Getting Ready for Your Catholic Pilgrimage Tour to
Spain and Portugal

Getting ready for physical activity

Pilgrimages are oriented toward the spiritual and, by nature, engage the physical.  Increase the amount of time you spend walking and moving around on foot, if you’re mostly sedentary.  Take walks, get out in the sun and fresh air to accustom yourself to potentially longer days, and time on your feet during your pilgrimage.   During your tour, have bottled water and snacks along to ensure you have energy when you need it.

Pilgrimages including Portugal are concentrated in Lisbon, Fatima and Santiago de Compostela.  They are comfortably negotiated on foot, with mostly level surfaces.

Barcelona is considered to be among the best cities in Europe for walking on foot, and wheelchair access… minimal cobblestone and mostly level sidewalks.  Uneven surfaces are common at other locations in Spain, so plan to wear appropriate footwear.  Rubber, not leather soles will have better traction, especially during the winter, when rains make surfaces slick.

Climate – Spain:

From the humid and rainy north facing Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean south, Spain has a broad span of weather and climate conditions.   Most pilgrimage tours take routes through the northern and central part of the country.   Temp’s tend to be moderate, to cold when traveling through the mountains, especially when continuing toward France in the Pyrenees mountains.  Except for northern coastal areas, most of the country is hot during the summer.

Visit:  https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/spain  for year around details of weather conditions for all regions in Spain.

Climate – Portugal:
Portugal is temperate with a climate strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean.  The climate in the north, is cool and rainy.   Traveling south, Portugal gets gradually warmer and sunnier.  The far south, has a dry and sunny microclimate.  In the interior, on the border with Spain, the climate is a bit more continental.

In summer, Portugal is usually sunny most everywhere, however, a few weather fronts can still affect the northern part of the country.  For the rest of the year, particularly from November to March, rainfall is possible, especially in the north where it is frequent.

Bring seasonally appropriate clothes as you would for the full itinerary, including other destinations in France and Spain.

For complete climate information, please see:  https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/portugal

Money exchange:
Using a debit card at ATM’s is the easiest way to get Euro’s in Spain and Portugal, but you are likely to get better exchange rates by simply buying with a credit card.   Exchange rates vary depending on the ATM machine owner and they all charge exchange fees in Spain.  Avoid multiple ATM fees by withdrawing as few times as possible.

If your debit card doesn’t require the use of a PIN number, get one added to the card, or use another debit card.  ATM’s in Spain will not dispense cash unless a PIN number is entered at the machine.

An ATM at a bank will give a better exchange rate than independently operated machines. If in doubt about where to go for Euro’s, check with your pilgrimage tour director.  It’s worthwhile to check with your credit card company to learn what their exchange rate is on purchases converted to Euro’s is prior to your tour.  Let them know when you’ll be traveling so your card isn’t flagged for potential fraudulent use when charges from overseas start appearing.
Travelers checks are not widely accepted in Spain or Portugal.  Generally, only banks will readily accept them, and waiting lines in Spain are notoriously slow.
Many travelers come with some Euros in hand from the USA or Canada.  Getting Euros at most banks in cities is routine, in the USA and worldwide.

Cell phones:
Even though cell phones make it possible to communicate everywhere in the world, you are likely to incur big charges if you don’t let your carrier know you are heading out of the country.   Set up a text and call package for while you’re overseas. If you don’t set up a plan including internet access, turn off cellular data in “settings”.  The difference between turning off cellular data and turning on airplane mode is that airplane mode doesn’t allow calls or texts to come through while turning off cellular data does. When you’re hooked up to Wi-Fi is the only time you should access the internet or email.  Be informed of what you can and can’t do with your phone so you don’t incur expensive roaming charges.

Telephones:
Approximately two weeks prior to your departure to Spain / Portugal, we’ll send you a list of your hotels including their addresses and phone numbers where you may be reached.

To call Spain from the USA, just follow these simple dialing directions:

First dial 011, the international access / U.S. exit code.
Next dial 34, the country code for Spain.
Dial the two or three digit area code
The phone number will be made up of 9 digits for a landline or 6 to 7 digits when calling a mobile

To call Portugal from the USA:
First dial 011, the international access / U.S. exit code.
Next dial 351, the country code for Portugal.
Next, dial the 9-digit phone number, which will start with a 2 for landlines and a 9 for cell.
The U.S. to Portugal international dialing format should go like this:
Landline: 011 + 351 + 2 XXXX XXXX
Cell phone: 011 + 351 + 9 XXXX XXXX

Electrical considerations:
Spain & Portugal run on 220V current.  Most cell phones / smart phones, computers and handheld devices now accept and immediately adapt to whatever voltage comes through wall current anywhere in the world.  You do not need to purchase a voltage converter for them.  You will, however, need an adapter compatible with Spain’s electrical outlets.

Other electrical equipment such as hair dryers, mini steam irons, etc. require an electrical converter.  It is possible to conveniently purchase adapters as well as converters online at Amazon.com.  Simply search for a “Universal Travel Adapter”, or “Universal Travel converter”,  for full voltage conversion.
Most hotels in Spain have blow dryers in each room.

USA embassy / consular services in Spain:
U.S. Embassy Madrid
Calle de Serrano, 75
28006 Madrid, Spain
Phone: (+34) 91-587-2200
Fax: (+34) 91-587-2303

U.S. Consulate General Barcelona
Paseo Reina Elisenda de Montcada, 23
08034 Barcelona, España
Phone: (+34) 93 280 22 27
Fax: (+34) 93 280 61 75

USA embassy / consular services in Portugal:
U.S. Embassy Lisbon
Avenida das Forças Armadas
1600-081 Lisbon
Phone: 351-21-727-3300
Fax: 351-21-726-9109

Emergency:
The national emergency number in both Spain and Portugal, (toll free from any phone) is 112.  This is the equivalent to calling 911 in the USA.

Have additional questions?
Please look at our Travel Info page.  Almost anything you want to know about traveling on a Pilgrimage Tour is covered there