Until May 13, 1917, when the Virgin Mary appeared to three local peasant children, Fátima (pop. 8,000) was just a quiet sheep pasture. Now, every year, over 4 million Catholics make the pilgrimage here to see the stunning Santuário built to honor the miracle. A sign at the entrance of the Santuário complex states, in several languages, “Fátima is a place for adoration; enter as a pilgrim.” Only France’s Lourdes rivals this site in popularity with Catholic pilgrims; the miracles believed to have occurred here attract an endless international procession of religious groups. The plaza in front of the church, larger than St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, floods with pilgrims on the 12th and 13th of each month. These pilgrims have created a large tourism industry in Fátima—there are over 10,000 beds for visitors in the various hotels and residenciais.
Fátima is essentially a religious monument surrounded by souvenir shops, and all activity centers around the basilica complex. The Santuário de Fátima is the huge, open praça in the middle of everything, which fills with visitors on special occasions and on the 12th and 13th of each month. Directly below it, the new 9000-seat church, inagurated in 2007, stands as the fourth largest church in the world. Av. Dom José Alves Correia da Silva is below the Santuário, beginning near the bus station. It runs past the lower end of the complex to the tourist office, which is situated in a stone building with a wooden roof. From the bus station, go right and walk approximately 10min.; the office is on the right.
Scores of residenciais and hotels surround the basilica complex. Prices vary greatly. Saturday stays are usually €5-10 more than weekday stays, and it’s best to reserve a month ahead on summer weekends and holidays and a week ahead otherwise. Residencial Aleluia , Av. D. José A. C. Silva, 120, down the street from the bus stop on the lower corner of the complex, has chic rooms with A/C, TV, hardwood floors, suede bedspreads, and leather couches. (☎249 53 15 40; www.residencialaleluia.com. Breakfast €3. Lunch/dinner buffets €11. Singles €25-30, doubles €30-35, triples €42-48. Prices go up €5 on summer weekends and during all of Aug. AmEx/MC/V.) Another option is the new St. Brigid Hotel , R. Francisco Marto, 100, two blocks away from the santuario. The hotel just opened in 2008 and all rooms have TV, A/C, and private bathrooms. (☎249 53 31 11, fax 249 53 20 28. Singles €30, doubles €40, triples €50. MC/V.)
Restaurants and snack bars cluster between souvenir shops along R. Francisco Marto, R. Santa Isabela, and R. Jacinta Marto. Close to the wax museum on the left side of the Santuário, the upstairs O Terminal , R. Jacinta Marto, 24, offers the biggest portions of traditional Portuguese food for the best prices in town. Entrees €5-9. (☎249 53 19 77. Open daily 10am-3:30pm and 6-9:30pm. Cash only.) On the other side of the Santuário, well-established Restaurant Alfredo , R. Francisco Marto, 159 CV, serves huge plates and is always filled with locals. Their bacalhau no forno (oven-broiled cod) is a house specialty. Limited vegetarian options. (Down the stairs past the corner Millennium BCP bank. Entrees €6-10. Open daily noon-3pm and 7-10pm. MC/V.) Rock-bottom prices can be found at the Pingo Doce supermarket on Av. D. José A. C. da Silva. (From the bus station, go to the left. Open daily 8:30am-9pm.)
Santuário De Fátima. As soon as you walk into the main praça, you’ll feel Fátima’s overwhelming presence. Many of the devout travel the length of the gigantic plaza on their knees, all the way from the cross to the capelinha, praying for divine assistance or giving thanks to the Virgin Mary. During the grand pilgrimages on the 12th and 13th from May to October, the crowds fill the entire plaza.
Uphill, overlooking the plaza, rises the Basílica do Rosário (erected in 1928), featuring a crystal cruciform beacon atop the tower’s seven-ton bronze crown. Inside are the tombs of the three “seers,” or witnesses of the apparitions. Francisco and Jacinta died as children, and lie in opposite naves. Lúcia, the third and oldest child, died in 2005 at the age of 97 after serving as a devout nun for over 70 years. Her tomb was placed beside Jacinta’s in February 2006. (Open daily 7:30am-10:30pm. Mass daily at 7:30, 9, 11am, 3, 4:30, and 6:30pm. Free.) To the left is the Capelinha das Aparições, the first of the buildings to be constructed, where a statue of the Virgin now stands in the exact location where the miracles are said to have taken place. Sheltered beneath a metal and glass canopy, the capelinha was built in 1919 and continues to house “Perpetual Adoration,” which consists of several masses in various languages during the day and a fire continuously fueled by the candles of visitors. (International mass Th 9am. Candlelight procession daily Apr.-Oct. 9:30pm.)
Grutas Da Moeda (Moeda Caves) . Fátima’s caves offer a refreshing change from the religious sites and are easily accessible. Discovered in 1971 by two hunters chasing a fox, the caves lie 45m below the surface and conceal several stunning limestone formations and an underground waterfall. Bring a rain jacket if you go in the winter, as cave showers are frequent. (☎244 70 43 02 or 244 70 38 38. www.grutasmoeda.com. Call ☎800 20 56 18 from the tourist office to schedule a free pick-up. The number does not work outside of the tourist office. Caves open daily July-Sept. 9am-7pm, April-June. 9am-6pm, Oct.-Mar. 9am-5pm; last tickets sold 30min. before closing. €5, cartâo jovem €3.50, children 6-12 €2.50.)
Museums. The Museu de Arte Sacra e Etnologia exhibits Catholic icons from various cultures, showcasing the interplay between Catholicism and native societies around the world. (R. Francisco Marto, 52. ☎249 53 94 70; fax 53 94 79. Open Tu-Su Apr.-Oct. 10am-7pm; Nov.-Mar. 10am-5pm. €2.50, seniors and students €1.50.) Other tackier museums surround Fátima. The Museu de Cera (Wax Museum) gives a comprehensive history of Fátima and the miracles that made it famous, taking visitors through 31 unnervingly realistic wax scenes. (R. Jacinta Marto. ☎249 53 93 00; www.mucefa.pt. Open daily Apr.-Oct. 9:30am-6:30pm; Nov.-Mar. M and Sa 9am-5:30pm, Tu-F and Su 10am-5pm. €6, under 12 €3.50.) The Museu Fátima 1917 Aparições, with its descriptions and visual and sound effects, is a similar but more dramatic (and kitschier) version of the wax museum. The audio guide is available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, and German. (R. Jacinta Marto below ground level in the J.P. II building. To the left of the basilica, follow the signs to the underground complex across the street from Hotel Fátima. ☎249 53 28 58; www.museuaparicoes.com. Open daily Apr.-Oct. 9am-7pm, Nov.-Mar. 9am-6pm. €3.50, under 12 €1.50.) Fátima’s newest museum, the Museu do Vida de Cristo, traces the life of Jesus from conception to resurrection in 33 scenes for those seeking a modernized, commercialized religious experience. The shiny, white-marbled modern complex also houses a mini-shopping center where wine, religious artifacts, and other trinkets can be purchased. (Rua Francisco Marto. ☎249 53 06 80; www.vidadecristo.pt. Open Apr-Oct M-Sa 9am-7pm, Su 9am-6pm; Nov.-Mar. M-Sa 9am-6pm, Su 9am-5:30pm. €7, children under 12 €4)
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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