Our Lady of Fátima
Fátima
The Cova da Iria where Our Lady appeared six times in 1917, the tombs of Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto, and the candlelight rosary that fills the square every night.
Destinations / Spain & Portugal
with St. James, St. Teresa and Our Lady of Fátima
Spain, Portugal
& the Camino
Fátima, Santiago, Ávila and Loyola — walked on foot, or travelled by coach.
The Iberian peninsula holds more Catholic ground than any group can cover in one pilgrimage. Our Lady appeared at Fátima to three shepherd children. St. Teresa reformed an order from behind the walls of Ávila. A cannonball at Pamplona turned a soldier named Iñigo de Loyola into St. Ignatius. And at the end of the oldest pilgrim road in Christendom lies the tomb of an Apostle.
Most groups ask about the Camino first, and it is worth doing — but it is one option here, not the only one. A ProRome pilgrimage to Spain and Portugal can be built entirely by coach, entirely on foot, or as a combination: a few days walking into Santiago, then the shrines of Castile and the Basque country by road.
What every version has in common is daily Mass at the sites themselves — in the Chapel of the Apparitions at Fátima, at the tomb of St. James, in the convent of the Incarnation where St. Teresa lived for nearly thirty years — and a guide who can explain what your group is looking at.
9–12
Nights Abroad
Recommended
Daily
Mass at
Sacred Sites
2
Countries —
Spain & Portugal
25–500+
Pilgrims
Per Group
Where You Will Pray
The places that make an Iberian pilgrimage
St. James the Greater
Santiago de Compostela
The tomb of the Apostle beneath the high altar, the Pilgrim’s Mass, and the botafumeiro when it flies. Reached on foot or by coach — both are pilgrimages.
The oldest pilgrim road
The Camino de Santiago
Walk the final hundred kilometres from Sarria and earn the Compostela, or take the Portugués north from Vigo. Luggage moves ahead by van and a support vehicle follows the route.
St. Teresa · St. John of the Cross
Ávila
The walled city of the Carmelite reform, the convent of the Incarnation where St. Teresa lived nearly thirty years, and the mystical heart of the Spanish Church.
St. Ignatius · St. Francis Xavier
Loyola & the Basque country
The room where a cannonball ended one life and began another, the basilica built around the family house, and Xavier Castle an hour east.
St. Anthony · Catholic Portugal
Lisbon, Porto & Braga
The birthplace of St. Anthony, the Baroque stairway of Bom Jesus at Braga, the Jerónimos Monastery, and the ports the missionaries sailed from.
The Ground You Cover
Spain and Portugal, shrine by shrine
Click any marker to see what is there and how long groups usually stay.
Legend
- Spain
- Portugal
- On the Camino
Nowhere is off limits
These are the sites groups ask for most — not a list of where we can go. Spain and Portugal are dense with shrines, cathedrals and the houses of saints, and we have built pilgrimages well beyond this list. If there is a place your group cares about, tell us and we will build the road to it.
A Sample Nine Nights
Fátima, Santiago and the Spain of the Saints
This version travels by coach and includes no walking — proof that the Camino is optional here. Groups who want to walk substitute three to six days on the road into Santiago.
Day 1
Depart the United States
Overnight flight to Lisbon.
Day 2
Arrive in Lisbon
Transfer, opening Mass, and St. Anthony’s birthplace in the afternoon.
Day 3
North to Fátima
By way of Batalha, arriving at the Cova da Iria for evening Mass and the candlelight rosary.
Day 4
Fátima
Mass in the Chapel of the Apparitions, the tombs of the shepherd children, Aljustrel, and the Valinhos.
Day 5
Coimbra and Porto
Where Sr. Lúcia lived out her life in Carmel, then north to the Douro.
Day 6
Braga and into Spain
Bom Jesus do Monte and its Baroque stairway, then across the border into Galicia.
Day 7
Santiago de Compostela
Mass at the tomb of the Apostle, the Pilgrim’s Mass, and the old city on foot.
Day 8
South to Ávila
A long travel day through León and Castile, arriving at the walled city in the evening.
Day 9
St. Teresa’s Ávila
The convent of the Incarnation, the Carmelite sites, and Mass in the city where she was born.
Day 10
Madrid and Toledo
The primatial see of Spain, El Greco, then a closing Mass and group dinner in Madrid.
Day 11
Return home
Transfer to Barajas, with your tour manager through to the airport.
This is a starting point, not a package. Groups who want the Camino replace days seven through nine with three to six walking days from Sarria. Others extend into the Basque country for Loyola and Xavier Castle, or east to Zaragoza, Montserrat and Manresa.
What it costs
$3,000–$3,500
Student groups · per pilgrim, land only
$3,800–$4,500
Adult groups · per pilgrim, land only
Both ranges are all-inclusive on the ground and vary with the season you travel. Airfare is quoted separately — see the FAQ below for how that works.
- Lodging matched to your group — religious guesthouse, four-star hotel, or five-star
- Daily breakfast and most dinners
- Private motorcoach and all ground transfers
- Catholic guides throughout
- All entrance fees and site reservations
- Daily Mass arranged and reserved
- A ProRome tour manager for the full trip
Where you stay
Religious guesthouses. Fátima and Santiago both have large houses run by orders, several within a few minutes of the shrine. On the Camino these become pilgrim houses and small rural inns — simple, clean, and part of the experience. We do not put groups in open dormitories unless you ask.
Four-star hotels. More space, more amenities, and the option most parish groups choose.
Five-star. For groups who want it, we build it — and we will tell you honestly what it adds and what it does not.
The choice is yours on every pilgrimage, and it moves the price more than any other decision.
When to go
May, June and September are the best months across both countries — long days, moderate heat, and the shrines busy in a good way.
July and August are hot inland and crowded on the Camino Francés. The Primitivo stays quieter.
Winter is wet in Galicia and many pilgrim services close, though Fátima and the Castilian cities are quiet and inexpensive.
13 May and 13 October at Fátima, and Holy Years at Santiago when 25 July falls on a Sunday, bring enormous crowds. Worth planning around either way.
What Sets Us Apart
Your guide is a missionary, not a tour guide
ProRome guides are trained missionaries with degrees from Catholic universities. They are not working from a script, and they are not reciting dates from a plaque.
Spain and Portugal reward it especially. A guide who can explain what the Carmelite reform actually was, why the Pillar at Zaragoza matters, or what happened to Iñigo at Pamplona turns a set of churches into the lives that filled them.
Common Questions
Planning a Spanish and Portuguese pilgrimage
Do we have to walk the Camino?
No. The Camino is one option on this pilgrimage, not the whole of it. Many of our groups travel Spain and Portugal entirely by coach — Fátima, Santiago, Ávila, Loyola and Toledo without a walking day — and still arrive at the tomb of the Apostle. Others walk three to six days into Santiago and travel the rest by road. Both are pilgrimages, and we will build whichever suits your group.
If we do walk, how far is it?
To receive the Compostela you must walk the final hundred kilometres into Santiago, which is six days of roughly 19 to 29 kilometres. Groups who want the arrival without the full distance often walk the last three days, or just the final morning from Monte do Gozo. Your luggage moves ahead by van and a support vehicle follows the route for anyone who needs a lift on a given day.
How long should a pilgrimage to Spain and Portugal be?
Nine nights abroad covers Fátima, Santiago and the Spain of the saints by coach. Adding walking days, or extending into the Basque country for Loyola and Xavier Castle, makes it eleven or twelve. Fewer than nine and you are choosing between Portugal and Spain rather than seeing both.
What is there to see in Portugal beyond Fátima?
A great deal. Lisbon holds the birthplace of St. Anthony and the Jerónimos Monastery, Coimbra is where Sr. Lúcia lived out her life in Carmel, Braga has the Baroque pilgrim stairway of Bom Jesus do Monte, and Batalha is a monastery raised in thanksgiving for a battle. Two or three nights in Portugal beyond the shrine is time well spent.
How much does this pilgrimage cost?
Student groups typically run $3,000 to $3,500 per pilgrim and adult groups $3,800 to $4,500, land only and all-inclusive on the ground, varying with the season. Airfare is quoted separately.
Where do groups stay?
That is your choice. Fátima and Santiago both have large houses run by orders, several within a few minutes of the shrine. Four-star hotels and five-star itineraries are equally available. On the Camino, lodging becomes pilgrim houses and small rural inns — simple and part of the experience.
Can we visit Ávila and Loyola as well?
Yes, and groups who care about the Spanish saints should. Ávila is the walled city of St. Teresa and the Carmelite reform, and Loyola in the Basque country is where a cannonball turned a soldier into the founder of the Jesuits — with Xavier Castle an hour east. Together they add two or three nights.
How far in advance should we start planning?
Twelve to eighteen months, and longer for a Holy Year at Santiago or the May and October anniversaries at Fátima. Lodging along the final hundred kilometres of the Camino is limited and books early.
How does airfare work?
Airlines do not release group fares until roughly eleven months before your return date, so airfare is quoted separately from the land price. That gives you two ways to launch. You can launch land-only now, start registering pilgrims at the land price, and add airfare once it opens — the usual choice when a group wants a long recruiting window. Or you can wait until the eleven-month mark, let us contract the air, and launch one all-inclusive price, which is simpler for pilgrims but shortens the time you have to fill the trip. We will tell you which fits your group when we talk.
Let’s build your Spanish and Portuguese pilgrimage
Tell us your group, your dates, and what is on your parish’s heart. We will come back with an itinerary and a price — no obligation, and no template.
Request a Custom Proposal →