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Trip Itinerary ~ 13 Days

Day 1: Depart the USA.

Day 2: Arrive in Santiago de Compostela and enjoy a tour of the city by bus. Dinner and overnight in Santiago de Compostela.

Day 3: After breakfast, join the walking pilgrims at the Monte del Gozo from which the spires of the Cathedral are first visible. We will walk for a little bit on El Camino arriving at the Cathedral, the destination we have been yearning to reach. We will attend the International Pilgrim Mass at the Cathedral of St. James, one of the finest examples of architecture in all of Europe. Tradition invites us to perform some rites. The most important and meaningful one is the hug to the Saint. We will go under the main altar and visit the crypt where the relics of St. James are preserved. In the afternoon we will visit the city of Santiago to see: Obradoiro Square, Fonseca Palace, Gelmirez Palace, Franco Street, etc. Dinner and overnight in Santiago de Compostela.

Day 4: Drive to Astorga. Visit the Eucharistic miracle, the museum for El Camino, Cathedral of St. Mary's de Astorga and the Palace of Gaudi. Dinner and overnight in Astorga. 

Day 5: Visit the Alba de Tormes (site where St. Teresa died and the confessional of St. John of the Cross), the Convento de los Carmelitas Descalzos in Segovia where St John of the Cross was buried. Dinner and overnight in Avila.

Day 6: Whole day in Avila, home of Saint Teresa and the Carmelite Reform with morning visits to the Convento de Santa Teresa (birthplace), Convento de la Encarnación and Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás. Dinner and overnight in Avila.

Day 7: Visit Loyola with all the sites related to St Ignatius of Loyola. Dinner and overnight in Loyola.

Day 8: After breakfast, we will depart towards Zaragoza where we will visit the magnificent Basilica del Pilar, built in the place where Our Lady appeared to Saint James. Tradition says that in the early days of the Church, Saint James the Great was spreading the Gospel in Spain, but making very little progress. He was dejected and questioning his mission. About 44 AD, the Virgin Mary, who was still living in Jerusalem at the time, bi-located and appeared to him in a vision to boost his morale. In it, she was atop a column or pillar, which was being carried by angels. That pillar is believed to be the same one venerated inside the Basilica. We will also visit the Cathedral of Zaragoza and we will do a walking tour of the city. Dinner and overnight in Zaragoza.

Day 9: Drive to Manresa. Visit Cova de Sant Ignasi.  Proceed to Montserrat, home to the dramatically set Benedictine monastery. On a rugged mountainside, we will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat. Since the 12th-century, pilgrims have been drawn to the mountain to venerate the miraculous statue of The Black Madonna. According to Catholic tradition, the statue of The Black Virgin of Montserrat was carved by St. Luke around 50 AD and brought to Spain. It was later hidden from the Moors in a cave, where it was rediscovered by shepherds in 880 AD. They saw a bright light and heard heavenly music that eventually led them to the grotto and the statue. The Bishop of Manresa, present at the discovery, suggested that it be moved to Manresa, but the small statue was discovered to be so heavy it could not be lifted. Thus the Virgin had indicated her will to stay on Montserrat to be venerated there. In the 11th century, the Abbot-Bishop Oliba founded a monastery on the mountain of Montserrat next to one of the chapels, where the Benedictine Abbey is still preserved. Dinner and overnight in  Lourdes Dinner and overnight in Barcelona.

Day 10: After breakfast, we will enjoy a tour of Barcelona including: panoramic views of the Harbor area, Montjuic, Plaza de Espana, and Plaza de Catalunya. Afterwards, continue on a guided walk through the Gothic Quarter to visit the cathedral and to view Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, a beautiful, unfinished Roman Catholic Basilica of impressive proportions. Spend the afternoon at leisure exploring the colorful markets of Las Ramblas. Dinner and overnight in Barcelona.

Day 11: Drive to Lourdes. After checking into the hotel, we will enjoy dinner and participate in the Rosary Candlelight Procession at the Shrine. This is a seasonal event and may not take place during some tours. Dinner and overnight in Lourdes.

Day 12: We will start the day by celebrating Mass at the Grotto of Apparitions. We will enjoy a walking tour of Lourdes visiting places associated with St. Bernadette's life, which is helpful to understand the 1858 Apparition. Afternoon is free to visit the Grotto, the underground Basilica or the Miraculous Baths. After dinner, gather for the evening Candlelight Rosary Procession, if available. Dinner and overnight in Lourdes.

Day 13: Fly home.

Trip Includes

• Flights from anywhere in the United States and flights between countries as per your itinerary (all necessary flights on your trip are included).
• Daily Mass will be scheduled.
• Airport taxes, security fees & fuel surcharges, saving you an average of $400-$600!
• Transfers as per itinerary. Transportation with luxury bus.
• 4 or 5 star hotels in downtown areas.
• All breakfasts and all dinners. Wine included with all dinners
• All tips to driver, hotel, and tour guide. If you feel that the tour guide did a great job, offering them extra tips is greatly appreciated.
• Guided tours and tour fees ~ Our tour guides are very caring, licensed, and well educated. Many of our guides have their PhDs.
• Luggage handling (1 suitcase and 1 carry-on per person).
• Single Supplement: If the passenger wants a guaranteed room of their own, they have to pay $1,300 for a single supplement.  As long as the passenger is willing to room with someone and allows us to provide them with a roommate the single supplement does not apply.
• Remember: Our trips are not more expensive during high season ~ Passengers will never be expected to pay extra for anything while on the trip.
       
• NOTE: If you wish to deepen your knowledge of the Catholic Faith as a preparation for this pilgrimage, we recommend the following book as it is faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church (Imprimatur by ARCHBISHOP FELIPE AGUIRRE FRANCO): The Catholic Faith in Easy Terms. Introduction, Nihil Obstat, and Imprimatur by Archbishop Felipe Aguirre Franco.

Trip Does Not Include

• Lunch.
• Trip Insurance. Work directly with Travel Guard to protect your investment and insure your money. There are different packages to choose from depending on your travel needs. Use the above link or the link right below the picture of the pope on our home page to visit their site.

Steps for Registration

1. Call us (855) 842-8001 or register online with a credit card and pay your $500 deposit per person to save your spot. The $500 deposit is part of the total price of the trip.
2. A $1,000 Additional Deposit (AD) per person is due one month from the registration. The AD is paid ONLY in the form of check (personal, money order, or bank check).
3. The balance is due 4 months before the trip departure date. The balance is paid ONLY in the form of check (personal, money order, or bank check).

• Mail all checks and correspondence to:

Proximo Travel
PO Box 561
Auburn, MA 01501

• NOTE: If you sign up for a trip within 4 months of the departure date, you pay the deposit of $500 with a credit card and the balance is required to be overnighted in the form of a personal check, money order or bank check.

Please note: We do our best to ensure that all sites listed in this itinerary will be seen. However, due to scheduling conflicts, or other circumstances beyond our control, sites may be visited on a different day than listed. If this happens it will also necessitate a change in the restaurant for dinner. However, we will never sacrifice the quality of the meal, all restaurants will meet Proximo Travel's very high standards. Since we have several different trip configurations touring at the same time, it is likely that groups on different tours will be combined when their itineraries overlap in certain areas.