The Sanctuary of Lourdes is committed to offering a warm welcome to all pilgrims, including those with reduced mobility. Thanks to a wide range of special facilities and services, your pilgrimage will be able to take place in the best possible conditions. The Sanctuary of Lourdes is constantly striving to improve the accessibility of its facilities and services to ensure the best possible welcome for people with disabilities.
Find out about the facilities available to make your pilgrimage easier.
Access for all to places of worship
The Grotto of the Apparitions:
accessible to all pilgrims
An itinerary designed to give as many people as possible access to the various gestures of Lourdes: touching the rock at the Grotto, lighting a candle, drinking and collecting Lourdes water.
The Sanctuary’s daily processions are also accessible to all: the Eucharistic procession and the torch-light Marian procession..
Basilicas and chapels
Access ramps facilitate entry to all places of worship, enabling everyone to take part in the celebrations.
Screens with subtitles in the Basilica of Saint Pius X (international mass and Eucharistic procession), and tactile models to help visitors understand the layout of the Rosary Basilica.
Magnetic induction loops
(Grotto, Basilica of St Pius X and Church of St Bernadette)
Easing congestion in the Sanctuary
Paths and walkways
Facilities for wheelchair users. Easy, obstacle-free access throughout the Sanctuary.
Easy access and participation in the daily processions (Marian and Eucharistic).
Lifts and access ramps
Numerous facilities for accessing the different floors within the Sanctuary.
Assistance dogs welcome.
Information
The Sanctuary’s Information Centre
This area is designed to welcome people with disabilities, offering a personalised welcome as well as tailored services and information..
saccueil@lourdes-france.com
+33(0)5 62 42 20 08
Accessible site map: available in different formats (paper, digital)
Welcoming staff: a host community conscious of accessibility issues
Two museums open all year round:
– Saint Bernadette Museum
– Museum of Miracles
Logiciel ACCEO permettant l’accès à l’information pour les personnes présentant un handicap auditif.
Our Services
The Christian Office for Handicapped People (OCH)
The OCH Foundation is on hand to welcome people “where they can find a listening ear, compassion and support, along with a little light of hope to keep them going…”
lourdes@och.fr
05 62 42 79 92
Wheelchairs on loan
Available from the Sanctuary Information Centre.
Accommodation
Many hotels and hostels offer accessible rooms.
Accessible toilet facilities
Nursery accessible to all.
Prêt de fauteuils roulants
Disponibles au Centre information du Sanctuaire
Accompagnement
Des bénévoles accompagnent les pèlerins en situation de handicap.
Hébergement
De nombreux établissements hôteliers et d’accueil proposent des chambres adaptées.
Sanitaires adaptés
Nursery accessible à tous
The Grotto Bookshop
With its wide range of books and other items, the Sanctuary bookshop is accessible to people with reduced mobility thanks to an access ramp and specially adapted fittings.
Stay in Lourdes with complete peace of mind
The Santavia healthcare service offers pilgrims, who require specific care due to their state of health or disability, the opportunity to receive care from a healthcare professional directly at their accommodation.
All types of nursing care are covered: dressing wounds, taking blood samples, administering injections, assisting with personal hygiene, administering IVs, testing blood sugar levels, and even osteopathy sessions.
To take advantage of this offer, you will need to fill out an online form on the Santavia website in advance. Depending on your needs and where possible, a carer will be assigned to you in consultation with the on-site team.
To find out more (in French): https://santavia-lourdes.com/
Contact: contact@santavia-lourdes.com
Travel to Lourdes made easy
✈️
Tarbes-Lourdes International Airport (TLP) is located fifteen minutes from the Sanctuary. Lourdes is also accessible from Pau airport (PUF, 45 km away) and Toulouse-Blagnac airport (TLS, 180 km away).
You can reach Lourdes by train, departing from the main cities of France. When you arrive at Lourdes station, you will find city buses that will take you to the Sanctuary.
You can get to Lourdes by car, via the A64 motorway from Toulouse or the A65 from Bordeaux. Several parking areas are available in the city.
