"I love Lourdes out of season" Lourdes by lomi

Lourdes Travel Guide: 111 reviews and 243 photos

One of 12 mosaics inside Lourdes catherdral

Stunning scenery Gorgeous Food

Travel to Lourdes outside of the main pilgrimage months (end September to February) and you will enjoy a relaxing sojourn in beautiful countryside. There are many hotel bargains to be had, add to that the great French cuisine and wine.

From March to September you will be one of five million tourists!

Bascilica of the Rosary

Out of season most of the souvenir shops and hotels are shut. This is a pretty town in the French Pyrenees with snow capped peaks in winter. It doesnt matter if you are not interested in the town's spiritual significance. If you are, many sites are open and you can still visit the main grotto where all the action first began with little Bernadette just over a century ago!

A return flight with Ryanair from the UK to nearby Pau-Pyrenees airport is just 28 GBP - worthy of a weekend juant.

We found the locals are much more friendly and relaxed when there are not so many tourists about.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Great out of season. 35km from ski resorts.
Cons:Souvenier shops and most hotels closed
In a nutshell:Worth a weekend break or as a break from skiing

Last visit to Lourdes: Feb 2004
Intro Updated Nov 1, 2011
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Reviews (3)

Bernadettes House Things to Do (2)

Tour the home in which St. Bernadette and her family once lived. The house includes a mill, kitchen, Bernadette’s... more travel advice

Visit the cathedral Things to Do (2)

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes. A visit to this immense cathedral is essential viewing. It is the largest... more travel advice

Good location and great food Hotels (1)

The hotel is recently refurbished and all ensuite rooms (some with bath, others with showers) are attractively... more travel advice

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Comments (4)

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DudetteEllie Jun 29, 2010 at 1:41 PM

Needs more information on what to do there. I didnt find it very interesting or helpful!!
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RosLondon Apr 28, 2010 at 12:18 AM

The Boly Mill was actually where Bernadette's family lived before the Apparitions. At the time of the apparitions the family were living in the Cachot - the former prison that had been condemned as unfit for prisoners to live in.
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deecat Dec 3, 2004 at 4:28 AM

Informative, interesting introduction. Hotel with food sounds like a great deal to me.
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morgane1692 Feb 15, 2004 at 4:24 PM

I did find this to be a quaint and charming bit of France. It was cool to re-visit a place I'd been as a toddler, but the cheeeesy + tacky crap they sell in Bernadette's name is a crime!