France›South-West & Occitanie›Lourdes›December
Lourdes in December
Mixed month: December is outside the recommended season (April – October). Against it: Lourdes in Winter: No Processions, Many Hotels Shut.
The season opens in April, 4 months away.
2 days in Lourdes in December · from ₹23,622 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
Before you book December
Closures, crowds and rules at Lourdes this month.
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.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 2 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹23,622 for two
- Room a night₹7,460
- Food a day, each₹3,328
Mid-range
₹49,648 for two
- Room a night₹12,250
- Food a day, each₹7,680
Luxury
₹1,09,199 for two
- Room a night₹23,430
- Food a day, each₹17,920
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for France yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Nice (NCE), 594 km away
Then: Train · 9h (TGV / Intercités via Marseille and Toulouse)
Flights from India: from 3 cities, one way from ₹36,000
Fly into Paris (CDG), 667 km away
Then: Flight · 4h (Flight Orly–Tarbes-Lourdes + shuttle or taxi)
Flights from India: from 9 cities, one way from ₹32,000
Routes compared
Entry rules
Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹9,590
- Apply for a Schengen short-stay (type C) visa on france-visas.gouv.fr, up to six months and at least 15 days before you fly; 4-8 weeks ahead is safest in summer and December.
- Book an appointment at a VFS Global France centre in India and go in person to give fingerprints and a photo (not needed again for 59 months). Pay the €90 visa fee (€45 for children aged 6-11, free under 6) plus VFS's service charge.
- Allow about 15 days for a decision, up to 45 in peak season. Track it online; VFS returns the passport.
- If you have used two Schengen visas lawfully in the last three years, ask for a multiple-entry visa: under the EU's cascade for Indian nationals you can get two years, then five.
- Did you study in France for at least a semester, with a master's degree or higher? Ask for France's five-year alumni short-stay visa.
- At the first Schengen border, register your fingerprints and photo in the Entry/Exit System (EES). Stay no more than 90 days in any 180 across all Schengen countries.
Carry: Passport valid at least three months beyond the day you leave the Schengen area, issued within the last ten years, with two blank pages; France-Visas application form (printed) and two recent passport photos; Return flight booking and hotel bookings (or an invitation) for the whole stay; Travel medical insurance covering at least €30,000, valid in all Schengen countries; Bank statements for the last three to six months, and recent income-tax returns; Employer's leave letter or proof of business; for students, a letter from the school; A short covering letter with your day-by-day itinerary; For children: birth certificate and both parents' consent if not travelling with both.
One Schengen visa covers France and 28 other countries, but a multi-country trip should apply through the country where you spend the most nights. Book the VFS appointment early: slots for June-August and December go weeks ahead. The ETIAS travel authorisation does not apply to visa holders.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in France in December
Instead in season this month.
- Colmar · good month
- Lyon · good month
- Strasbourg · good month
Nearby in South-West & Occitanie:
Want this as a real plan?
Lourdes in December, day by day, priced for your group.