At an altitude of 948 m, there is an attractive panoramic view over the central Pyrenees from the upper station of the funicular railway.

Perched on the last ‘‘rock bar’’ in the former Lavedan glacial valley, this fort contains the Pyrenean Museum devoted to popular arts and traditions of the regions between Bayonne and Perpignan. One room is devoted to ‘‘Pyreneanism’’. In the chapel..

This museum traces the important episodes in the life of Bernadette Soubirous and that of Christ. From the terrace there is a pretty view of the mountain stream of Pau and the sanctuaries.

There is a fine panorama of Lourdes and its surroundings, and from the highest point a view of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, Lourdes Lake, and the Pic Long (Massif of Néouvielle), the highest peak in the French Pyrenees.

This church was built by Father Payremale, who was the priest of Lourdes at the time of the appearances. The fonts of the previous sanctuary (which was destroyed in 1908) are preserved here.

Bernadette was taught by nuns in this old hospice at the time of the apparitions. She was then admitted as a boarder and lived here from 1860 to 1866. Photographs and some of her personal items are on display in the visiting room. In the chapel where..

The Soubirous family lived in complete deprivation in this disused prison at the time of the appearances.

Bernadette Soubirous was born on 7 January 1844 in this mill brought as a dowry by her mother.

On the ground floor is the Sainte-Bernadette Museum dedicated to preserving the memory of Bernadette Soubirous and the appearances. Note the different effigies of the Virgin that were subject to Bernadette’s approval. The basement is taken by the Mu..

Unlike its counterpart at the Notre-Dame pavilion, this museum is dedicated to secular art with many works inspired by paintings by Van Gogh, Vuillard, Degas and Picasso.

20,000 can fit into this enormous basilica under the esplanade, built in 1958 for the centenary of the apparition. The nave is 201m long and 81m wide. The surface area of the sanctuary, one of the largest in France, is 12,000m 2 .

In this museum the display is a life-size reconstruction of the town as it would have been in 1858, with a vivid illustration of everyday life, rural interiors, craftsmen’s workshops and pastoral settings.

A forest full of light (with maples, oaks, and beech trees) set up for stopovers and picnics.

Two bridges lead to the meadow on the right bank of the Gave where this 4,000-seat space was built in 1988 on the spot where Bernadette had her vision. It is comprised of the eponymous church and the Hemicycle, which hosts the annual plenary assembly..

Inaugaurated in 1889, the Neo-Byzantine Basilica of the Rose Garden occupies the bottom level of the Domaine de la Grotte. It has the capacity to hold 2,000 pilgrims. The crypt on the middle level was opened in 1866 in the presence of Bernadette...

The two lanes used for processions converge across from the basilica and the miraculous cave on this esplanade with its statue of the Virgin.

Bordered by 14 religious stations endowed with groups of bronze statues, this path branches off to the right of the cave and takes you to Calvary Cross and the caves of Sainte-Madeleine and Our-Lady-of-Pain. Situated in the natural cavern of Mont des..

The grotto where the apparitions occurred is actually a 10m-deep by 10m-wide crevice in a boulder (Massabielle) by a stream. A Madonna in Carrara marble, sculpted by Fabisch in 1864, marks the exact spot of the apparitions. The spring that Bernadette..

This museum is an outdoor reconstruction of Lourdes at the time of the appearances (1858), which features the sheepfold of Bartrès in the Cagots quarter, the houses and mills, all scaled down to a ratio of 1/20.

This small lake (421m above sea-level and 11m deep) caters for fishing and water sports enthusiasts. Beautiful lakeside views. A hiking trail goes all the way around the lake.