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YOUR TRIP INCLUDES:
Round-trip air from New York to Lisbon, from Rome
(special Add-on Airfares from all other US gateways)
AIRPORT TAXES, SECURITY FEES & FUEL SURCHARGES INCLUDED
11 nights at first class or 4 stars hotels as follows: (or similar)
~ 1 nights: Hotel Mundial, Lisbon, Portugal
~ 2 nights: Santa Maria Jardim, Fatima, Portugal
~ 1 night: Hotel Monterrey, Salamanca, Spain
~ 1 night: Hotel Abba, Burgos, Spain
~ 3 nights: Hotel Padoue or Gallia Londres,, Lourdes, France
~ 3 nights: Hotel Cicerone or Quirinale, Rome
Breakfast and dinner daily
Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach
Guided tours and admission fees
Hotel taxes and service charges
Papal Audience (if available)
Catholic Priest and Mass daily
Baggage handling
Flight bag & portfolio of all travel documents
Not Included:
Lunches, Drinks with dinners,
Travel Insurance
optional
at $99-$225. Tips to your guide & driver
(Euro
6-8 per day)
Items of a personal nature.

Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary:
Day 1 - Depart USA
Board your overnight transatlantic flights from your home town. Meals
are served on board.
Day 2 - Arrive Lisbon
Arrive Lisbon. Meet your Priest, tour guide and fellow pilgrims. After
an orientation drive through Lisbon, we stop and visit St. Anthony's
Church. Despite what might be assumed from his name, Saint Anthony was
born and grew up in Lisbon. Traditionally, the invocation of his name is
considered the best means of locating lost objects. Dinner and overnight
in Lisbon.
Day 3 - Lisbon - Santarem - Fatima
After breakfast depart Lisbon for Santarem, where one of the oldest
cities in the world is located. We will walk through its narrow streets
to the Church of St Stephen, containing the oldest recorded Eucharistic
miracle. This miracle has been on continuous display since 1269. We then
continue on to Fatima, the place where the Blessed Mother appeared in
1917 to three simple shepherd children and exhorted mankind to pray for
world peace. Dinner and overnight in Fatima
Day 4 - Fatima
Six times, from the May 13 to Oct 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in the diocese of Leiria. A new church is under construction, however just as beautiful, an older church was constructed here in 1928, and millions of pilgrims visit each year.
Fatima is one of the most visited holy places for Catholics from around
the world. The atmosphere of intense spirituality and the importance of
Fatima have been attested to by the visits of two Popes: Paul VI and
John Paul II. Touring Fatima, see the Little Chapel of the Apparitions,
Basilica, the site of Francesco and Jacinta's graves, the Hamlet of
Aljustrel, where the children lived, and Valinhos, the site of Our
Lady's appearance after the children's return from prison. Follow the
Stations of the Cross along the Via Sacra (The Sacred Way) culminating
in the Chapel of Calvary, which overlooks all of Fatima. Join pilgrims
from around the world in an evening candlelight procession to pray the
rosary. Dinner and overnight in Fatima.
Day 05 Fatima - Salamanca.
Breakfast in the hotel. In the morning departure towards the city of
Salamanca. Salamanca is the most graceful city in Spain. For four
centuries it was the seat of one of the most prestigious universities in
the world and, despite losing this reputation in the XVII Century, it
has kept the unmistakable atmosphere of a seat of learning. It is a
small place, and it is given a gorgeous harmony by the golden sandstone
from which almost the entire city seems to be constructed. The city’s
architectural sights seem endless: two cathedrals, one Gothic, the other
Romanesque, vie for attention with Renaissance palaces and gems of
Plateresque decoration. The Plaza Mayor is the finest in Spain; and the
surviving university buildings are tremendous throughout, all of them
distinguished by the same warm stone. Today we will visit this
impressive and beautiful city: The grand Plaza Mayor is the hub of
Salmantine life, the vast Baroque church of La Clerecía, the Casa de las
Conchas (House of Shells), named after the rows of carved scallop shells
symbol of the pilgrimage to Santiago which decorate its façade, the
University, the cathedrals, the Roman Bridge, San Marcos and San Martin
churches, etc. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight in Salamanca.
Day 06 Salamanca – Alba
de Tormes – Ávila - Burgos.
After breakfast in the hotel we will depart towards the village of Alba
de Tormes. In Alba we will visit and celebrate Mass at the Carmelite
Monastery, where Saint Teresa died in 1582 and is buried. In the little
museum of the Carmelite Monastery we will be able to see the incorrupt
heart and left arm of the Saint. Later on we will continue our journey
to Ávila. Two things distinguish Ávila: its eleventh-century walls, two
perfectly preserved kilometers of which surround the old town, and the
mystic writer Santa Teresa, who was born here and whose shrines are a
major focus of religious pilgrimage. Ávila’s atmosphere has changed very
little since the days of Santa Teresa, the first woman to be named a
Doctor of the Church, to whom the city is dedicated: the Cathedral,
started in the XII Century but never finished and built in three
different styles: Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance; San Vicente
church, the Incarnation Convent, where St. Therese became a nun and home
to the most comprehensive museum dedicated to her life ; La Santa
Monastery, built on the site of the house where she was born, San José
Convent, the first monastery founded by the Saint, etc. After the visit
departure to the city of Burgos, the historic capital of Old Castile.
After dinner explore Burgos (on your own), and admire the magnificent
limestone Cathedral. Overnight in Burgos
Day 7 - Burgos - Loyola - Lourdes After breakfast depart Burgos, heading for Lourdes, France. En route stop in Loyola, the birthplace of St Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. Here, we'll se the 17th Century Basilica dedicated to St Ignatius. Behind the sanctuary is the family home of St. Ignatius, which we'll visit during our stop. The most venerated place in this building is the room where Ignatius at age 30, was brought following his serious wounding at the Battle of Pamplona. Later we motor through the Pyrenees Mountains into Lourdes. Here, standing between the spectacular mountain-river, Gave de Pau, stands picturesque Lourdes, the birthplace of St Bernadette to whom Our Lady appeared in 1858 near the Grotto of Massabielle. Settle into your hotel, explore before dinner, followed by a candlelight procession (every evening from April through October) before retiring for the evening.
Day 8 & 9 - Lourdes
After breakfast, our guided tour of Lourdes will include the sanctuary; the Basilica of St Pius X, the world's largest underground church; and the baths where hundreds of miraculous cures have taken place. Enjoy a video presentation telling the story of Lourdes, and walk in the footsteps of St Bernadette. See Boly Mill where St Bernadette was born and the "Cachot," an abandoned prison where Bernadette's impoverished family lived. Join your prayers with those of pilgrims from around the world as you pray for the sick, drink water from the miraculous spring,pray at the Grotto and submerge yourself in the healing baths. Experience Christ's love as you walk the life-sized Stations of the Cross overlooking the holy Grotto. Kneel in the chapel built on the very rock of the Grotto in obedience to the request of the "Immaculate Conception." Attend the blessing of the sick and participate in nightly candlelight processions requested by Our Lady, and take time for private devotions. Each evening dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Day 10 - Lourdes - Rome Travel by flight(s) to Rome. Upon arrival your escort will warmly greet you this morning and welcome you to Italy. Transfer to your hotel and enjoy a free afternoon for rest, relaxation, or exploration. You tour escort can suggest sights or walks for you to enjoy Day 11 - Rome (Papal Audience and Vatican Museum Tour) Wake up in Eternal City, one of the greatest centers of Western Civilization and the first truly cosmopolitan city on earth! It is also spiritual capital for all the Catholics around the world. Today is truly a day we will have in our minds for many years to come. This morning we go to Vatican City to attend the weekly Papal Audience or Blessing given by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (pending papal schedule). Following the audience visit of the Vatican Museums, a group of most impressive edifices with hundreds of galleries filled with art treasures. See awe-inspiring relics and works of art donated throughout centuries as tributes of faith. We'll cover The Tapestry Gallery, The Raphael Rooms and the most overwhelming Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo's Masterpiece, restored mural of the Last Judgment. Later, enter the largest church in Christendom St Peter's Basilica, built on the site where St Peter was martyred. Unsurpassed in beauty, a monument to the long history of the Catholic Church, to which pilgrims come from around the world, St Peter's is the grandest of the world's churches. Marvel Pieta and Bernini's amazing bronze canopy. We will also visit the grave of Pope John Paul II located at the Vatican (time permitting). Before dinner, we'll have some time at leisure, to explore your own paths, to shop, or just to sit in one of the outside cafes and watch the world go by.
Day 12 - Rome
This morning we depart for a sightseeing tour entitled "Christian Rome" which includes: the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, a shrine that contains a relic from the manger of the infant Jesus; the Holy Stairs, the Basilica of St. John the Lateran, The Basilica of the St John in Lateran, is the former residence of the popes prior to their return to Rome in 1377;
St Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St Paul under its main altar;
and the Appian Way -- the oldest road from Roman times--plus the famous Domino Quo Vadis Chapel; see the ancient Baths of Caracalla, Arch of Drusus; Tomb of Celilia Metella, and the catacombs of St Callixtus where the early Christians hid themselves to escape persecution. We will also enjoy a visit to the Trevi fountain. Dinner and overnight for your last evening in Rome.
Day 13 - Rome -
USA
Early morning for Rome for our return flights to the USA.
 For Additional Information & Travel Tips Please Visit:
What to Know Before You Go to Portugal
What to Know Before You Go to Spain
What to Know Before You Go to France
What to Know Before You Go to Italy
Any questions? Call 800-206-TOUR - or - E-Mail Us

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