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Fátima in October
Good month: October is at the end of the recommended season (May – October). The great pilgrimages to Fátima can fall this month.
The season ends with October. Wildfire Season usually starts in July, 9 months away.
2 days in Fátima in October · from ₹18,300 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
Before you book October
Closures, crowds and rules at Fátima this month.
Worth knowing
Pilgrimage Days: 12-13 May and 12-13 October
The two great pilgrimages bring hundreds of thousands to the Sanctuary, many walking for days along the main roads: every room for miles is booked months ahead, coaches from Lisbon fill, and the esplanade is packed. Come then for the processions, or on other days for quiet.
What’s on in October
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
The great pilgrimages to Fátima2027: 12-13 May and 12-13 Oct
The anniversaries of the first and last apparitions (13 May and 13 October 1917) bring hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, many walking for days along the roads from Lisbon and Porto: a candlelit procession on the night of the 12th and the farewell to the statue, waving white handkerchiefs, on the 13th. Smaller pilgrimages are held on the 12th-13th of each month from May to October. Book rooms months ahead for May and October.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 2 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹18,300 for two
- Room a night₹5,860
- Food a day, each₹2,496
Mid-range
₹38,480 for two
- Room a night₹9,590
- Food a day, each₹5,760
Luxury
₹82,944 for two
- Room a night₹17,040
- Food a day, each₹13,440
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for Portugal yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Lisbon (LIS), 109 km away
Then: Transfer · 1h 30m (Hire car (a day's rental plus fuel and tolls), per vehicle)
Flights from India: from 9 cities, one way from ₹29,000
Fly into Porto (OPO), 169 km away
Then: Transfer · 2h 12m (Hire car (a day's rental plus fuel and tolls), per vehicle)
Flights from India: from 3 cities, one way from ₹29,000
Routes compared
Entry rules
Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹12,974
- Apply for a Schengen short-stay (type C) visa at a VFS Global Portugal centre in India, at least 6 weeks before you fly, and 8 weeks ahead for trips from April to August and in December (no earlier than 6 months). Apply to Portugal if it is your only or longest stay in Schengen. The fee is €90 (about ₹9,600; €45 for children 6-11) plus VFS's service charge of ₹3,384, and it is not refunded if the visa is refused.
- Book the appointment early: in Delhi and Mumbai slots can be 3-8 weeks out in the busy months, and another city's centre may be sooner. At the appointment give your fingerprints and photo (skipped if you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months). The decision usually takes about 15 days, up to 45 if other Schengen states are consulted, and VFS takes a few more days to return the passport.
- If you have lawfully used two Schengen visas in the last three years, ask for a multiple-entry visa: under the EU's 2024 cascade rules for Indians you can be given a two-year visa, then a five-year one.
- On your first arrival in the Schengen Area your fingerprints and face are scanned at passport control (the EU Entry/Exit System, in full use since April 2026) instead of a stamp. Allow extra time: queues at Lisbon airport's passport control can be long at peak times.
Carry: Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages; Completed visa application form and two recent photos (35 x 45 mm); Travel insurance with at least €30,000 medical cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip; Return flight booking and a day-by-day itinerary, with the trains or flights inside Portugal (Madeira and the Azores included); Hotel bookings for every night; Bank statements for the last 3-6 months, income-tax returns, and a leave letter from your employer (or business or college papers).
One Schengen visa covers Portugal and every other Schengen country (Spain, France, Italy and more) for up to 90 days in any 180, Madeira and the Azores included, but not the United Kingdom, which needs its own visa. The Embassy in New Delhi handles most of India; the Consulate General in Panaji, Goa, covers Goa, Maharashtra, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. ETIAS is only for visa-free travellers, so it does not affect you. VFS centres and waits vary: check visa.vfsglobal.com for your city before you book flights.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in Portugal in October
Also in season this month.
- Braga & Guimarães · good month
- Coimbra · good month
- Douro Valley · good month
- Évora · good month
- Faro · good month
- Lagos · good month
- Lisbon · good month
- Óbidos · good month
Nearby in The Silver Coast & Central Portugal:
Want this as a real plan?
Fátima in October, day by day, priced for your group.