My Journey

Fátima

The Portuguese pilgrimage town of the 1917 apparitions, ordered around the Chapel of the Apparitions, the Rosary, and the shepherd children.

The Chapel of the Apparitions at the Cova da Iria, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, the homes of the shepherd children at Aljustrel, the apparition sites at Valinhos and Loca do Cabeço, and the parish church of Fátima.

Start at the sanctuary Plan your time
Region
Europe · Centro · Ourém
Suggested time
1 to 2 days
Places
8
Saints
3
Visit plans
5

Shrine-centered city

How the shrine and town fit together

The apparitions at Fátima are recognized by the Church as worthy of belief, with public devotion declared permitted by the Bishop of Leiria in 1930. As private revelation, the message does not add to the deposit of faith; it calls pilgrims to the Rosary, to penance and reparation, to the conversion of sinners, and to prayer for peace. The sanctuary is ordered around that call. The Chapel of the Apparitions stands at the spot where Our Lady asked that a chapel be built. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary holds the tombs of Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto and of Sister Lúcia. The Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, completed in 2007, accommodates the largest pilgrim Masses.

Planning a pilgrimage here?

Let the guide decide the days

2 days Two Days in Fátima: A Catholic Pilgrimage Itinerary Pray at the Chapel of the Apparitions and the tombs in the Rosary Basilica, then walk the shepherd country at Aljustrel, the Cabeço, and Valinhos before returning to the Cova. Two unhurried days, with the sanctuary schedule rather than a checklist setting the shape of each afternoon · Reviewed July 2026 · Saves into My Journey 1 day How to Visit Fátima from Lisbon How to reach Fátima from Lisbon by coach, car, or rail, what a single day at the sanctuary honestly holds, and when to stay the night instead. One sanctuary, one day, out and back from Lisbon · Reviewed August 2026 · Saves into My Journey

How the ground lies

How Fátima is put together

Fátima is not one plaza and not one church. The sanctuary fills the Cova da Iria, the hollow where Our Lady appeared through 1917. The rest of the story happened in the countryside around it: the children lived at Aljustrel, a little under two kilometers to the south, and pastured their sheep on the rough ground above the village, where the Angel came to them in 1916 at Loca do Cabeço and where Our Lady appeared again in August 1917 at Valinhos. Knowing how these four places sit together is most of what it takes to plan a visit here.

The colonnade of the Fátima sanctuary looking across the esplanade to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.
The colonnade holds the whole Cova da Iria in one enclosure: the esplanade, the Chapel of the Apparitions, and the basilica above the shepherds' tombs.

The sanctuary at the Cova da Iria

The great open esplanade with the Chapel of the Apparitions at its heart, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary closing the north end above the tombs of the shepherd children, and the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity facing it across the square. Confession, adoration, Mass, and the continuous Rosary all happen inside this one enclosure.

On the ground Flat and step-free from end to end, though the esplanade is large and crossing it takes longer than it looks. Treat the whole sanctuary as one place rather than a set of separate stops.

Aljustrel, the village of the shepherd children

The working hamlet where Francisco and Jacinta Marto and their cousin Lúcia dos Santos were born and raised. Both family homes are preserved as they were, small and low-ceilinged, and they do more than any exhibit to show how ordinary the children's lives were before 1917.

On the ground A little under two kilometers south of the sanctuary, walkable in about half an hour on a marked path, or a short taxi or shuttle ride. The lanes are narrow and the houses are small, so groups move through slowly.

Loca do Cabeço, on the hillside above Aljustrel

The sheltered rock hollow among the olives where, according to the Fátima accounts, the Angel of Peace appeared to the three children in 1916, the year before the Marian apparitions. It is the quietest of the sites and the one most pilgrims miss.

On the ground A short walk uphill from Aljustrel on a stony track through olive terraces. Sturdy shoes help, and the ground is uneven rather than accessible.

Valinhos and the Way of the Cross

The olive slope where Our Lady appeared to the children on August 19, 1917, after the civil administrator had detained them and they missed the apparition of the 13th. The Hungarian Calvary and its Way of the Cross climb the same hillside toward the Chapel of Saint Stephen.

  • Valinhos
  • Hungarian Calvary and the Way of the Cross

On the ground Between Aljustrel and the sanctuary on the same countryside path, so Valinhos and Loca do Cabeço are usually walked together as one loop of about two hours. The Way of the Cross is a steady uphill climb.

Visit rhythm

Plan the sanctuary and town rhythm

Plan 1

A Few Hours

Enter the sanctuary across the great esplanade, walk to the Chapel of the Apparitions at the Cova da Iria, pray the Rosary there, and visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary at the eastern end of the square, where the tombs of the shepherd children rest. If time allows, make a confession.

  1. Chapel of the Apparitions
  2. Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary
  3. Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity

Plan 2

One Day

Begin at the Chapel of the Apparitions in the morning and pray the Rosary there. Attend Mass in one of the basilicas, go to confession, and pray before the tombs of Francisco, Jacinta, and Sister Lúcia. In the afternoon, walk the short distance to Aljustrel to see the homes of the children. Return to the sanctuary in the evening for the Rosary and candlelight procession.

  1. Chapel of the Apparitions
  2. Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary
  3. Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity
  4. Aljustrel · homes of the shepherd children
  5. Candlelight procession

Plan 3

Two Days

Day 1: the sanctuary, the Chapel of the Apparitions, the two basilicas, Mass, confession, the tombs of the shepherd children, and the evening Rosary and procession. Day 2: the wider Fátima landscape, Aljustrel, the Way of the Cross to Valinhos, and Loca do Cabeço, finishing at the parish church of Fátima.

  1. Day 1: Chapel of the Apparitions, Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, candlelight procession
  2. Day 2: Aljustrel, Hungarian Calvary and Way of the Cross, Valinhos, Loca do Cabeço, Parish Church of Fátima

Sanctuary and town

Begin with the sanctuary as a sacred landscape

Begin with orientation: the sanctuary at the center, the town and grounds around it, the places of the founding story, and the rhythm of arrival, prayer, and return. Open the Sanctuary guide

Marian Sanctuary

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima

COVA DA IRIA

The walled domain of the sanctuary contains the Chapel of the Apparitions, the two basilicas, the chaplaincy for confession, the praying place of the Rosary, and the great esplanade that gathers pilgrims for Mass and procession.

Apparition Site

Chapel of the Apparitions

SANCTUARY, NORTH SIDE OF THE ESPLANADE

The small chapel built at the place in the Cova da Iria where the Virgin Mary appeared to Lúcia, Francisco, and Jacinta between May and October 1917. The image of Our Lady of Fátima stands in the niche above the column that marks the spot.

Basilica

Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary

SANCTUARY, EASTERN END OF THE ESPLANADE

The first basilica of the sanctuary, begun in 1928 and consecrated in 1953. The tombs of Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto lie in the side aisles of the nave, and Sister Lúcia dos Santos was reinterred here on February 19, 2006.

Basilica

Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity

SANCTUARY, WESTERN END OF THE ESPLANADE

The circular basilica at the western end of the esplanade, dedicated in 2007 and given the title of minor basilica in 2012. It seats 8,633 people so that a whole pilgrimage can hear one Mass under cover, and five quiet chapels run in a gallery beneath it.

Historic Village

Aljustrel · Homes of the Shepherd Children

ALJUSTREL, SOUTH OF FÁTIMA

The small hamlet about two kilometers south of the sanctuary where the three shepherd children were born and raised. The home of the Marto family, where Francisco and Jacinta lived and where Francisco died in 1919, and the neighboring home of Lúcia dos Santos are preserved as they were.

Apparition Site

Valinhos

HILLSIDE ABOVE ALJUSTREL

The olive slope where Our Lady is reported to have appeared on August 19, 1917, after the civil administrator had detained the children and they missed the apparition of the 13th. The Hungarian Calvary and its Way of the Cross, given by Hungarian Catholic refugees and inaugurated in 1964, climb the same hillside to a chapel dedicated to Saint Stephen.

Apparition Site

Loca do Cabeço

CABEÇO HILLSIDE, ABOVE ALJUSTREL

A rocky outcrop on the slope of the Cabeço, above Aljustrel, where in 1916, the year before the apparitions of Our Lady, the children received three visits from the Angel of Peace, who taught them prayers of reparation and gave them holy communion.

Parish Church

Parish Church of Fátima

CENTER OF FÁTIMA TOWN

The parish church of the town, dedicated to Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres and known locally as the Igreja Matriz. Lúcia, Francisco, and Jacinta were all baptized here and brought here for catechism, and the font at which they were baptized is kept in the church.

Sacred map

Fátima Sacred Places Map

8 Essential Places shown.

Select a marker to visit or save that place. The list above stays complete on its own.

Saints and witness

Saints at the heart of Fátima

Each entry named and sourced

Tombs, relics & sacred objects

Fátima is not a city of body relics in the older Roman sense. Its veneration is gathered around the place of the apparitions at the Cova da Iria, the image set in the chapel niche, and the tombs of the shepherd children in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. The family homes at Aljustrel and the apparition sites in the countryside are places to walk rather than objects to venerate, and they are gathered above under the sacred places.

Venerated at

SANCTUARY OF OUR LADY OF FáTIMA

Chapel of the Apparitions

Apparition site recognized by the Church as worthy of belief

The small open-walled chapel built at the spot in the Cova da Iria where the apparitions of 1917 took place. The apparitions are recognized by the Church as worthy of belief. Pilgrims pray the Rosary here continuously through the day.

Visit Chapel of the Apparitions
Venerated at

CHAPEL OF THE APPARITIONS

Image of Our Lady of Fátima

Devotional image at the apparition site

The crowned statue set in the niche of the Chapel of the Apparitions above the column that marks the apparition site. Carved in 1920 and crowned by Pope Pius XII in 1946, it is a devotional image and the focus of veneration at the chapel.

Visit Chapel of the Apparitions
Venerated at

BASILICA OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY

Tomb of Saint Francisco Marto

Tomb of

The body of Saint Francisco Marto rests in a tomb in the side aisle of the basilica. Canonized in 2017, he is one of the youngest non-martyr saints canonized by the Church.

Visit Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary
  • Apparition site recognized by the Church as worthy of belief Chapel of the Apparitions Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima
  • Devotional image at the apparition site Image of Our Lady of Fátima Chapel of the Apparitions
  • Tomb of Tomb of Saint Francisco Marto Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary
  • Tomb of Tomb of Saint Jacinta Marto Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary
  • Tomb of Tomb of Sister Lúcia dos Santos Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary

Shape your pilgrimage

Or shape a journey of your own.

Save the places that hold your attention, then let Journey Studio draft a realistic Fátima itinerary around your days, your pace, and the times you are already committed to.

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Practical, not booking

Before you go

Liturgy

Mass, confession, Eucharistic adoration, and the Rosary at the Chapel of the Apparitions are offered daily. The candlelight procession runs in the evening through the main pilgrimage season and on the 12th of each month. The largest gatherings fall on May 13 and October 13, the dates of the first and last 1917 apparitions.

Dress code

Modest dress is expected in the basilicas and at the Chapel of the Apparitions. Carry a scarf or light layer; the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity is cool year-round.

Walkability

The sanctuary esplanade is flat and walkable from end to end. Aljustrel lies about two kilometers south and can be reached on foot, by taxi, or by seasonal pilgrim bus. The Way of the Cross, Valinhos, and Loca do Cabeço involve hillside paths and are best walked in cool weather.

Transit

Fátima has no station of its own. The confusion to avoid is that the station called Fátima, properly Fátima-Chão de Maçãs, lies about 25 km away with sparse onward connections. Caxarias, about 20 km out, is the more useful railhead and is linked to the town by Rodoviária do Tejo on weekdays. In practice almost everyone arrives by long-distance coach or by car: the A1 motorway passes Fátima with an exit a few minutes from the sanctuary, and direct coaches run from Lisbon and Porto. The town and sanctuary are walkable.

Accessibility

The sanctuary esplanade is level and step-free, with accessible routes to the Chapel of the Apparitions and to both basilicas. Wheelchairs and volunteer assistance are available through the sanctuary; check the official site for current procedures.

Official sources
Photo credits
  1. Fátima; Fátima city hero. Tomasz Przechlewski / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Source. CC BY 2.0.
  2. Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima. Photo: János Korom Dr., CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized and converted to WebP by Eternal Roam. Source. CC BY-SA 2.0.
  3. Chapel of the Apparitions. Photo: Manuelvbotelho, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized and converted to WebP by Eternal Roam. Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.
  4. Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. Photo: Einaz80, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized and converted to WebP by Eternal Roam. Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.
  5. Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity. Photo: Reis Quarteu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized and converted to WebP by Eternal Roam. Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.
  6. Aljustrel · Homes of the Shepherd Children. Photo: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized and converted to WebP by Eternal Roam. Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.
  7. Valinhos. Photo: Vitor Oliveira, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped, resized, and converted to WebP by Eternal Roam. Source. CC BY-SA 2.0.
  8. Loca do Cabeço. Photo: The Compass News, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized and converted to WebP by Eternal Roam. Source. Public Domain.
  9. Parish Church of Fátima. Photo: Vitor Oliveira, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized and converted to WebP by Eternal Roam. Source. CC BY-SA 2.0.
  10. The colonnade holds the whole Cova da Iria in one enclosure: the esplanade, the Chapel of the Apparitions, and the basilica above the shepherds' tombs.; How Fátima is put together. PauloGarciaMartins / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.
  11. Fátima page Connected Saints 1. Unknown photographer, c. 1917. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. Public Domain.
  12. Fátima page Connected Saints 2. Unknown photographer, 1917, via the Santuário de Fátima. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. Public Domain.