Churches & Christian Pilgrimages
Velankanni, San Thome, Old Goa, Kerala's St Thomas shrines, Mother Teresa's Kolkata, the Holy Land, Rome, Lourdes and Fatima.
Churches & Christian Pilgrimages at a glance
- Itineraries12
- In India6 itineraries
- Abroad6 itineraries
- Destinations17 places
- Trip lengths2 to 8 days
- Trip stylePrivate, customisable
- Best suited toParish groups and families
- Also suitsFeast-day pilgrims
From the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni and the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa to Jerusalem, Rome and Fatima, Christian pilgrimages combine Mass, prayer and the history of the faith.
We plan around feast days, book Papal audience tickets when they are offered, and arrange guides who know the scripture behind each site. Travel to the Holy Land is planned subject to current government travel advice.
Churches & Christian Pilgrimages: 12 itineraries
3D / 2NVelankanniVelankanni Pilgrimage
Two nights at Velankanni for Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, Our Lady's Tank and Morning Star Church, with an evening by the sea.
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5D / 4NChennai · Velankanni · NagoreChennai St Thomas & Velankanni Pilgrimage
San Thome Basilica over the tomb of St Thomas, Little Mount and St Thomas Mount in Chennai, then Mass at Velankanni and a visit to the Nagore Dargah nearby.
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4D / 3NThanjavur · VelankanniVelankanni, Nagore & Thanjavur
The Brihadeeswara temple at Thanjavur, then Velankanni's basilica and the Nagore Dargah, three faiths along the Kaveri delta coast.
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5D / 4NKochi · Kodungallur · MalayattoorKerala St Thomas Christian Trail
Santa Cruz Basilica and St Francis Church in Fort Kochi, the Marthoma shrine at Azhikode where St Thomas is believed to have landed, and the hill shrine of Malayattoor.
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4D / 3NNorth Goa · South GoaGoa Churches & Old Goa Heritage
The Basilica of Bom Jesus and Se Cathedral in Old Goa, the chapels of Fontainhas and a quiet night in south Goa, timed for the Feast of St Francis Xavier on request.
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2D / 1NKolkataKolkata: Mother Teresa's City
The Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity and Mother Teresa's tomb, Nirmal Hriday at Kalighat, St Paul's Cathedral and the Armenian Church.
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7D / 6NIsraelIsrael Holy Land Tour
Jerusalem's Old City, the Dead Sea and Masada, the Sea of Galilee and Tel Aviv–Jaffa, subject to current travel advice.
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8D / 7NIsrael · Amman & the Dead SeaHoly Land: Israel & Jordan
Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee, then across to Jordan for Mount Nebo and Bethany beyond the Jordan, the baptism site, subject to current travel advice.
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4D / 3NRomeRome & Vatican Pilgrimage
St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, the Papal audience when scheduled, and the major basilicas and catacombs of Rome.
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5D / 4NParis · LourdesLourdes & Paris Pilgrimage
Notre-Dame, Sacré-Cœur and the Miraculous Medal chapel in Paris, then the TGV to Lourdes for Mass at the Grotto and the candlelit evening procession.
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8D / 7NRome · Lourdes · LisbonRome, Lourdes & Fatima Pilgrimage
St Peter's and the Vatican with a Papal audience when scheduled, the Grotto and procession at Lourdes, then Lisbon with a day at the Sanctuary of Fatima.
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5D / 4NLisbon · Porto & the Douro ValleyLisbon, Fatima & Porto Pilgrimage
Lisbon's churches and old quarters, a stop at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima for the candlelight procession on the way north, then Porto's Sé Cathedral and riverside.
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Planned with reverence
Darshan and prayer timings
We plan each day around opening hours, aarti, Mass or prayer times, and book darshan, puja or VIP entry where the temple allows it.
Paced for elders
Fewer hotel changes, ground-floor or lift rooms on request, wheelchairs, ponies, palkis or helicopters where available.
Food that respects your faith
Pure vegetarian, Jain, satvik or halal meals arranged where possible, and we tell you honestly where options are limited.
Registrations and permits
Char Dham and Amarnath registration, Inner Line and Tibet permits, and medical certificates where they are required.
Places on these journeys
Tamil NaduVelankanni
Velankanni, on the Bay of Bengal coast, is home to the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, one of the most visited Christian shrines in Asia and often called the Lourdes of the East.
Tamil NaduChennai
Chennai is Tamil Nadu's capital and the gateway to the south: a coastal city of Dravidian temples, colonial-era landmarks and Marina Beach, with a serious Carnatic music and dance scene every December.
Tamil NaduNagore
Nagore, on the Tamil Nadu coast near Nagapattinam, is home to the Nagore Dargah of the 16th-century Sufi saint Hazrat Syed Shahul Hameed, known as Nagore Andavar.
Tamil NaduThanjavur
Thanjavur was the capital of the great Chola dynasty, and its Brihadeeswarar Temple, completed in 1010, is a masterpiece of granite engineering and part of the UNESCO Great Living Chola Temples.
KeralaKochi
Kochi grew on centuries of spice trade, and Fort Kochi still shows layers of Portuguese, Dutch, British and Jewish heritage.
KeralaKodungallur
Kodungallur, the ancient port of Muziris, is where tradition says St Thomas the Apostle landed in AD 52 and where the Cheraman Juma Masjid, traditionally held to be India's first mosque, still stands.
KeralaMalayattoor
Malayattoor is a hill shrine of St Thomas the Apostle above the Periyar river, one of the most important Christian pilgrimages in India.
GoaNorth Goa
North Goa is the lively side of the state: Baga, Calangute and Anjuna beaches, flea markets, beach shacks and clubs, with quieter coves like Morjim and Ashwem further north.
GoaSouth Goa
South Goa is slower and greener, with long, clean beaches like Colva, Benaulim, Palolem and Agonda, spice farms inland and the UNESCO-listed churches of Old Goa on the way north.
West BengalKolkata
Kolkata was the capital of British India until 1911 and remains India's cultural capital: home to Tagore, Satyajit Ray and Mother Teresa, the Victoria Memorial and the Howrah Bridge.
Middle EastIsrael
Israel holds sites sacred to three faiths within a small area.
JordanAmman & the Dead Sea
Amman, Jordan's hilly capital, has a Roman theatre and the Citadel, and is the base for the Roman city of Jerash and the Dead Sea, where the salty water lets you float at the lowest point on land.
Churches & Christian Pilgrimages: common questions
When are the big feast days?
Can you arrange a Papal audience?
Other faith journeys
- Tamil Nadu Temples & Shrines13 itineraries
- Tirupati Balaji (Tirumala)3 itineraries
- Shirdi Sai Baba4 itineraries
- Sabarimala Ayyappa3 itineraries
- Kashi Yatra (Varanasi)10 itineraries
- Char Dham, Amarnath & Himalayan Yatras11 itineraries
- Jyotirlinga Darshan9 itineraries
- South India Temple Trails7 itineraries
- Krishna, Rama & Sacred Rivers11 itineraries
- Devi & Shakti Temples6 itineraries
- Sikh Gurdwara Yatras6 itineraries
- Jain Tirth Yatras3 itineraries
- Sufi Shrines & Islamic Heritage8 itineraries
- Buddhist Pilgrimages9 itineraries
- Umrah & Ziyarat7 itineraries
- Kailash & Nepal Yatras4 itineraries
- Hindu Temples Abroad6 itineraries
Plan your churches & christian pilgrimages
Tell us the shrines, dates and who is travelling, and we send a day-by-day plan with a price.
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