Looking for the best way to navigate a visit to Fatima & Nazare. This tour company was highly recommended:
https://lisbonriders.com/
Could we go on our own via bus or train? Should we rent a car?
We will be visiting mid-March.
Thank you!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
1322 posts
The following was copied from another Forum poster who recently suggested looking at these bus companies for an alternative to trains in Portugal
The national bus company
https://rede-expressos.pt/enPrivate competitor
https://www.flixbus.com/
I researched their schedules for Nazare Obidos and Batalha, but decided on a guided tour in the end.
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1676 posts
Either do a tour or rent a car. Public transport to these places isn’t the best. Driving in the central part of the country is quite easy.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6560 posts
We had a rental car. For Fátima, a car may be better if you wanted to visit the Sanctuary, Lucia’s house, the Monument of Our Lady (Valinhos), and Loca do Cabeço (Angel of Peace). The last three places are a few miles from the Sanctuary. There are plenty of free parking lots near the sanctuary. For the others we parked on the side of the road near Lucía’s house since the main parking lot by the Monument of Our Lady was closed due to construction.
Nazaré is less than an hour from Fátima via the toll road and an hour via the non toll road. Between the two is Alcobaca Monastery. When we visited Nazaré we came up from Óbidos. There is a large free parking lot about a five minutes walk from the monastery; Parque de Estacionamento da Cova da Onça de Alcobaça. There is no free parking in Nazaré near the beach. There is a free lot near Apartamento Estrela do Mar, a few minutes walk from the beach.
To me Nazaré is a typical beach town with lots of tourist shops and restaurants. There are some good views from the upper town. No idea how busy it is in March.