"The Camino is like life: full of experiences."

Carmelita Route on foot from Coimbra To Fátima: 6 stages

Information about the trip: Carmelita Route on foot from Coimbra To Fátima: 6 stages

Explore this Fatima Path: the Carmelita Route walking 112 km from  Coimbra to Fátima for a journey of inspiration and contemplation amidst magnificent natural scenery, history, and local traditions. Discover the Roman-influenced countryside and small villages, taste the local delicacies like Rabaçal's cheese and Ourém's wine, and replenish your mind, body, and soul with the history and legends of Coimbra and Fátima.
 
Explore the history of Coimbra and Fátima and leave with your mind, body and soul replenished.

Travel itinerary (Summary)

  • DAY 1: Arrival to Coimbra.
  • DAY 2: Stage 1, Coimbra, Condeixa-a-Nova 17 km 2-3/5
  • DAY 3: Stage 2, Condeixa-a-Nova, Rabaçal 14 km 1/5
  • DAY 4: Stage 3, Rabaçal, Ansião 23 km 2-3/5
  • DAY 5: Stage 4, Ansião, Bofinho 18 km 2/5
  • DAY 6: Stage 5, Rio de Couros, Ourém 17 km 3/5
  • DAY 7: Stage 6, Ourém, Fátima 18 km 3/5
  • DAY 8: Return.

Travel itinerary (Detailed)

  • 1

    Arrival to Coimbra


    Welcome to Coimbra, the City of Knowledge!
    This dynamic and historic city is home to one of the oldest universities in the world and boasts a rich cultural life, enlivened by its student population. Discover architectural treasures such as the Sé Velha (Old Cathedral), the Joanina Library, and the Monastery of Santa Cruz, where the first two kings of Portugal are buried.
    Briefing and trip orientation with Guide.
    Overnight in Coimbra.

  • 2

    Stage 1, from Coimbra to Condeixa-a-Nova


    Distance : 17 km Difficulty : 2-3/5

    Breakfast and start of the stage. Being a Carmelite-inspired path, this Route is an invitation to take an interior walk in communion with the elements that surround us, starting in the city of Coimbra. You´ll be able to enter several villages along the way, crossing the parishes of Antanhol and Cernache and ending this first stage in Condeixa-a-Nova, a town known for its manor houses, where you will find different attractions - from the connection of the writer Fernando Namora to the ceramic (inspired by the 17th-century ceramics of Coimbra) to the regional gastronomy, such as Roasted lamb or the sweet “Escarpiada”.
    Overnight in Condeixa-a-Nova.

  • 3

    Stage 2, from Condeixa-a-Nova to Rabaçal


    Distance : 14 km Difficulty : 1/5

    Breakfast and start of the stage. In this stage you will leave the urban scenery and enter the rural world, beginning your inner voyage into Nature itself. Condeixa-a-Nova is a privileged place in Portugal and was particularly so during the Roman period. Part of the important road network of the Great Roman Road, you can still what remains of a luso-urban nucleus in Conímbriga. Walk along Rio de Mouros and visit legendary places, such as Zambujal - created according to history, by two giant blacksmith brothers. Our final stop today will be Rabaçal, a small village nestled into a breathtaking valley, sculpted by nature, and filled with vineyards and olive trees (some of them, thousands of years old).
    After the stage, transfer from Rabaçal to Condeixa.
    Overnight in Condeixa-a-Nova.

  • 4

    Stage 3, from Rabaçal to Ansião


    Distance : 23 km Difficulty : 2-3/5

    Morning transfer from Condeixa to Rabaçal.
    Breakfast and start of the stage. Today’s journey leads you into the plains of Santiago da Guarda, bordered by agricultural land and century-old villages. Visit small villages along the way, like the village of Granja, with its Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Orada - the oldest Christian building in the area. Once you arrive in Ansião, don’t forget to visit the bridge “Ponte da Cal”, where Saint Queen Elizabeth of Portugal once stopped to quench her thirst and bathe her feet, blessing the water of the River Nabão.
    Overnight in the Ansião region.

  • 5

    Stage 4, from Ansião to Bofinho


    Distance : 18 km Difficulty : 2/5

    Before you leave Ansião, try the local speciality - pine nut pastries - and the “lesmas” – traditional cinnamon and olive oil biscuits - maybe taking some for the road. Today you will visit the Ecological Park of Gramatinha/Ariques, which has the biggest population of Portuguese Oak, and houses over 800 species. During your walk try to find "eyes of the thrush", springs of water from a deep well, a geological phenomenon proper to the area due to its limestone. These turn into a stream that is painted white in Spring by watercress flowers.
    After the stage, transfer from Bofinho to the Ansião region.
    Overnight in the Ansião region.

  • 6

    Stage 5, from Rio de Couros to Ourém


    Distance : 17 km Difficulty : 3/5

    Morning transfer from Ansião to Rio de Couros.
    Breakfast and start of the stage. Today, walk through a landscape of limestone fields, olive groves, chícharo crops, and old watermills. You will also find Ourém's vineyards along the way, which date back to the foundation of Portugal when our first king gave the lands to the Cistercian monks for cultivation, giving birth to ancestral traditions and techniques still in use today. The medieval village of Ourém is your final stop before the grand finale. Surrounded by breathtaking views, take the opportunity to visit the Gothic Fountain, the former Collegiate Church, and taste the medieval wine and traditional Ginjinha of Ourém.
    Overnight in Ourém.

  • 7

    Stage 6, from Ourém to Fátima


    Distance : 18 km Difficulty : 3/5

    Breakfast and start of the stage. You are embarking on the last leg of the trip. Gorgeous trails take you from Ourém to Fátima. Famous worldwide as a Catholic pilgrimage site, it was the home of Sister Lucia and her cousins to whom, in 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared, in an event often referred to as the Miracle of the Sun. Home to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima, it is a place of worship and faith, peaceful and deep. Visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima and the Chapel of Apparitions, and may your soul find some peace at the end of this journey.
    Overnight in Fátima.

  • 8

    Return.


    After breakfast, end of services.
    (Optional) Transfer from Fátima to Lisboa/Porto.

    To view the detailed schedule of daily religious services, please visit this website: http://www.fatima.pt/pt/schedule

Included

  • 7 nights in handpicked hotels and inns, all with en-suite accommodation, on a bed and breakfast basis.
  • Dinner on day 4.
  • Briefing and trip orientation with the guide (in English).
  • Luggage transfer between stages: one suitcase max 20 kg per person.
  • Transfer from Rabaçal to Condeixa on day 3.
  • Transfer from Condeixa to Rabaçal on day 4.
  • Transfer from Bofinho to the Ansião region on day 5.
  • Transfer from Ansião to Rio de Couros on day 6.
  • Pilgrim’s Credential.
  • App on the client’s phone with maps, GPS tracks, and stage descriptions (in English).
  • Telephone assistance for emergencies and incidents (in Spanish/Italian/English).

    • Not included

    • Lunches.
    • Dinners (except day 4).
    • Single room supplement: 420 Eur.
    • SOLO traveler supplement: 385Eur.
    • High season single room supplement : 520 Eur.
    • High season SOLO traveler supplement: 460Eur.
    • Entrance fees to churches and monuments.
    • Tourist taxes.

      • Accommodations

      All accommodations have rooms with en-suite facilities.

      Conditions

      Price per person based on double room. Minimum 2 people. SOLO traveller supplement available on request.
       
      Daily departures:
       
      Regular season:
      From January to May and from October to December.
       
      High season:
      From September to December.
       
      No departures:
      From May 5 to May 15 and in August.

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