Fatima Sanctuary

Fatima, 75 km southwest of Coimbra in Santarem District, is reached in about 1 hour by car via the A1/IC9 or roughly 1.5 hours on a direct Rede Expressos coach, one of the most frequently traveled routes from Coimbra. The sanctuary complex centers on the vast Sanctuary Square, flanked by the neoclassical Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, where three shepherd children reported Marian apparitions in 1917, and the modern circular Basilica of the Holy Trinity, completed in 2007 and among the largest churches in the world. A typical visit begins at the Chapel of the Apparitions, the small open-air structure marking the exact apparition site, followed by the two basilicas and the small Fatima Museum documenting the events of 1917. Visitors of all faiths and none are welcome to observe the site's scale and daily candlelight processions, which take place each evening near the chapel. Nearby, casual restaurants along Rua de Santo Antonio serve simple Portuguese fare, and the shopping streets sell religious souvenirs and local sweets. May 13 and October 13, the anniversaries of the first and last reported apparitions, draw hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and are best avoided for a quieter, more contemplative visit; outside those dates the sanctuary is calm and easy to see in half a day before returning to Coimbra by evening.