In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Fátima is a FlixBus from Lisbon Oriente, 1 hour 20 minutes at the fastest, at least 14 coaches a day, from £3.99. Entry to the Sanctuary is free. The 21:30 rosary and candle procession starts after the last coach back to Lisbon at 21:15, so to see it you need a night tour or a night in Fátima. The pilgrimages include 12 to 13 May and 12 to 13 October; the last of 2026 is 12 to 13 October. Or book a tour: the Sanctuary and Little Shepherds’ Town guided tourad (from £33.31, 6 hours) puts the transport and a guide in one booking, and the Fátima at night tourad (from £57.66) covers the candle procession.
Getting there on your own
FlixBus’s UK site and the Shrine’s own website, 1 October 2026.
- Bus: FlixBus from Lisbon Oriente (Avenida Dom João II, platform D) to the Terminal Rodoviário de Fátima (Avenida de Dom José Alves Correia da Silva 281). The fastest journey is 1 hour 20 minutes, at least 14 coaches a day run, the first leaves Lisbon at 8:15 and the last at 20:20, and fares start at £3.99. Coaches from Fátima to Lisbon number at least 16 a day, the first at 7:45 and the last at 21:15. Lisbon public transport covers the Metro to Oriente.
- Train: not recommended. The CP station called Fátima, Chão de Maçãs-Fátima, is more than 20 km from the Sanctuary.
- Address: the Sanctuary is at Rua de Santa Isabel 360, 2495-424 Fátima, telephone +351 249 539 600 (fatima.pt).
Tours from Lisbon
A tour adds the transport and a guide, and the night tour adds the evening procession that the last coach cannot reach. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price on 1 October 2026.
Sanctuary and Little Shepherds’ Town, guided
From £33.31 · 4.8 stars from 588 reviews · 6 hours
Lisbon: Sanctuary Fátima & Little Shepperd Town Guide Tourad is a guided visit of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Chapel of the Apparitions and the Basilica of the Holy Trinity, with pick-up available and a private option.
Half day
From £25.54 · 4.9 stars from 461 reviews · 5 hours
From Lisbon: Sanctuary of Fátima & the Little Shepherds Townad is the shorter, cheaper version, with pick-up available.
Fátima at night
From £57.66 · 4.9 stars from 150 reviews · 6 hours
From Lisbon: Fátima at Night – Candlelight Procession Experiencead goes by van, shared or private, to the Sanctuary, the rosary and the candle procession “as per the program of the day”.
Four stops in a day
From £43.05 · 4.9 stars from 2,032 reviews · 9 to 10 hours
The small-group tour of Fátima, Batalha, Nazaré and Óbidosad gives Fátima a share of a long day. The Óbidos and Nazaré day trip lists all the versions, with Batalha’s €15 entry.
What to see
Entry is free throughout. The Shrine’s website lists the places below (fatima.pt).
Sanctuary of Fátima. Photo: Reis Quarteu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- The Chapel of the Apparitions. The heart of the Shrine, built in 1919 where five of the six apparitions of 1917 took place: May, June, July, September and October. The statue of Our Lady of the Rosary stands on the spot of the holm oak. It is the place for the rosary each day (fatima.pt).
- The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. Dedicated in 1953, with a 65-metre tower and, in the left transept, the tombs of Blessed Jacinta and Sister Lúcia.
- The Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity. A circular church, 125 metres across, with 8,633 seats, dedicated on 12 October 2007. Its altar contains a piece of marble from the tomb of St Peter.
- The Prayer Area. The large square between the two basilicas, where the candle processions gather, with a colonnade along its sides.
- Valinhos and the Path of the Little Shepherds. Valinhos is the place of the fourth apparition, on 19 August 1917, between the 8th and 9th stations of the Way of the Cross. The Well of Arneiro, behind Lúcia’s family house, is where the Angel appeared in 1916 (fatima.pt).
Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. Photo: LLEW, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Shrine’s museum page lists its permanent exhibitions, Fátima: Light and Peace and the House-Museum of Aljustrel, as currently unavailable (fatima.pt, 1 October 2026).
The daily programme and the pilgrimages
The Shrine publishes its programme by day. On Thursday 1 October 2026 it listed Masses from 7:30, including one in English at 15:30 in the Chapel of the Apparitions, the rosary in the Chapel of the Apparitions at 12:00 and 18:30, and at 21:30 the rosary with a candle procession in the Prayer Area (fatima.pt/en/schedule). Look up your date before you plan around it.
- Anniversary pilgrimages: the 12th and 13th of the month from May to October, including 12 to 13 May and 12 to 13 October. In 2026 the last is 12 to 13 October: on the 12th the programme is the international rosary at 21:30 in the Chapel of the Apparitions, a candle procession and a celebration at the altar in the Prayer Area (Peregrinação Aniversária, 12 October 2026).
- Monthly pilgrimages: the Shrine’s events list shows one on 13 December 2026 and one on 13 January 2027.
- First Saturdays: 3 October and 7 November 2026 are listed.
A day, hour by hour
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 8:15 | FlixBus from Lisbon Oriente, 1 hour 20 minutes |
| Late morning | The Chapel of the Apparitions and the rosary at 12:00 |
| Afternoon | The two basilicas; Valinhos |
| 18:30 | Rosary in the Chapel of the Apparitions |
| By 21:15 | Last FlixBus to Lisbon |
Combining it with somewhere else
Fátima is one of the day trips from Lisbon. The four-stop tours that include it also stop at Óbidos, Nazaré and Batalha, which the Óbidos and Nazaré day trip covers. For the other trips, see Évora and Sintra; for the bookings in Lisbon itself, see what to book before you go to Lisbon. The coaches leave from Lisbon Oriente in Parque das Nações, which where to stay in Lisbon compares with the other areas, and which the Metro Red Line links to the airport (Lisbon airport to the city centre).
Common questions
How do I get from Lisbon to Fátima?
By FlixBus from Lisbon Oriente to Fátima's bus terminal. FlixBus lists a fastest journey of 1 hour 20 minutes, at least 14 coaches a day, the first at 8:15 and the last at 20:20, with fares from £3.99 on its UK site (1 October 2026). The train does not help: the station named Fátima, Chão de Maçãs-Fátima, is more than 20 km from the Sanctuary.
Is it free to visit the Sanctuary of Fátima?
Yes. Entry to the Sanctuary, the Chapel of the Apparitions and the two basilicas is free. The Shrine's website lists the Masses and the rosary each day, including a Mass in English in the Chapel of the Apparitions (15:30 on 1 October 2026).
When are the pilgrimages at Fátima?
The anniversary pilgrimages fall on the 12th and 13th of the month from May to October, including 12 to 13 May and 12 to 13 October. In 2026 the last is 12 to 13 October, with an international rosary at 21:30 on the 12th in the Chapel of the Apparitions, followed by a candle procession. Monthly pilgrimages run on the 13th through the winter.
Can I get back to Lisbon after the candle procession?
Not by the last FlixBus, which FlixBus lists as leaving Fátima at 21:15. The rosary and candle procession start at 21:30. A Fátima-at-night tour from Lisbon, from £57.66 on GetYourGuide (1 October 2026), is the way to see it and get back.
