Tour from Lisbon to Fatima
 

Does anyone know of a tour company or private person for a tour to Fatima? We will only be in Lisbon one day on a cruise stop.

I don't know if it is still there, but there was a tourist office on Ave. Liberdade just up from Rossio Station. You could book all kinds of tours here. If the office is not there, there should be a tourist office somewhere in that nabe.

Do an online search for tourist offices or travel agencies in Lisboa. They would be your best bet.

Usually the tours of Fatima include Nazare, Obidos, Bathalha, and Alcobaca.

There is so much to do in Lisboa. I don't know why you would want to spend your only day there visiting Fatima, which is a very strange and eerie place. The shops that sell religious articles in Fatima are extremely tacky. (I saw a BVM lamp and a Jesus coat rack in one of the shops.)

I would much rather wander around Alfama or visit the Jeronimos Monastery and Coaches Museum than go to Fatima for the day.

Thin

Go to a local tourist office, they can help you book. That's how we did it several years ago. They have bus trips as I recall it was pretty cheap and took most of the day. As an aside my mother was horrified at the huckster atmosphere around the shrine. They were selling everything you could think of with Our Lady of Fatima on it. The kicker was the OLF condoms. She was so mad she bought a pack and mailed them to the pope. Needless to say she did not get a reply. <G>

Shirleya53 writes: "Does anyone know of a tour company or private person for a tour to Fatima? We will only be in Lisbon one day on a cruise stop."

There are regular daytrip tours to Fatima Shrine offered by many Tour Companies; but all Tour Companies don't offer Tours to Fatima every day.

Check with your Cruise Ship Operator. I know that Cruises that stop in Vigo offer Tours to Santiago de Compostela; and Cruises that stop in Cadiz often offer Tours to Sevilla. If the Cruise Ship operates to Lisbon regularly, the least they ahould have is a 'Tour booklet' for Lisbon.

In Lisbon, there's a Nossa Senhora da Fatima Church on Avda Verna. I saw a notice in the window of a Religious articles shop across the street from the Church advertiaing Tours to Fatima.

Everyone should plan their vacation the way they want. BUT.

Having been brought up Catholic and having been to Fatima I have to say that it is kind of strange to say the least.

I would hope that your only memory of Portugal would not be that of Fatima. But if the tours include the other stops, as Thin says, then it would be worth it.

Good Luck.

Check with Tours for You - www.toursforyou.pt - they offer a half-day tour and they get very good reviews (I've personally used them twice, but not for Fatima). If you can find others on your cruise that would like to go with you, the cost per person will be more palatable.

But as others have said, Lisbon is such a gem it seems a shame to leave town.

(As edifices built to exalt the glory of God, there are ruins of cathedrals and abbeys elsewhere in world that have left me with a much deeper feeling of wonderment than the cold, stark monument at Fatima.)

Is it possible to do the trip to Fatima independently? I am leaving tomorrow for Lisbon and would like to avoid a big bus tour. We have several days in the city and I'm curious to see this place.

Also, can direct me to a site where I can find good self-guided walking tours of Lisbon?

Thanks in advance!

Here's a walking tour designed by a poster on this board who is very knowledgeable about Lisbon.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-lisbon.cfm?50

It is possible to see Fatima on your own. I'm guessing you won't have a car so stop in the tourist office in Lisbon and ask about buses to Fatima.

IMHO Fatima is not worth the time it takes to get there.

I was in Lisbon last January, and wanted to see Fatima, as well as the other area sights: Batalha, Alcobaca, Obidos and Nazare. Public transport made it impossible to do all 5 in one day, so I had to take a tour, which I don't normally do. I visited the helpful staff at the tourist info centre near Rossio Square, and they helped me book a tour with "Cool Tours LX". It was low season so I was the only person on the tour, but it ran anyway! My guide for the day was Gonzalo, an extremely knowledgeable and friendly person. Can't say enough great things about him and the tour!

We started at 9:30 from the Hard Rock Cafe. First stop was Fatima, where we spent about 90 minutes. I am a Catholic, but was not moved by this sight. That was enough time to see it for me. From there it was a short drive to the other places, and final stop was the very charming walled town of Obidos. Highly recommended if you want to see more than just Fatima on a day trip.

http://www.cooltourlx.com/en/node/60

Shirley53, I agree with “Cries” and others – with only a day in Lisbon, I would NOT go to Fatima. Although I too had been brought up a Catholic, I believe that Fatima was the tacky destination I have ever been to in Europe. Sound harsh, but it’s true. I found the rest of Portugal charming.

Hope you enjoy your cruise….