Fátima’s Sacred Sites Audio Guide is your chance to discover the amazing story of biblical importance.
Portugal’s humble village of Fatima is home to an extraordinary religious event. On this walking tour, you’ll discover the remarkable story of three young shepherd children who claimed to have witnessed apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1917. You’ll walk from their modest homes to the magnificent sanctuary that now attracts millions of pilgrims annually. Along the way, you’ll hear about the miracle that transformed this rural community into one of Catholicism’s most sacred sites.
The tour starts at Francisco and Jacinta’s house, where you’ll glimpse the simple life of these peasant children through the preserved family home. You’ll follow the Route of the Little Shepherds, passing through the 14 Stations of the Cross while hearing about the children’s remarkable courage in the face of ridicule, threats, and imprisonment.
You’ll find out how the children’s visions culminated in the famous “Miracle of the Sun” which was witnessed by approximately 70,000 people on October 13, 1917. The tour ends at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, where the three visionaries – Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia – now rest.
On this 75-minute tour, you’ll have a chance to:
- Stand at Arneiro’s Well where the children first encountered the “Angel of Peace” who prepared them for later visions
- Explore the massive Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima complex which can accommodate up to 100,000 pilgrims and includes the impressive Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity
- Visit the Chapel of Apparitions built on the exact spot where the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared six times in 1917
- See the fragment of the Berlin Wall, symbolizing the connection between the Fatima prophecies and world events
- View the crown containing the bullet extracted from Pope John Paul II following his assassination attempt on May 13, 1981
- Pay respects at the tombs of the three visionaries, two of whom died as children in the Spanish flu pandemic
Whether you’re a devout pilgrim or simply curious about this remarkable historical event, this tour offers a fascinating glimpse into the story that transformed Fatima from an obscure village into a spiritual center that continues to draw millions seeking peace, healing, and divine connection.
CategoriesArchitectureReligious SitesTop SightsLocal Legends
About your Porto Guide
I trained as an actor at London’s prestigious Arts Educational School where I learnt about the voice and the art of telling stories. I went on to work in theatre, television and film for 10 years eventually running my own theatre company for 20 years. As a company we tried to make the work as imaginative and unique as possible, in one show we walked across the UK with no money, food or accommodation to see if humanity was kind. In another play we emigrated to Poland and used the experience for an award winning UK tour about immigration. I turned shops into theatre spaces, I performed in barns, houses, fields and many of the UK’s best theatres.
In 2014 I won a prestigious Manchester theatre award for my play Thick as Thieves. I’ve taken three shows to the Edinburgh festival winning rave reviews along the way. In 2020 our world changed forever as COVID hit. My theatre company “went dark” and I lost my passion for it. On a whim my wife and I bought a motorhome unseen in an auction and in blink of an eye a new obsession began… travel.
To date I have been to most countries in the European union, I have parked up in woods, on cliffs in car parks. I have travelled far and wide until I picked Portugal to put down new roots. But even that wasn’t easy, where do you live in a foreign land? The answer is you go out in the motorhome and look, so that’s what we did. From the mountains in the north through the midlands and into Algarve we travelled for two years until we discovered Tomar.
We bought our home in 2025 and because I needed to find work I started studying Tomar’s rich history and researching the stories about Templar Knights, Portuguese kings and how Portugal once discovered the world. With my background in performance and storytelling I began take travellers around Tomar sharing not only the history, but Portugal’s culture too. This is what brought me to Voicemap and their excellent team and production values.
On my audio tours I take the role of your friend in whatever city we are in, I like to make you smile and see a place as a real city, not a museum piece. Seeing a place warts and all is what makes the difference between an okay tour and a great tour.