Make your way to your local airport where you will board your overnight flight(s). Your meals will be served on board.

Upon arrival in Madrid, you will collect your luggage in the baggage claim area, and continue to the Arrival’s Hall, where you will be greeted by your tour guide and/or driver. You will be escorted to the bus where your group will transfer to your hotel. You will enjoy free time before dinner and retiring for the evening.

This morning, you will awaken in the capital city of Spain! Following breakfast, you will enjoy a tour of Madrid that includes the Royal Palace and the Plaza Mayor. Both sites are iconic to Madrid, as the Palace holds state ceremonies and events, and the Plaza Mayor is the geographic center of Madrid, as well as the social center. This afternoon, you will depart for Toledo (approximately one hour and twenty minutes). Toledo is a city set upon a rocky mound that is isolated on three sides by a looping gorge of the Rio Tajo. It is known as the City of Three Religions or Cultures because the Christians, Jews, and Moors have lived peacefully in this city for centuries. Each inch of this outcrop has churches, synagogues, mosques and houses heaped upon one another in a haphazard spiral in which the cobbled lanes infiltrate with its best efforts. During your time in this city, you will view the some of the grandest treasures such as, the glorious Gothic Cathedral that was built upon the Great Mosque of Toledo. Visit La Iglesia de Santo Tome, best known for housing El Greco’s most famous painting and the Sinagoga del Tránsito, known for its impeccable stucco inscriptions. Additionally, you will visit a number of monuments such as La Puerta de Bisagras, La Puerta del Cambron, La Puerta del Sol and many others. Your day will culminate with a return transfer to Madrid where you will enjoy dinner and an overnight.

Today, you will depart Madrid and head towards the city of Santiago de Compostela (approximately six hours). While en route, you will make a stop on the calle del Agua of Villafranca del Bierzo. This main street truly emanates Baroque architecture and is filled with palaces and emblazoned houses. At the entrance of this village, you will find the Romanesque church of Santiago. According to tradition, the pilgrims who were unable to finish El Camino as a result of an illness would receive the jubilee blessing at this church. Your next two stops will be visits to the gothic styled Collegiate Church of Santa Mari¬a and the Church of St. Nicolas, dedicated to the patron Saint of Villafranca del Bierzo. This late afternoon, you will enter Galicia (approximately one hour and fifteen minutes) by way of the city, Lugo. Your first stop will be to O Cebreiro, the first village in the region of Lugo and nestled in the mountains at an altitude of 1,300 meters. While in O Cebreiro, you will have the opportunity to view the iconic palloza styles houses, and the site of a Eucharistic Miracle that occurred in the year 1300. This evening, you will proceed to Santiago de Compostela (approximately two hours and thirty minutes) for your dinner and an overnight.

This morning, you will join the walking pilgrims at the Monte del Gozo from which the spires of the iconic Cathedral are visible. You will walk the last few miles of El Camino and attend the International Pilgrim Mass at the Cathedral of St. James. Formed by Galician granite, this Cathedral is one of the finest architectural examples in Europe, as it encompasses Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque styles. Additionally, the Cathedral contains numerous and valuable pieces of art that truly captivate the eye. Upon entering the Cathedral, tradition will lead as you hug the dazzling statue of St. James. Following this intimate embrace, you will descent into the crypt where the Patron Saint of Pilgrims’ relics are kept. Following your visit, you will enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city. Some stops on your tour include the Obradoiro Square, Fonseca Palace, Gemirez Palace, Franco Street, and much more. Your evening will be free to spend at your leisure, until a final dinner with your group. You will spend a final overnight in Santiago de Compostela.

Today, you will transfer to the airport and board your flight to either: Dubrovnik, Split, Zagreb, or Sarajevo. After landing, you will collect your luggage in the baggage claim area, and continue to the Arrival’s Hall where you will be greeted by a tour guide and/or driver. You will be escorted to the vehicle that will take you on the 2.5 hour drive to the village of Medjugorje. Once in Medjugorje, you will meet your fellow pilgrims and host family. Your group will enjoy a dinner together before retiring for the evening.

The most beautiful features of Medjugorje are its simplicity and peace. While in Medjugorje, you may experience your faith grow, and share in the faith journey of pilgrims from all over the world. A local guide will accompany your group throughout your stay in the village.

Some activities that will accompany you in your spiritual journey:

Attend Daily Mass: Each morning at 10:00 AM, your group will assemble at St. James Church for Mass (English-Speaking). At the end of each Mass, regardless of language, there is a blessing of the religious articles that you have with you.

On Feast Days, and Sundays: English Mass is at 12 PM.

Climb Apparition Hill: This mountainous hill is where the visionaries first encountered Our Lady. At the base of this hill is a Blue Cross, where it is said Our Lady appeared to the children while they hid from the communist police in the early days of the alleged apparitions. While climbing, your group is invited to recite the Rosary, pausing five times for each decade of the Rosary. At the top of the hill, you will witness the exact location of the first alleged apparition of Our Lady to the visionaries, and enjoy private time for prayer.

Climb Mt. Krizevac (Cross Mountain): In 1933, the villagers built a 30′ high cross atop a mountain to commemorate Jesus’ passion and death on the cross. Your group will have the opportunity to climb this mountain, and venerate that very cross. While climbing, your group is invited to pray the Stations of the Cross (to meditate on Jesus’ suffering Road to Calvary), pausing fifteen times for each Station.

Apparitions: Each evening at 5:00 PM (or 6:00 PM depending on Daylight Savings Time), your group can join the villagers and fellow pilgrims of Medjugorje at either St James Church or Apparition Hill to commemorate the time Our Lady appears to the Visionaries. There you can pray the Rosary, as you all await that time (5:40 PM or 6:40 PM during Daylight Savings Time).
*Afterward, Croatian Mass is held at St. James Church and is free to all to attend. It is broadcasted by the radio, simultaneously in order to translate the services from Croatian into many languages. Following the Croatian Mass, there is a Blessing of the Sick.
**For details about the Visionaries, please visit: www.206tours.com/visionaries

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Our Lady has always called us to be close to her Son. For this, you will have the opportunity to adore the Blessed Sacrament at the altar outside of St. James Church. Adoration is held on Tuesdays and Saturdays; Veneration of the Cross is held on Fridays inside the church. Additionally, there is an Adoration Chapel on the grounds of St. James Church, where Adoration is held in the afternoon hours.

Visit the Community of Cenacolo:
Pilgrims will have the opportunity to visit the Community of Cenacolo, founded by Sr. Elvira Petrozzi, for young men and women who have taken the wrong path and are on the road to recovery. You will be able to listen to their inspirational testimonies about their journeys back to Jesus Christ.

Prayer at the Statue of the Risen Christ: The bronze statue of the Risen Christ is located on the grounds of St. James Church. Many pilgrims sit and pray on the benches surrounding this peaceful statue. This statue miraculously seeps droplets of water at all times of the day, out of Christ’s right knee.

After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, your group will leave by motor coach for Dubrovnik, Split, Zagreb, or Sarajevo Airport for return flights home.

*206 Tours Disclaimer:
Occasionally local religious and national holidays, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of events or the missing of certain events/places. Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of events and places to be visited.