*Sample Day-by-Day Itinerary:
Day 1 - Depart USA
Depart USA for your overnight flight to Europe. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.
Day 2 - Lourdes
Upon arrival in Europe you will connect with your flight to Toulouse, Pau or Lourdes airport. Upon arrival you will find your luggage and exit the baggage claim into the arrivals hall where you will be greeted by a tour guide and/or driver. You will be escorted to the vehicle which will then take you on your scenic drive to Lourdes. Upon arrival you will check in to your hotel and relax or explore before dinner. Following dinner you may choose to participate in the candlelight procession before retiring for the evening.
Days 3 & 4 - Lourdes
During the next two days in Lourdes you will have time to pray with your fellow pilgrims from around the world.
During your trip you will have an opportunity to: Attend Mass at the Grotto, watch a video presentation telling the story of Lourdes, and walk in the footsteps of St. Bernadette. See Boly Mill where St. Bernadette was born, and the "Cachot," an abandoned prison where Bernadette's impoverished family lived. Join your prayers with those of pilgrims from around the world as you pray for the sick, drink water from the miraculous spring or submerge yourself in the healing baths. Experience Christ's love as you walk the lifesized Stations of the Cross overlooking the holy Grotto. Kneel in the chapel built on the very rock of the Grotto, in obedience to the request of the "Immaculate Conception." Evenings are free for optional Blessed Sacrament Procession before dinner. Your role in the universal church will have new meaning as you join the candlelight procession and group rosary (candlelight procession & group rosary only occur April- October).
Day 5 - Lourdes - Paris
After an early breakfast we make our way to Lourdes or Pau Airport for our short flight to Paris. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by our tour guide and brought to your transportation. You will have free time for lunch and then depart for our tour of Paris. We will begin with holy Mass at the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal. View the incorrupt body of St. Catherine Labouret whose guardian angel led her to the chapel where the Blessed Virgin displayed a vision of the miraculous medal and later the green scapular. The Virgin promised bountiful graces for all who wore these. Next we depart on our sightseeing tour which includes the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, L'Arc de Triomphe, the and Champs Elysees. Enjoy other sights on this mostly panoramic tour. We enjoy a lovely dinner before returning to our hotel for a restful overnight.
Day 6 - Excursion to Lisieux, St. Therese the Little Flower
After breakfast, we depart for Lisieux where we will enjoy a tour of the home of St. Therese whom Pope Pius X called "the greatest saint of modern times." Her extraordinary love for God and service to humanity comes alive as you visit the Basilica of Saint Therese, one of the biggest and most magnificent religious structures built in the 20th-century. While in Lisiuex we will celebrate Mass will be celebrated. We will stop at Les Buissonets, St. Therese's family home, there on display are relics, clothing, and personal objects belonging to the "little flower." Before leaving tour the ancient Cathedral of St. Peter and the Carmelite Convent. We return on to Paris for dinner and overnight.
Day 7 - Excursion to Nevers, the body of St. Bernadette
After breakfast, we depart for Nevers by way of the picturesque Loire Valley. After taking the veil in 1867, St. Bernadette lived for 12 years as a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Nevers. At least three times during her short lifetime, she received the last Sacraments. In addition to asthma, she was gradually struck by other illnesses, among them was tuberculosis of the lung and a tubercular tumor in her right knee. St. Bernadette eventually died at the age of 35. See St. Bernadette's incorrupt body at the convent of St. Gildard, miraculously preserved since her death in 1879. We return to Paris for dinner and overnight.
Day 8 - Paris - Rome
After breakfast, we transfer to Paris Airport for our short flight to Rome. Upon arrival in Rome Airport you will find your luggage and exit the baggage claim into the arrivals hall where you will be greeted by your tour escort and/or driver. After a warm welcome to Italy, you will be escorted to your transportation to your hotel. Enjoy a free afternoon for rest, relaxation, or exploration. Your tour escort can suggest sights or walks for you to enjoy.
Day
9 - Christian Rome
This morning we awake in the Eternal City, one of the centers of Western civilization! After a filling breakfast we depart on our sightseeing tour which will offer insight into the most significant Catholic sites in Rome. We will have an opportunity to see the Basilica of St. Mary Major, one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, which contains a relic from the Manger of the infant Jesus. We will see the Holy Stairs and visit the Basilica of St. John the Lateran, which was the residence of the popes prior to returning to Rome in 1377. We also explore St. Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St. Paul under its main altar. We will see the Appian Way, the oldest road from Roman times, as well as the famous Domino Quo Vadis Chapel, the ancient Baths of Caracalla, Arch of Drusus and the Tomb of Celilia Metella. Our day ends with a special visit to one of the catacombs, such as St. Callixtus, where the early Christians hid themselves to escape persecution for their devout faith. Time permitting we will also visit the Trevi Fountain to take part in the tradition of throwing 3 coins into the fountain in hopes of returning to Rome. After a day filled with faith and beauty we enjoy a tasty dinner before retiring for the night.
Day 10 - Rome (Papal Audience and Vatican Museum Tour)
After an early breakfast we depart for Vatican City, the spiritual capital for all Catholics around the world. Vatican City is it's own citystate nestle within Rome, and it even has it's own currency and postage! Today is truly a day which will live in our hearts for many years to come. We make our way to St. Peter's Basilica where we will attend the Papal Audience given by His Holiness the Pope (pending papal schedule). Following the audience we will visit the Vatican Museums, an astonishing series of galleries which contain the most impressive spiritual and art treasures. You will see aweinspiring relics and works of art donated throughout centuries as tributes of faith. We will visit the Tapestry Gallery, the Raphael Rooms and the breathtaking Sistine Chapel where we will see Michelangelo's masterpiece the Last Judgment. We continue our exploration of the Vatican as we enter the largest church in Christendom - St. Peter's Basilica. Built on the site where St. Peter was martyred. St. Peter's is unsurpassed in beauty; a monument to the long history of the Catholic Church, to which pilgrims from around the world flock. You will have time to marvel at the Pieta and Bernini's amazing bronze canopy. We will also visit the tomb of Saint John Paul II located in the Vatican. After a day exploring the home of our Catholic faith, we gather together to dine and reminisce about our day with our fellow pilgrims. We return to our hotel to settle in for a restful sleep on our last night in Rome.
Day 11 - Rome - Siena - Assisi
After breakfast we depart the Eternal City and head
north to Siena, the birthplace of Saints Catherine and Bernardine and one of Italy’s loveliest medieval cities. Here we will stroll the Piazza Del Campo, one of Italy’s finest squares and visit the Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Francis, containing the miraculous consecrated hosts that remained intact since 1730. View the incorrupt head of St. Catherine at the Basilica of St. Dominic. We continue on to Assisi for dinner and overnight.
Day 12 -Assisi
Visit the tomb of St Francis. Explore the quaint hilltop birthplace of St Francis that still retains something of the atmosphere of the early 1200s, the period when St Francis began his ministry. Contained within the huge 13th-century Basilica are many of the saint's possessions and a series of frescoes depicting his life. You may kneel before the crucifix from which Jesus spoke to St Francis, asking him to rebuild His church. It was in St Mary of the Angels Basilica where St Francis spent most of his life. Here we visit the Chapel, Portiuncola, the rose bush, and the cave where the saint retired for prayer. Stroll the medieval streets of the compact little town. After stopping at an outdoor cafe with a view of an ancient Roman temple, we go to the Church of St Clare to see the saint's incorrupt body. The foundress of the Order of Poor Clares followed the teachings of St Francis by living a life of poverty and humility. We will visit these two saints' tombs before dinner and retiring for the evening.
Day 13 - Assisi - Medjugorje
After breakfast depart from the hotel to Rome or Florence Airport for
your flights to Medjugorje. Upon arrival, you'll be greeted by a tour guide and/or driver who will then take you on the 2 1/2 hour drive by private coach to the village of Medjugorje. Guide will be with your throughout your stay. Once there, you'll meet your fellow pilgrims and your spiritual leader and be introduced to your host family in whose comfortable yet modest house (inn) you will be staying for the next four nights.
Days 14 to 16 - Medjugorje
Experience the beauty and peace of this simple village. During your stay in Medjugorje you will have the opportunity to share faith with pilgrims from all over the world. Our local guide will accompany us throughout your stay.
Here are some of the activities you'll be sharing with our fellow pilgrims: Each morning at 10am we assemble at St. James Church for the English-language Mass (Feast days and Sundays English Mass is at Noon). Follow the path up Apparition Hill where the visionaries first encountered Our Lady. Touch and pray before the cross that commemorates the spot where Mary first appeared to the visionaries.
Each evening at 5pm or 6pm daylight savings time, we will join the villagers and pilgrims to pray the rosary. The apparition takes place at 5:40pm or 6:40 daylight savings time, and then stay on for Croatian Mass. Don't miss on Tuesdays and Saturdays Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and on Fridays Veneration of the Cross in the Church. Each evening during Croatian Mass, there is the Blessing of the Sick and blessing of the items you have with you.
Our guide will arrange meetings with the visionaries at their own homes provided that they are in Medjugorje during your trip, and pending their availability. We will have the opportunity to climb Krizevac Mountain, where in 1933 the villagers built a 30' high cross on the anniversary of Jesus' crucifixion. Visit and pray at "Blue Cross", which is a place of great healings and graces- a very special place at the base of Apparition Hill. We will also visit the community of Cenacolo.
*Please be advised that in Medjugorje there will not be a spiritual director with you throughout your stay. Daily Mass in English, as well as English confessions are available at St. James Church.
Day 17 - Medjugorje - USA
After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, we leave by motor coach for Dubrovnik Airport (Split or Sarajevo) for return flights home.
Additional Information & Travel Tips:
What to Know Before You Go to France
What to Know Before You Go to Italy
Any questions? Call 800-206-TOUR (8687) or Email Us
Why travel with 206 Tours? Click here to read letters from our clients
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Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Lourdes
Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy 
Praying, The Grotto,
Lourdes, France 
333 Marcus Blvd 