Religious or not, it's difficult not to be impressed by the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, which commemorates the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three local children on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917.

The sheer scale of the place and the enterprise surrounding it is quite staggering, especially during the two annual pilgrimages in May and October. One and a half million people visited on the 50th anniversary of the apparitions and the death of the last surviving witness, Irma (Sister) Lucia in 2005 was a national event.

Santuario de Fatima
(photo: Paulo Juntas)

The Sanctuary apart, there are many other places in this general area (about 75km north of Lisbon) which reward a visit. At Batalha the superb Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitoria (the Monastery of Batalha) was built by the first King Joao after his victory over the Spanish in 1385.

Mosteiro da Batalha
(photo: Paulo Juntas)

At Sao Mamede, between Batalha and Fatima are the Grutas da Moeda, a vast series of caves discovered accidentally in 1971 by two hunters chasing a fox and now a major tourist attraction.

Grutas da Moeda, Sao Mamede

For the more historically minded, the castle at Ourem is a must, but you need a head for heights if you're planning to explore the battlements. Then on to Tomar, headquarters of the Knights Templar in Portugal from the C12th and home to some of the most significant Templar monuments in Europe. Tomar was especially important in the C15th century when it was a centre of Portuguese overseas expansion under Henry the Navigator, the Grand Master of the Order of Christ, successor to the Templars.

Templars Church, Tomar
(photo: Nuno Tavares)

Working your way back towards Lisbon, there are the stunning Monastery at Alcobaca, the medieval walled town at Obidos, and the massive neoclassical palace-monastery at Mafra

Obidos (photo: Osvaldo Gago)

All of these places can be visited during your holiday based at our properties on the Silver Coast at Foz do Arelho or the Lisbon Coast at Ericeira.

Do please Contact Us with any queries.