Make your way to your local airport where you will board your overnight flight(s). Your meals will be served on board.

Upon arrival in Madrid, collect your luggage at baggage claim. Continue to the arrival hall, where you will be greeted by your tour guide and/or driver. You will be escorted to the bus where your group will transfer to your hotel. You will have free time before dinner and then retire for the evening.

This morning, you will awaken in the capital city of Spain! Following breakfast, you will enjoy a tour of Madrid that includes the Royal Palace and the Plaza Mayor. Both sites are iconic in Madrid, as the Palace hosts state ceremonies and events, and the Plaza Mayor is the geographic and social center of Madrid. This afternoon, you will depart for Toledo. It is known as the City of Three Religions or Cultures because the Christians, Jews, and Moors have lived peacefully in this city for centuries. Your tour includes the glorious Gothic Cathedral, which was built upon the ruins of the Great Mosque of Toledo. Visit La Iglesia de Santo Tome, best known for housing El Greco’s most famous painting, and the Sinagoga del Tránsito, known for its impeccable stucco inscriptions. Additionally, you will visit several monuments, including La Puerta de Bisagras, La Puerta del Cambron, and La Puerta del Sol, among others. Your day will culminate with a return transfer to Madrid, where you will enjoy dinner and an overnight stay.

Today, you will depart from Madrid and head towards the city of Santiago de Compostela. On the way, stop on the Calle del Agua of Villafranca del Bierzo. This main street truly embodies Baroque architecture and is lined with palaces and ornate houses. At the entrance of this village, you will find the Romanesque Church of Santiago. Traditionally, pilgrims who were unable to complete El Camino due to illness would receive the Jubilee blessing at this church. Your next two stops will be visits to the gothic-style Collegiate Church of Santa Maria and the Church of St. Nicolas, dedicated to the patron Saint of Villafranca del Bierzo. In the afternoon, you will enter Galicia by way of the city of Lugo. Your first stop will be O Cebreiro, the first village in the region of Lugo nestled in the mountains at an altitude of 1,300 meters. While in O Cebreiro, view the iconic palooza-style houses and the site of a Eucharistic Miracle that occurred in 1300. This evening, proceed to Santiago de Compostela for dinner and an overnight.

This morning, join the walking pilgrims at Monte del Gozo from which the spires of the iconic Cathedral in Compostela are visible. You will walk the last few miles of El Camino and then attend the International Pilgrim Mass at the Cathedral of St. James. Formed by Galician granite, this Cathedral encompasses Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque styles. Additionally, the Cathedral contains numerous valuable pieces of art. Upon entering the Cathedral, pilgrims traditionally hug a statue of St. James. Following this intimate embrace, you will descend into the crypt where the Patron Saint of Pilgrims’ relics are kept. Following your visit, enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city. Some stops on your tour include Obradoiro Square, Fonseca Palace, Gemerez Palace, Franco Street, and many more. Your evening will be free to spend at your leisure, until a dinner and an overnight.

Today, you will transfer to the airport and board your flight to either Dubrovnik, Split, Zagreb, or Sarajevo. After landing, collect your luggage and continue to the arrival hall where you will be greeted by a tour guide and/or driver. You will be escorted to the vehicle that will take you on the 2.5 hour drive to the village of Medjugorje. Your group will enjoy a dinner together before retiring for the evening.

The most beautiful features of Medjugorje are its simplicity and peace. A local guide will accompany your group throughout your stay in the village.

Some activities that will accompany you in your spiritual journey:

Attend Daily Mass: Each morning at 10:00 AM, your group will assemble at St. James Church for Mass (English-speaking). At the end of each Mass, regardless of language, there is a blessing of the religious articles that you have with you.

On Feast Days, and Sundays, English Mass is at 12 PM.

Climb Apparition Hill: This mountainous hill is where the visionaries first encountered Our Lady. At the base of this hill is a Blue Cross, where it is said Our Lady appeared to the children while they hid from the communist police in the early days of the alleged apparitions. While climbing, your group is invited to recite the Rosary, pausing five times for each decade. At the top of the hill, you will witness the exact location of the first alleged apparition of Our Lady to the visionaries. Enjoy private time for prayer.

Climb Mt. Krizevac (Cross Mountain): In 1933, the villagers built a 30′ high cross atop a mountain to commemorate Jesus’ passion and death on the cross. Your group will have the opportunity to climb this mountain and venerate that very cross. While climbing, your group is invited to pray the Stations of the Cross (to meditate on Jesus’ suffering on the Road to Calvary), pausing fifteen times for each Station.

Apparitions: Each evening at 5:00 PM (or 6:00 PM depending on Daylight Savings Time), your group can join the villagers and fellow pilgrims of Medjugorje at either St James Church or Apparition Hill to commemorate the time Our Lady appears to the Visionaries. There you can pray the Rosary, as you all await that time: 5:40 PM (or 6:40 PM during Daylight Savings Time).

*Afterward, Croatian Mass is held at St. James Church and all may attend. It is simultaneously broadcasted by radio in order to translate the services from Croatian into many languages. Following the Croatian Mass, there is a Blessing of the Sick.
**For details about the Visionaries, please visit: http://www.206tours.com/visionaries

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Our Lady has always called us to be close to her Son. You will have the opportunity to adore the Blessed Sacrament at the altar outside of St. James Church. Adoration is held on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Veneration of the Cross is held on Fridays inside the church. Additionally, there is an Adoration Chapel on the grounds of St. James Church, where Adoration is held in the afternoon hours.

Visit the Community of Cenacolo:
Pilgrims will have the opportunity to visit the Community of Cenacolo, founded by Sr. Elvira Petrozzi, for young men and women who have taken the wrong path and are on the road to recovery. You will be able to listen to their inspirational testimonies about their journeys back to Jesus Christ.

Prayer at the Statue of the Risen Christ: The bronze statue of the Risen Christ is located on the grounds of St. James Church. Many pilgrims sit and pray on the benches surrounding this peaceful statue. This statue miraculously seeps droplets of water out of Christ’s right knee.

* Please be advised that there will not be a spiritual director with you throughout your stay in Medjugorje. Daily Mass in English and English confessions are available at St. James Church in Medjugorje.

After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, your group will leave by motor coach for Dubrovnik, Split, Zagreb, or Sarajevo Airport for return flights home.

*206 Tours Disclaimer:
Occasionally local religious and national holidays, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of events or the missing of certain events/places. Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of events and places to be visited.