Pilgrimages by Coach – The Volubus Way

There are few journeys as meaningful as a pilgrimage. For centuries, believers have travelled across Europe to pray at the places where saints lived, where Our Lady is said to have appeared, and where faith shaped whole nations. Today you can follow the same paths, and a group pilgrimage by coach is one of the easiest and most rewarding ways to do it.

In this guide we look at Europe’s most important pilgrimage destinations and explain why so many parishes, prayer groups and families choose to travel the Volubus way.

Why go on pilgrimage by coach?

A pilgrimage is about the journey as much as the destination. When your group travels together on one coach, the road becomes part of the experience: time for prayer, songs, conversation and reflection between sanctuaries.

Travelling with Volubus also takes the stress out of organising:

• Your group stays together. No splitting up across trains, taxis or flights.
• Door-to-door travel. Pick-up from your parish or hotel and drop-off close to the shrine, which is a big help for elderly pilgrims.
• A flexible itinerary. Visit several shrines in one trip and plan around Masses and processions.
• Professional drivers. They take care of routes, parking and rest stops, so the group leader can focus on the group.

Marian shrines of Poland

Poland is one of Europe’s most devout countries, and its sanctuaries welcome millions of pilgrims each year.

Częstochowa is the spiritual heart of Poland. Jasna Góra Monastery holds the famous icon of the Black Madonna, and every summer walking pilgrimages arrive there from all over the country.

Kraków is home to the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Łagiewniki and the St John Paul II Centre. It is easy to combine with Częstochowa on the same trip.

Powroźnik is a quiet stop in the Beskid mountains with a historic wooden church of St James, perfect for groups exploring southern Poland.

Following the saints in Italy

Italy has more pilgrimage sites than any one trip can cover, which is why many groups plan a route that links several of them.

Rome is the centre of the Catholic world: St Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican, the papal basilicas and the catacombs.

Assisi is the hillside town of St Francis and St Clare, and it is full of peace and Franciscan spirit.

San Giovanni Rotondo draws pilgrims to the shrine and tomb of St Padre Pio.

Padua is famous for the Basilica of St Anthony, one of the most loved saints in the world.

Loreto is home to the Basilica of the Holy House, venerated as the house of the Holy Family.

Sanctuaries of France

Lourdes is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world. Pilgrims come to pray at the Grotto where Our Lady appeared to St Bernadette in 1858 and to join the evening torchlight procession.

Rocamadour is a dramatic sanctuary built into a cliff, with a chapel of the Black Virgin. It fits easily into a trip to Lourdes.

Sainte-Anne-d’Auray in Brittany is the great shrine to St Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary.

Spain and Portugal

Santiago de Compostela is the end of the Camino and the resting place of St James, and one of Christianity’s oldest pilgrimages.

Fátima is where Our Lady appeared to three shepherd children in 1917. Its sanctuary is a place of deep prayer.

Montserrat, near Barcelona, is a Benedictine abbey high in the mountains, home to La Moreneta.

Ávila is the walled city of St Teresa of Ávila, the great mystic and Doctor of the Church.

More pilgrimage destinations in Europe

Medjugorje (Bosnia and Herzegovina) is a place of prayer and confession, known for Apparition Hill and St James’ Church.

Mariazell (Austria) is the most important Marian shrine in Central Europe.

Einsiedeln (Switzerland) is a baroque Benedictine abbey with a Black Madonna, on the Swiss Way of St James.

Kevelaer (Germany) is the leading Marian shrine of north-west Europe.

Canterbury (United Kingdom) is home to the cathedral and shrine of St Thomas Becket.

Knock (Ireland) is the country’s National Marian Shrine in County Mayo.

Combine several shrines in one journey

One of the biggest advantages of a coach pilgrimage is that you can visit several sanctuaries on one trip. Popular combinations include:

• Kraków, Częstochowa and Powroźnik
• Rome, Assisi and Loreto
• Fátima and Santiago de Compostela
• Lourdes and Rocamadour
• Einsiedeln and Mariazell

Plan your pilgrimage with Volubus

Wherever your group feels called to go, Volubus can help you get there together, comfortably and safely. Choose a destination above to learn more and start planning your pilgrimage.