Marian Way

We’ll meet at the lobby of our hotel in Porto at 6 pm to have our Camino presentation and our first dinner together. It’s the perfect moment to start sharing and tasting the unique local gastronomy and exquisite wines. It’s Porto Wine o’clock!!!

We’ll meet at the lobby of our hotel in the morning to head to what is known as the Archbishop’s city, in our private bus, where a very special guided visit will allow us to understand why this special place is known too as the Portuguese Rome. After a special lunch, we’ll head to our hotel in the Princess of Lima, Viana do Castelo.
Free afternoon.

Accommodations in Viana do Castelo

And, surrounded by the medieval walls of Caminha, we’ll put our feet on the way!!!
The 13th century Clock’s tower will set the time to our departure, following the blue arrows, heading South. We’ll meet the ocean shortly, and it will be escorting us all the way to the fortress of the Vila Praia de Âncora, our final destination.

Accommodations in Viana do Castelo

The already familiar blue arrows will lead us to the small paradise of the Convento de Cabanas. It is a pastoral and romantic place with luxuriant vegetation, sparkling streams and old watermills. The surroundings are further embellished by scattered tiles inscribed with lovely poems, but the most impressive is the ancient magnolia tree, planted between 1720 and 1750. Following the river through a verdant forest we will head to the Princess of the Lima river: Viana do Castelo.

Accommodations in Coimbra

We’ll be walking on the Carmelite Route now: the long dirt trails – mellow, calming, inspiring and peaceful, with never ending views – and the silence, only broken by the sound of our steps, will allow us to enter a new dimension of our Pilgrimage: the inner journey will start going deeper. We’ll finish the day in Rabaçal, known for the special goat and sheep cheese.

Accommodations in Coimbra

The Rabaçal Valley accompanies us at this stage. Crossed by the 16th Roman road connecting Lisbon with Braga  and the original Way of St. James, it is characterised by dry fields, where vine and centuries old olive trees stand out. The flocks that punctuate the landscape give rise to the famous Rabaçal cheese. On the ascent to Germanelo, rest a bit and explore the 12th century castle of King D. Afonso Henriques and couto de homiziados a location which, during the Middle Ages, benefitted from special privileges, providing sanctuary from tax and judicial authorities.

Accommodations in Tomar

From Freixianda, whose parish church is worthy of a visit one can already breathe Fátima on this last stretch of the path. Until one reaches Seiça, the landscape is marked by the medieval vineyard of Ourém, whose origins hark back to the foundation of Portugal and to the times when the king D. Afonso Henriques ceded land to the Monks of Cister, for cultivation. Wine production follows ancestral techniques. We’ll have to treat ourselves to this nectar.

Accommodations in Tomar

Tomar is one of the most iconic Portuguese cities and known as the Templar City.
With the extinction of the Order of Templars, many of the survivors found protection under King Dinis of Portugal. This king’s work opened the doors of Portugal to the world, formally creating the Portuguese Royal Navy and erecting the first University. He’s responsible as well for planting the oldest artificial forest in the World, the Leiria’s pine forest! From the former Templar’s Order, the Order of Christ was created and, with their knowledged and sponsoring, with the formal creation of a naval force and with the wood from the forests, the bases for the creation of the first worldwide empire were gathered and 1415, with the conquer of Ceuta, the Discoveries started. And, in Tomar, with a very special guided visit to the incredible Convent of Christ, get ready to travel in time!

Accommodations in Tomar

We’ll be walking on the Nazareth’ s path, today. Known by the gigantic waves, of more that 100ft high during winter, on the top of the cliff, we’ll find the 14th century Our Lady of Nazaré Sanctuary.    
Our camino crosses the lands that the Cistercian monks cleared and began to populate from the late 12th century and which were part of the historic Coutos de Alcobaça, a territory administered by the monastery. Areas of pine forest on sandy soil alternate with the fertile, alluvial agricultural fields, where villages and towns emerge from the prosperous rural parishes. The fauna and flora are varied, with seabirds in the area of Atlantic influence and the varied fruits from the productive floodplains, fed by rivers and streams.

Accommodations in Porto de Mós

And, our day will start with views of the emblematic castle of Porto de Mós, built over roman walls, around the 12^th century. The walk takes place amid amazing scenery of great beauty through the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros Natural Park, in the middle of the Estremadura Limestone Massif, the most important karst region in the country. The fauna is varied, with bats, rooks and different species of eagle. The flora is rich in wild and endemic species. It is also a territory with an abundant network of underground watercourses and great speleological wealth (caves).

Accommodations in Ourém’s castle

From the impressive Castle of Ourém, we’ll descend from the Candeeiros mountain range to the São Mamede plateau. The surrounding landscape is unique and, on days of high visibility, the horizon extends to the sea. Finally, the last part is a serene descent with welcoming ancient villages, surrounded by farmland, dotted with olive trees, oaks and holm oaks. Most probably, when seeing the top of Fátima’s Basilica on the horizon, some special emotions might arise, but it’s common to feel just in Peace. This incredible sensation of peace, that this special place always releases.
You’ve finally arrived to where you were always expected! Congratulations!!!

Accommodations in Fátima

It’s a resting and restoring day and we’ll meet only in the afternoon to visit the Sanctuary and where the three little shepherds grew. Our local guide will give us the historical, political background to the appearance of this unique place, known as The Altar of the World.

Accommodations in Fãtima

We’ll meet in the morning and we’ll drive to Lisbon. On our way we’ll stop in the beautiful city of Santarém, where we’ll visit the Most Holy Miracle Sanctuary. According to tradition, in the 13^th century, a host turned into blood after being offered at the Church of St. Stephen. After having lunch, we’ll head to our hotel in Lisbon to enjoy our farewell meal, surely filled with pleasant surprises!!!

Accommodations in Lisbon