World Youth Day 2023: Lisbon

Meet your Tour Director and check into hotel

Register to obtain your WYD group participation packet

Experience Lisbon's pastel facades, black-and-white mosaic sidewalks, and medieval alleys with a local guide. Stroll through the Alfama district, the oldest section of Lisbon; see the Church of Jerónimos with the tomb of Vasco de Gama and the Monument of Discoveries. Stop for a picture in front of the Torre de Belem, an impressive tower that once defended the city and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

An official welcome for all pilgrims.

Kick off the experience of a lifetime with an opening mass. During this week, you will have the opportunity to participate in catechesis session with bishops from all over the world, as well as attend concerts, exhibitions, displays organized by the World Youth Day Event Committee.

Evening shows, music, prayer, and reconciliation opportunities.

The catechesis itself involves a presentation by a Cardinal, Bishop, or other ecclesial authority, followed by a Q&A session. But there are also testimonies from young people themselves: often powerful stories of how they found God, or rediscovered their faith, or came to terms with a major life crisis.

Music, dance, plastic arts, cinema, and theater, as well as paint and photography will be instruments of cultural connection for the pilgrims of World Youth Day Lisbon.

The catechesis itself involves a presentation by a Cardinal, Bishop, or other ecclesial authority, followed by a Q&A session. But there are also testimonies from young people themselves: often powerful stories of how they found God, or rediscovered their faith, or came to terms with a major life crisis.

Following WYD tradition, the Pope will welcome young representatives from all continents. The Pope will proceed to give his first address to the youth.

Evening shows, music, prayer, and reconciliation opportunities.

The catechesis itself involves a presentation by a Cardinal, Bishop, or other ecclesial authority, followed by a Q&A session. But there are also testimonies from young people themselves: often powerful stories of how they found God, or rediscovered their faith, or came to terms with a major life crisis.

Music, dance, plastic arts, cinema, and theater, as well as paint and photography will be instruments of cultural connection for the pilgrims of World Youth Day Lisbon.

The Way of the Cross is one of the most beautiful and emotional of all WYD traditions. Tastefully combining culture, spirituality, and devotional drama, the Via Crucis invariably remains one of the most memorable and impactful of all World Youth Day events. Those who were there can never forget 2008 in Australia, where the Crucifixion took place at sunset against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour Bridge, or 2013 in Brazil, where the scenes representing Christ’s passion and death evolved in a series of tableaux vivant along Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach.

World Youth Day Morning Pilgrimage

World Youth Day Evening Vigil with our Holy Father

Conclude your WYD experience with a final mass concelebrated by the Pope.

Pilgrimage page to Lisbon

Fatima is a pilgrimage site second in popularity only to Lourdes. Over 100,000 pilgrims arrive for the twice-yearly celebration at the cathedral, where in 1917 the Virgin Mary appeared to three young peasant children and called for an end to World War I. In Santarem, visit “The Miracle Church” although its original name was the Church of Saint Stephen, where more than 775 years ago, a consecrated host was transformed into real flesh. Visit the chapel where this miraculous host is kept.