Lourdes: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Lourdes is a destination where faith, history, landscapes and regional culture can be experienced side by side. Anyone choosing Lourdes as a destination may want to rent a holiday apartment for their stay.

Culture

The Château fort – Musée pyrénéen de Lourdes looks back on more than 1,000 years of history and is classified as a historic monument. The fortification walls offer views of the town, the sanctuary and the Pyrenees mountain range. The Musée pyrénéen houses collections on the history and cultures of the Pyrenees from the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th century.

The present-day parish church of Sacré-Cœur was built between 1875 and 1936. It houses Bernadette’s Romanesque baptismal font from the former Saint-Pierre church. Bernadette Soubirous was born on 7 January 1844 at the Moulin de Boly. Her birth room, the kitchen, the old mill and its millstones, restored in 2012, can be seen there. After the apparitions, the Moulin Lacadé became Bernadette’s family home and contains furniture, objects and photographs belonging to the Soubirous family. From the winter of 1857 until the autumn of 1858, the Cachot was the Soubirous family’s 16-square-metre home.

The Musée Sainte-Bernadette presents the life of Saint Bernadette, the message of Lourdes and the construction of the sanctuary using numerous visual documents and objects attributed to Bernadette.

Faith

The Sanctuary of Lourdes welcomes individual visitors, groups and organised pilgrimages regardless of their geographical, religious, cultural or social background. Visitors can touch the rock of the grotto at the Sanctuary of Lourdes.

The Gesture of the Water invites pilgrims to drink from the spring and wash with its water. This gesture can be performed independently at all the sanctuary’s fountains throughout the day.

Trails

The Chemin de vie de Bernadette is a themed walking route that introduces visitors to Lourdes’ cultural heritage. The circular route shows Lourdes as Bernadette Soubirous knew the town in its social and historical context. The Subercarrère forest, also known as Bois de Lourdes, is located on the outskirts of the town and is a popular area for walks.

The Voie Verte des Gaves is a 22-kilometre route from Lourdes to Cauterets via Argelès-Gazost. Its first section runs from Lourdes to Pierrefitte-Nestalas and is accessible to bicycles, roller skates, pedestrians, roller skis, handcycles and wheelchairs. The GR78, the Chemin du Piémont, connects Béziers with Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and passes through Lourdes.

At Pic du Jer, there is a black mountain-bike trail and a blue trail that is accessible to everyone. Several paths lead from the upper station of the Pic du Jer funicular towards the summit cross. The Pic du Jer funicular covers an elevation difference of 438 metres between its lower and upper stations.

Nature

A path of approximately 6 kilometres runs around Lac de Lourdes and is suitable for walking, cycling or running. Stand-up paddleboarding and canoeing are possible on Lac de Lourdes.

The marshland west of Lac de Lourdes has been designated a Natura 2000 site since 2006. The marshland at Lac de Lourdes is home to the large heath fritillary and the carnivorous sundew, which is rare in France.

Food and Drink

The Halles de Lourdes bring together local producers, craftspeople and traders offering Pyrenean specialities. Their late-19th-century metal architecture was inspired by market halls in the Baltard style.

More local pages: Pinas, Aureilhan, Gavarnie, Arcizans-Avant, Labastide, Loures-Barousse, Asque

For the higher-level travel overview: Hautes-Pyrénées.

More about the destination

Useful information for planning your trip:

Lourdes as a pilgrimage destination: sanctuary, travel information and accommodation | Ferienwohnung-netz.de.