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Lourdes

The Grotto, the Torchlight Procession and the High Pyrenees

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2 daysIdeal stay₹7,460From / night₹2,560Food / dayFreeEntry

One of the world's great Catholic pilgrimage towns, where Bernadette Soubirous saw the Virgin Mary in 1858: the Grotto of Massabielle, the baths and the basilicas of the Sanctuary, free and open to everyone, with the torchlight procession every evening from April to October (in winter a torchlight rosary at the Grotto instead). The town is built round pilgrims, with hundreds of hotels, most of them for groups. Beyond the Sanctuary are the medieval château, the Pic du Jer funicular, and the high Pyrenees: the Cirque de Gavarnie and the Pic du Midi observatory are an hour or so away by car or tour. Direct TGVs from Paris Montparnasse take about 4 h 45-5 h; the Tarbes-Lourdes airport, 12 km away, has flights from Paris Orly. The days round 15 August, the Assumption, are among the busiest of the year.

Highlights

  • The Grotto of Massabielle
  • Torchlight procession (April – October)
  • Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and the Rosary Basilica
  • Underground Basilica of St Pius X
  • Château fort above the town
  • Pic du Jer funicular view
  • Day trip to the Cirque de Gavarnie or the Pic du Midi

Things to do

  • Sanctuary: the Grotto, the basilicas and the bathsMorning · 3h
  • Torchlight procession or rosary at the GrottoEvening · 1h 30m
  • Bernadette's Lourdes: her birthplace at the Boly mill and the CachotAfternoon · 1h 30m
  • Château fort and its Pyrenean museumAfternoon · 1h 30m
  • Pic du Jer funicular and the summit viewAfternoon · 2h
  • Cirque de Gavarnie day trip in the high Pyrenees (on snow in winter)Morning · 7h
  • Mass in the underground Basilica of St Pius XMorning · 1h 30m

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Lourdesvia GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Lourdesvia Klook

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When to go

Best time: April – October

Heads up

Lourdes in Winter: No Processions, Many Hotels Shut

From November to March the torchlight procession gives way to a torchlight rosary at the Grotto, the Sanctuary keeps a reduced timetable, and many of the pilgrim hotels, restaurants and shops close until spring. The Grotto and the basilicas stay open all year; book a hotel that is confirmed open. The high Pyrenees are under snow: go to Gavarnie with a guide or snowshoes.

Worth knowing

Assumption Pilgrimage: Lourdes Fully Booked

The days round 15 August (the Assumption) bring the national pilgrimage and the year's biggest crowds: rooms sell out months ahead, and the Grotto and the processions are packed. Book early, or come in May, June or September.