Porto to Fatima

[Gil A]

I have spent some time trying to figure out how to get from Porto to Fartima.
I'll explain, we flying into Porto. We want to visit the shrine of Our Lady and then take a bus to Tomar and start our pligrimage in Tomar.
I just need advice on the best way to get from Porto to Fatima. I know there is a train but the train station is 25 km away and there is only one bus a day from the train station to Fatima. I have not been able to find information on buses from Porto to Fatima.
I'll appreciate the help

 

[mspath]

Check out www.Rome2Rio.com for bus service from Porto to Fatima.

Good luck and Bom caminho!

 

[mcopeland]

After our Camino Frances we visited Porto and then took the bus to Fatima. There were several a day. The company is Rede National (http://www.rede-expressos.pt), but there are 2 bus stations in Porto, so make sure you have the correct one. We booked online for 16.6 euros and received our tickets by email. I think we had them reprinted at the station as we didn't have access to a printer. Not sure how you would get to Tomar - we went on to Lisbon by bus.

 

[Gil A]

Of course after I posted the question I finally found the answer; RENEX has lots of buses going to Fatima

scolha do Horário
Viagem de Ida:

Dom, 1-10-2017

PORTO

FATIMA
Comprar Partida Chegada Viatura Enlaces Serviço
06:00 08:00 50 Rede Expressos
07:15 09:25 53 RENEX
07:15 09:40 11 Rede Expressos
08:00 10:00 50 Rede Expressos
09:00 11:00 50 Rede Expressos
09:00 11:10 53 RENEX
09:30 11:30 50 Rede Expressos
10:15 12:15 53 RENEX
10:30 12:30 50 Rede Expressos
10:45 13:25 11 Rede Expressos
12:00 14:00 50 Rede Expressos
13:00 15:00 50 Rede Expressos
13:30 15:40 53 RENEX
14:00 16:55 27 Rede Expressos
14:30 17:40 12 1 Rede Expressos
15:00 17:00 50 Rede Expressos
15:30 17:30 53 RENEX
16:00 18:00 50 Rede Expressos
16:00 18:10 53 RENEX
16:30 18:30 50 Rede Expressos
16:30 19:40 37 Rede Expressos
17:00 19:00 53 RENEX
17:30 19:30 50 Rede Expressos
23:00 01:10 53 RENEX

Sorry about a useless question

Not sure how you would get to Tomar - we went on to Lisbon by bus.

 

[Gil A]

Thank you mcopleland; 2 years ago we walked from Lisboa, and we found there is a bus from Tomar to Fatima in the morning and one bus from Fatima to Tomar in the afternoon. So we are planning to use that bus. It is a bus that locals use to go to work in Fatima.
My problem was Porto to Fatima, but you gave us the answer and I found the website pretty quickly.
Thanks again

 

[mcopeland]

Thank you mcopleland; 2 years ago we walked from Lisboa,
Thanks again

How did you find it? We leave for Lisbon October 14th to walk to Santiago. We may drop in to Fatima again on the way. Post-walk trip to Lourdes too this time.

 

[Gil A]

mccopeland:

We are starting our pilgrimage on Tomar on Oct 4. You will be a couple of weeks behind us.
Two years ago we walked in April and May and it was extremely hot. We went to Fatima on a Sunday and we found a mass outside in the esplanade with thousands of people (it was a few days after May 13, the day of Our Lady of Fatima). The mass was being conducted by a bishop with 17 priests. It was pretty cool.
you asked : How did you find it? but I don't really know what you are referring to.

Gil

 

[mcopeland]

mccopeland:
you asked : How did you find it? but I don't really know what you are referring to.
Gil

Sorry. I meant, how was walking from Lisbon?

 

[Gil A]

We need short stages because I am old so we started with 15 km or less. There is no question that we had urban walking and road walking but we saw that as part of our Caminho. Very different indeed than the Camino Frances.
We used tricks like the first day we walked from the Cathedral, la Se de Lisboa, to the Park of Nations, just over 16 km and then we took the subway back to our hotel. The next day we took the subway to the park of nations and started there. And so on.
We walked good part of the way before May 13 so there were a lot of Portuguese pilgrims going to Fatima. They walked pretty fast and were well organized with support vehicles to carry their luggage, water, fruit that they freely shared with us. They told we had to wear reflective vest while on the road as per directives from the police and in fact one group had an extra vest and they gave it to me instructions to buy another at the next supermarket. The left us in Santarem, the caminos diverge there, but we still have the vests and we are bringing them along (I would recommend you buy vests for yourselves. They are very light and give us a extra degree of safety).
I would not change that camino. This time we are starting in Tomar because we both, me (knee) and Wonder Woman (elbow) had accidents that required surgery last year and we just wanted to shorten the distance. We have planned an itinerary that only has 2 days of 20 km, the rest of the days will be shorter.
My advice, do the whole from the cathedral of Lisboa to the cathedral of Santiago. And do visit Fatima. We took the morning bus from Tomar (very early) and came back that evening to Tomar, next day back to walking.
It was phisically easier than the Frances, the countryside is very different (no big mountains), there is only one reasonably longer hill, I think is just afterPonte de Lima. You will find many little hills but nothing like going up to O'Cebreiro.
If you want the gory details, I wrote a a blog: http://gilcamino2.blogspot.ca/
Bom Caminho

Gil

 

[mcopeland]

Thanks so much, Gil! I will definitely check your blog. Thanks also for the advice about the reflective vests. We'll need to pick those up - how do you manage them over your packs? We are old too (We need a more recent photo)! We averaged 10-12 miles per day on the Frances.

 

[Gil A]

We wear the vests just over our shirts. We walk always on the left of the road so we can see the cars coming towards us so they will see the front of the vest. It does not matter if the back of the vest is covered by the backpack.

I think we walked about the same than you two years ago, equivalent to about 16 to 20 km per day. This time we may be doing even less.

 

[Gil A]

One last thing; I think I am going to keep a blog. Nothing there yet but it will be at https://caminoportugues2.blogspot.ca/