Advice Requested on Hiking to Fatima from Lisboa via the Camhino Português

[dalessandrodd]

We are starting to walk the Camino from Lisboa at the end of May.
We believe we have two option if we want to walk the Camino Portugeese from Lisboa and to visit Fatima on our Camino, (1) I think we can follow the signs that go directly fo fatima from Lisboa via Santarem and at that point break off at continue to Fatima via the Camino de Fatima route or (2) continue to walk on the Camino Portugeese to Tomar and then take a bus on a "Rest Day" between Tomar and Fatima. I may not be seeing all of our options and if someone that has exprience in this area could provide us your advice or exprience , that would be extremely helpful. Thank you in advance on any advice you can provide.
Bon Camino

 

[peregrina2000]

The Fátima Association that previously provided lots of info has disbanded, but with the newly opened Pilgrim Office in Lisbon, I think you have a good source of information.

See this thread. You can see from the sign that they offer advice on both the routes to Santiago and Fátima.

 

[jungleboy]

There is another option: the Caminho do Mar from Lisbon to Fátima, which doesn’t overlap at all with the CP (and which also doesn’t follow the Mar very much).

My live thread about it is here.

Or if you prefer, Wendy and I discuss it in episodes 4.1 and 4.2 of our podcast.

 

[dalessandrodd]

Thanks, we will look that up , but we had our hearts on starting in Lisbon

 

[Corned Beef]

I did Tomar to Fatima this year. It's a constant uphill so going by bus in that direction would be recommended. Tomar is also an interesting town to visit given its Templar history so try not to miss out.

An alternative would be to switch to the Tagus Way at Santarem and bus back to the CP at Tomar.

Tagus Route

It is part of a geocultural space marked by the Tagus river and by the complex natural, social and cultural system associated with this great waterway that crosses Portugal. A part of the Way has the river for horizon and advances through the serene landscape of the Lezíria plains. Another part...

caminhosdefatima.org

The Caminho do Mar would be high on my list if I were to do it again but only because I love a coastal route.

 

[dalessandrodd]

This is a great input and now I am really interested in finding out more on the Caminho do Mar also

 

[Kev&Kath]

We are starting to walk the Camino from Lisboa at the end of May.
We believe we have two option if we want to walk the Camino Portugeese from Lisboa and to visit Fatima on our Camino, (1) I think we can follow the signs that go directly fo fatima from Lisboa via Santarem and at that point break off at continue to Fatima via the Camino de Fatima route or (2) continue to walk on the Camino Portugeese to Tomar and then take a bus on a "Rest Day" between Tomar and Fatima. I may not be seeing all of our options and if someone that has exprience in this area could provide us your advice or exprience , that would be extremely helpful. Thank you in advance on any advice you can provide.
Bon Camino

Following your path in August, and settled on CP route to Tomar. In line with other comments saw Tomar as a town not to miss, and intend taking a rest day here. The following day will bus to Fatima, stay the night, then taxi (seems buses don't run on Monday when we'll be moving on) back to Tomar for the day's long leg to Alvaiazere. Will be interested to see how you tackle this. Buen Camino!

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

I noted this a few weeks ago, about some new routes to Fatima from north of Lisbon...

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/new-marked-paths-to-fatima-in-central-portugal.86408/

Our local municipal government in Vila Nova da Barquinha has just produced a short video publicizing its share of one of the routes--along the Tejo, east of and towards VNdB town itself. This is a section that a northbound pilgrim from Lisbon wouldn't typically walk--it would mean a detour--but it shows the work that the local governments are putting into sponsoring and encouraging pilgrims.

In Portuguese, but the gist is clear...and it ends "walk to Fatima in safety."

 

[jungleboy]

Thanks, we will look that up , but we had our hearts on starting in Lisbon

If you were replying to me, the Caminho do Mar does start in Lisbon* but goes a different way from the CP.

*It technically starts in Estoril but you can easily start in Lisbon and walk to Estoril along the river, which is what we did.

The Caminho do Mar would be high on my list if I were to do it again but only because I love a coastal route.

Despite the name it is only on the coast briefly around Cascais.

 

[lt56ny]

If you were replying to me, the Caminho do Mar does start in Lisbon* but goes a different way from the CP.

*It technically starts in Estoril but you can easily start in Lisbon and walk to Estoril along the river, which is what we did.


Despite the name it is only on the coast briefly around Cascais.

I will re-listen to those podcasts. Is the do Mar an "official" camino route. Is recognized a better word? Are there albergues, markings, expensive?, Can you break down stages to less than 25K a day? I am a budget pilgrim. I try to stay in municipals or donativos wherever possible. I eat most dinners in the albergue and usually have food for lunch also.
Thanks

 

[Corned Beef]

Not the answer to the question posed, but this has come up before. Fatima is an important shrine for the Portuguese. Its size seems out of proportion to its location. So you could bus from Lisbon to Fatima and start your pilgrimage from there.

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Lisbon/F%C3%A1tima#r/Bus/s/0

 

[Gumbolover]

We are starting to walk the Camino from Lisboa at the end of May.
We believe we have two option if we want to walk the Camino Portugeese from Lisboa and to visit Fatima on our Camino, (1) I think we can follow the signs that go directly fo fatima from Lisboa via Santarem and at that point break off at continue to Fatima via the Camino de Fatima route or (2) continue to walk on the Camino Portugeese to Tomar and then take a bus on a "Rest Day" between Tomar and Fatima. I may not be seeing all of our options and if someone that has exprience in this area could provide us your advice or exprience , that would be extremely helpful. Thank you in advance on any advice you can provide.
Bon Camino

We hiked from Tomar to Fatima ....loved it

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

Not the answer to the question posed, but this has come up before. Fatima is an important shrine for the Portuguese. Its size seems out of proportion to its location.

Not sure that urban planning/traffic design considerations come into play much, with the location of miracles!

 

[stevenbl]

I walked the Portugues to Tomar, and from Coimbra.

I walked from Tomar to Fatima along the Nascente, Fatima to Coimbra along the Carmelita.

It was wonderful.

If interested you can read details of my trip at

Camino Nascente & Carmelita – Following your feet

followingyourfeet.com

Whatever you decide, Tomar, Fatima and Coimbra are all fantastic.

​

 

[Eamonrodden]

We are starting to walk the Camino from Lisboa at the end of May.
We believe we have two option if we want to walk the Camino Portugeese from Lisboa and to visit Fatima on our Camino, (1) I think we can follow the signs that go directly fo fatima from Lisboa via Santarem and at that point break off at continue to Fatima via the Camino de Fatima route or (2) continue to walk on the Camino Portugeese to Tomar and then take a bus on a "Rest Day" between Tomar and Fatima. I may not be seeing all of our options and if someone that has exprience in this area could provide us your advice or exprience , that would be extremely helpful. Thank you in advance on any advice you can provide.
Bon Camino

From Lisbon there are two arrows, blue for Fatima and Yellow for Santiago. The Brierley book covers it.
There is a split and there is a diversion to Fatima. They join up later.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I noted this a few weeks ago, about some new routes to Fatima from north of Lisbon...

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/new-marked-paths-to-fatima-in-central-portugal.86408/

Our local municipal government in Vila Nova da Barquinha has just produced a short video publicizing its share of one of the routes--along the Tejo, east of and towards VNdB town itself. This is a section that a northbound pilgrim from Lisbon wouldn't typically walk--it would mean a detour--but it shows the work that the local governments are putting into sponsoring and encouraging pilgrims.

There are very few *new* routes to Fátima, as the Portuguese walk frequently to Fátima from all directions, very often from their homes and villages.

The Ministry for Tourism has nevertheless started doing an excellent job in recent years to more clearly mark the routes, make them more easily and safely walked, to maintain them, and encourage the opening of Albergues along those routes.

From Lisbon there are two arrows, blue for Fatima and Yellow for Santiago. The Brierley book covers it.
There is a split and there is a diversion to Fatima. They join up later.

The blue and yellow arrows is the old system, which is still prevalent in many places. The yellow ones are usually fine, but often the blue ones can fade and become hard to see, or even basically invisible.

The new modern-style Fátima route waymarkers are far better and more professionally and systematically placed, on the routes where they exist -- and where those routes coincide with the Camino, the old painted yellow arrows have been replaced by similar modern waymarkers in the same style, but yellow and pointing to Santiago.

---

Otherwise, I'd personally advise Santarém > Fátima > Tomar.

Fátima > Tomar on the Caminho do Nascente is a lovely walk, and there is an excellent (and simple) Albergue as well as a great restaurant at Fungalvaz about half way. And there are many options in Tomar.

The Fátima > Ansião route is doubtless lovely too, but IIRC it still has less infrastructure than the Central route does north from Tomar.

On Santarém > Fátima there looks to be less tarmac and cobblestones than on Santarém > Tomar.

 

[JabbaPapa]

This was hard to find, but at the bottom of the following page, there is a PDF flyer about the "new" Caminho do Medio Tejo routes, which include a different route between Fátima and Tomar, as well as two other alternatives for switching between the Central and Fátima.

Caminhos de Fátima no Médio Tejo – Turismo

turismo.mediotejo.pt

PDF flyer in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish.

The "new" Central/Fátima switching variants, heading North, are :

Entroncamento > Fátima via Torres Novas

and

Fátima > Areias via Seiça (this looks particularly practical, though the waymarkers would be pointing in the "wrong" direction)

---

Off-topic, but I'm pleased to see that a section of the Caminho de Fátima da Beira that's in this region seems to have been properly waymarked -- Troviscaínho > Sertã > Dornes > Areias > Seiça > Fátima ; albeit under the Medio Tejo label.

 

[AidaYYC]

We are starting to walk the Camino from Lisboa at the end of May.
We believe we have two option if we want to walk the Camino Portugeese from Lisboa and to visit Fatima on our Camino, (1) I think we can follow the signs that go directly fo fatima from Lisboa via Santarem and at that point break off at continue to Fatima via the Camino de Fatima route or (2) continue to walk on the Camino Portugeese to Tomar and then take a bus on a "Rest Day" between Tomar and Fatima. I may not be seeing all of our options and if someone that has exprience in this area could provide us your advice or exprience , that would be extremely helpful. Thank you in advance on any advice you can provide.
Bon Camino

A Camino buddy who was walking along with me, did option #2 and took the bus to/from Tomar and then continued his Camino onto to Santiago. I might add he did it and was back in Tomar before 3 pm

 

[Albertinho]

Portuguese often take the shortest route, even following busy N routes at the hard shoulder. Do not do that . Every year there are deadly accidents between traffic and pilgrims.
If you do , wear a fluorescent safefy vest and walk at the side the traffic is coming towards you so you can see them coming .

Portuguese travel light
Wearing trainers instead of real walking boots , carrying a day pack instead of a 50 liter 8 kg heavy pack .

 

[jungleboy]

Is the do Mar an "official" camino route. Is recognized a better word?

I think so but I am not sure to be honest. There are Santiago and Fátima way-marking signs.

Are there albergues, markings, expensive?,

Albergues - no. Markings - yes, although they're faded and probably in need of being redone. Once the route merges with the Nazaré route for the last 1.5 days the markings improve a lot. Expensive - it's mostly rural Portugal so it's not that expensive, but there aren't any albergues so it's not super cheap either.

Can you break down stages to less than 25K a day?

Apart from Cascais-Sintra (29km) all our stages were about 25 and under, so yes.