Tuesday 21 November 2023 – Arrival to Portugal

Guias de Portugal, SNATTI colleagues, will welcome you to Lisbon International airport. Please note that during the day we will offer bus transportation to Fatima.

Details will be sent individually according to your arrival time.

Arrival to Hotel Estrela de Fatima, or similar.

Please note that only arrivals at Lisbon International Airport Humberto Delgado will be covered by the host organisation. If you arrive to Porto or Faro international airports, you will have to make your own way to Fatima.

Welcome to Portugal!

Welcome to the 22nd FEG Meeting in Fatima!

We are very pleased to host all of you for the 5th time in Portugal and to meet you again! This time we are in the central region of Portugal where we have some of the most outstanding monuments and UNESCO Heritage Sites, representative of some of the most important periods of our history – defence of our independence and the relevance of the religious orders for the foundation and consolidation of one of the oldest countries in the world.

Natural landscape is well represented throughout the region:

The most famous coast in the world for surf lovers where enormous waves are the dream of the most important surfers, attracting thousands of people all year round

Caves that bear witness to ancient geological formations

Natural parks that protect animal and plant life forms and where limestone is an economic resource

Jurassic times at the Dinosaur Footprints Natural Monument.

From mountains to the Atlantic coast with its beautiful beaches, to rivers and their river beaches, cities and culture, religion and tradition, this is one of the most diverse and richest regions, in the centre west of Portugal!

And this is where we want to meet you again:one of the most prestigious shrines dedicated to Our Lady in the Catholic world is Fátima, the city chosen for our meeting, the “Altar of the World”. Fátima has in its legendary origin a beautiful love story between Fátima, a Moorish princess, and one of the bravest warriors of the Christian Reconquest, Gonçalo Hermingues. This is a very special place, with history and experience of faith, promises and intentions, secrets hidden and revealed. A pilgrim destination where people from all corners of the world feel compelled to go to the core of themselves.

WELCOME TO FÁTIMA!

You may also check the FEG life-long face-to-face training offered to qualified tourist guides this year in Fatima before or during the AGM dates.

Wednesday 22 November 2023 – Fatima

Fátima, a Marian centre par excellence in the Catholic world! Our Lady appeared in Fátima to 3 Child Shepherds in May 1917, and over the course of six months. The message was simple: Pray the Rosary every day for the salvation of souls. Today, Fátima is one of the most important Marian sanctuaries, attracting thousands of people, especially from May to October, the months of great pilgrimages.

In the morning, we will visit Aljustrel, where the 3 little shepherds lived and where recent memories of the 3 children can be found, along with the Hungarian Calvary, the inspiration of two Hungarian priests who saw in the Message of Fatima a light from God for the Hungarian people at a time when Hungary was under pressure from the dictatorship of communism and persecution of the church after World War II. In 2006 Hungary was consecrated to Our Lady of Fátima.

FEG Meeting Opening Ceremony at Paulo VI Convention Centre - followed by buffet lunch (included).

Afternoon visit to the Chapel of Apparitions, where the holm-oak tree on which Our Lady appeared to the Child Shepherds is located, and to the two basilicas: Nossa Senhora do Rosário and Santíssima Trindade. The first, inaugurated in 1928, was erected in the place where the Child Shepherds played when they saw Our Lady for the first time – inside, the tombs of the 3 Child Shepherds Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta, the latter canonized on May 13, 2017 by Pope Francis; the second, inaugurated in 2007, is a modern building that brought together the most renowned names from architects to sculptors – on the altar lies a marble fragment from the tomb of the Apostle Saint Peter, donated by Pope John Paul II.

Dinner at leisure

Thursday 23 November 2023 - Alcobaça and Batalha

Alcobaça and Batalha, two of the most spectacular Portuguese monuments, both UNESCO heritage sites – from 1989 and 1983, respectively - are inseparable from the Portuguese identity.

The oldest, the Monastery of Santa Maria de Alcobaça, in the village of the same name, dates back to the dawn of the nation. Built in 1153 by the Cistercian Order, the grandiose church is considered as the largest in Portugal and one of the largest erected by the Cistercians. It is a must to see the tombs of D. Pedro and D. Inês de Castro, not only for the artistic quality but for these two very important characters in the History of Portugal. Also, not to be missed are the kitchen and dining room.

Lunch included at D. Abade restaurant.

The second, the Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória or Batalha Monastery, was an old Dominican monastery located in the village of Batalha, ordered in 1386 by King D. João I, who converted it into his family's pantheon. But Batalha is also a military monument: It celebrates the Portuguese victory over the Castilians in the Battle of Aljubarrota (1385) which put an end to a dynastic crisis and one of the greatest threats to Portuguese independence. Not to be missed are the Chapter Room with the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Imperfect Chapels, a true poem to the work of stone as well as the entire construction. A unique location!

Dinner at leisure

Friday 24 November 2023 - Tomar

Tomar, a Templar City. It was here that the Order of the Temple settled in the 12th century, coming from Jerusalem and building the Templar Castle and the Convent, later called Christ. Primordial for the formation of Portugal with its Catholic military order, the Templars would be extinct and converted into the Order of Christ that once again would play a decisive role during the Portuguese Discoveries. Not to be missed is the magnificent Rotunda (Byzantine-inspired oratory) and the exuberant Manueline Window. The Convent of Christ has been a UNESCO Heritage Site since 1983.

Lunch included.

In the afternoon, we will visit Ourém, a small medieval town with a majestic castle from the 15th century, which was an important centre of the Portuguese high nobility. D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, a predominant figure in the victory of the Portuguese over the Castilians in the battle of Aljubarrota, was Third Count of Ourém.

Dinner at leisure

Saturday 25 November 2023

FEG Delegates AGM Full Day Meeting at the Aurea Hotel

Or

Participants full-day tour to Óbidos and Nazaré

Óbidos, museum village and home of the queens of Portugal who received it as a wedding gift and, over the course of several dynasties, gave privileges to it and enriched it. It had had strategic importance in the territory since the Roman period. It was the birthplace of Josefa d’ Óbidos, one of the few female painters of the 17th century; it is the site of Baroque Classical Music Seasons, an Opera Festival, an International Chocolate Festival, a Medieval Market and a Christmas Market. Don't forget to taste the famous Ginjinha de Óbidos, a cherry liqueur drunk in a chocolate glass.

Free time at leisure for lunch in Nazaré! Enjoy the suggestions that Guias de Portugal will offer you!

Nazaré, land of the sea, fishermen, and women who wear seven skirts as tradition dictates. This is a sea rich in fish: Sea bass, plaice, sole, sardines, horse mackerel, octopus…. some still drying in the sun, we can see them being prepared on the beach. Sítio is the highest part of Nazaré, where we have one of the most beautiful panoramic views of the Portuguese coast. There are 318 meters of sheer rock falling to the sea, which can be reached on foot or by funicular. Our experience will be by funicular! Up there we find the Hermitage of Memory, where the legend is told of the miracle that Our Lady performed in preventing the horse of a nobleman, D. Fuas Roupinho, from hurling himself over the precipice. The mark left on the rock by the animal's horseshoe is still there. Not to be missed is the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Nazaré, a place of pilgrimage. For surf lovers, Nazaré is a paradise. They all know the famous “Cannon da Nazaré”, a submarine geomorphological phenomenon which is a true submerged canyon, the largest in Europe, with a length of 170 kms along the coast and that reaches 5000 metres deep, and this is what allows the formation of giant, perfect waves.

For all Participants: Gala Dinner evening

This year we have decided to make a Mask Ball! So, bring your costume for this special event!

Sunday 26 November 2023

FEG Delegates AGM Half Day Meeting at the Aurea Hotel

Or

Participants half-day tour to Mira de Aire Caves

In this territory crossed by the Natural Park of Serras de Aire e Candeeiros, the most spectacular and best preserved natural caves in Portugal are located, including the Mira de Aire Caves. In addition to the natural beauty, they are also the largest touristic caves in Portugal, with 600 metres open to the public out of the total of 11km that compose them. It was in 1947 when, for the first time, some men tried to explore this cave. The opening up to the public took place on August 11, 1974. They are classified as a Property of Public Interest (1955) and as a Ramsar protected site (2005), and also as a place of indisputable interest for speleological studies and investigations which take place regularly.

Farewell Lunch for all Participants

Transfers to Lisbon Airport after lunch.

If you book an extra night, please note that on Monday 27th November the transfers from Fátima to Lisbon airport will be done at 08h00 AM. This information is important for you to organise your flight departure.

Participants staying in Lisbon for longer can take the metro from the airport to the city.

You may also check the FEG life-long face-to-face training offered to qualified tourist guides this year in Fatima before or during the AGM dates.