2 day lourdes independent trip from paris by tgv train

Visit the famous Catholic pilgrimage site of Lourdes on this two-day independent trip from Paris by TGV, France’s high-speed train. This don’t-miss independent trip takes you directly to Lourdes, which you can explore however you wish, and includes dinner, breakfast plus a convenient three-star hotel in central Lourdes.

A beautiful city in the heart of the French Pyrenees mountains, Lourdes is famous for being the site of a local woman’s apparition of the Virgin Mary, who appeared in a series of visions in 1858. You can attend one of the impressive sacrament processions, see the Statue of the Crowned Virgin in Rosary Square or visit the Grotto of Massabielle, where the apparitions took place.

Boarding the TGV (high-speed train) at the Montparnasse train station in Paris, you'll head south to the Pyrenees mountains, passing through beautiful French regions such as Touraine, Aquitaine and Bordeaux. Upon arrival in Lourdes, take a minibus transfer to your hotel, conveniently located near many of Lourdes’ must-see sites.

This is an independent trip, meaning you may explore Lourdes however you wish. The time is yours to create your own itinerary and see as little or as much as you’d like. Visit the Sanctuary of our Lady of Lourdes, which is the area surrounding the Grotto of Massabielle, where the Virgin Mary (Our Lady of Lourdes) appeared to the 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous 18 times in 1858. Bernadette went on to be canonized as a saint in 1933. Famous for these apparitions, Lourdes has become a major European pilgrimage site.

Check out the Statue of the Crowned Virgin Mary, which stands in the impressive Rosary Square, across from the Rosary Basilica (Basilique Notre Dame du Rosaire). Another must-see sight is the small spring inside the Grotto of Massabielle, where the water has been reputedly responsible for miraculous healings over the ages. Or participate in one of the daily processions to and from the grotto.

End your first day in Lourdes with a delicious dinner at your 3-star hotel (drinks not included).

After breakfast the next morning (included), continue your Lourdes experience at your leisure until the early afternoon. Attend a mass at the grotto or follow the footsteps of Saint Bernadette by visiting her birthplace. Then return to the Lourdes train station for your high-speed train ride back to Paris.