Pilgrimage to Lourdes

[Mrsmorton]

Has anyone been on their own, not on an organised trip? I just wondered how easy it is and if you need to book things, I'm googling but it's not very clear!

We've visited Lourdes while staying nearby. To visit the spring you just need to queue up - either bring your own bottle or buy one from the hundreds of tat shops nearby. Again with the church above you don't need to be in a tour group although no doubt if you had a guide you would find out more about the history. When we visited some areas were inaccessible due to flooding. There were volunteers around the streets and they were offering help when they saw us carrying ds as they thought he couldn't walk as opposed to just having been woken up and being too dazed to walk. Parking was a bit of a nightmare though - although in the end it was free as we parked on the street during lunchtime. I guess though it depends what you want from the experience - to go, see the cave, get some water (free) and look at the church then maybe have a holiday in the pyrenees is perfectly possible, if you want to go but then link in with a group there I don't know any information about.

Thank you so much for your reply.

Things in the domaine don't need to be booked as far as I know (basilicas, grotto and the baths), although it has been a fair few years since I was there. It may be worth going when one of the big British pilgrimages is in town if you want to hear Mass in English - I used to go with Liverpool Diocese and they are there at the end of July.

I remember the hotels all being within reasonable walking distance of the grotto. There are plenty of bars and cafés in town as well as shops selling all manner of plastic tat. The Virgin Mary weather forecast statue has to be seen to be believed.

I haven't travelled by air so don't know about airport transfers. I have been by train but with an organised group do there was a coach transfer to the hotel. There were taxis at the station, though.

Dying to see our blessed lady forecasting the weather!! I normally go to mass in Latin so not overly concerned by language. Thank you for the info.

Not forgetting the glow in the dark rosaries. .. You do need to consciously block out the tat. It's not in the Basilica grounds but is directly outside.