Planning a trip to Fatima

Arriving

By Train -- Ten trains run daily from Lisbon to Caxarias, 10km (6 miles) outside Fátima. A ticket costs 11€, and the trip takes 1 hour and 10 minutes. For information and schedules, call tel. 808/208-208. Buses await passengers at Caxarias and run into Fátima. The fare is 3€, and buses between Caxarias and Fátima operate at the rate of seven per day, with a one-way ticket costing 3€.

By Bus -- On bus schedules, Fátima is often listed as Cova da Iria, which leads to a lot of confusion. Cova da Iria is less than 1km (2/3 mile) from Fátima and is the focus of pilgrimages and the site of the alleged religious miracles. About three buses a day connect Fátima with Batalha. The trip takes 40 minutes and costs 3.60€ one-way. Fifteen buses a day arrive from Lisbon. The 1 1/2-hour trip costs 8€ one-way. For information and schedules, call tel. 24/953-16-11.

By Car -- From Batalha, continue east along Route 356 for 15km (9 1/4 miles).

Visitor Information

The tourist office is on Avenida Dom José Alves Correia da Silva (tel. 24/953-11-39; www.rt-leiriafatima.pt) and is open daily from 10am to 1pm and 3 to 7pm. In August, it's open daily 10am to 9pm.