmills and
terracotta-roofed homesteads. Nearer, narrow cobbled streets, lined typically with whitewashed, bougainvillaea-draped houses, wind up to the walled
interior.
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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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...In the XIV century, king Ferdinand died without a male heir to the throne; this originated the most significant civil war in Portugal,
involving England and Spain. The winner, king John I, ordered the construction of this Monastery in homage to his victory and to be
his Royal Pantheon. In fact, he started also what would become known as the “Magnificent Generation”, those Monarchs who gave
the impulse and consolidated the gigantic Portuguese Empire. The Monastery was to be the Portuguese monarchy's main building
project for the next two centuries. Here a highly original, national Gothic style evolved, profoundly influenced by Manueline art...
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…Possibly the most famous fishing town in Portugal, Nazaré is unique in many ways. It has an atmosphere of times gone by,
contentment and traditions, which continue to thrive, which make it a special place to visit. Along the seafront of Nazaré,
people still dry their catch of fish in the sun and mend their boats alongside sunbathing holidaymakers. A throng of craft
shops and cafes stretches the length of the Avenida Marginal, as well as restaurants serving a great variety of the local
speciality, which is of course fish. Until not too long ago, fishermen were still seen using oxen to pull their brightly painted
boats from the ocean and even today many locals still wear their characteristic traditional costumes: the fishermen have
check shirts and trousers, and the women wear several layers of petticoats. The fishing boats are Phoenician in design with
bright colours and eyes painted on the vessels, supposedly with the magical power to avert storms…
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...Perched on a hill rising out of an agricultural plain, Óbidos is one of Portugal’s picturesque gems. From its lofty centre one gazes
upon expanses of vineyards speckled with whirling windmills and terracotta-roofed homesteads. Nearer, narrow cobbled streets,
lined typically with whitewashed, bougainvillaea-draped houses, wind up to the walled interior. The region was the westernmost limit
of the Roman Empire. Under Portuguese rule, Obidos flourished into a major trading port. Every Portuguese queen was given
Obidos as a wedding present. Obidos continues to be a popular destination during the summer, when tourists jam the streets to
explore the city’s medieval charm....
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