Lourdes

Our Blessed Lady appeared

Lourdes is a small town in the Hautes - Pyrenees region of South West France.

Visit the original Spring inside the Grotto discovered by Bernadette as she dug with her hands into the ground at Our Lady's request. This spring is now channelled into baths where many people have been miraculously cured and where you are invited to bathe, to drink from special taps and to bottle the water to bring home.

Take part in the Blessed Sacrament Procession where the sick are Blessed and remembered in your prayers. Also the spectacular Torchlight Procession from where the Lourdes "Ave" is echoed all over the town. Follow the Stations of the Cross on the mountainside Calvary.

You may join in a walking tour of the Sanctuary and to the places connected with the life of St Bernadette: the Boly Mill, Cachot, Maison Paternelle, Parish Church and the Hospice. Optional excursions are available to the childhood home of St Bernadette in Bartres, then on to the beautiful Lake of Lourdes; the scenic Pyrenean mountain villages of Gavarnie, Bareges or Pont D'Espagne; or why not enjoy a full day in Biarritz or Spain or spend a quiet hour or two at the Lourdes Lake or Lac Vert?

Shopping:
Department stores are open 0900-1830 Monday to Saturday. Most shops are closed between 1200-1430. Food shops are open 0700-1830/1930. Some food shops (particularly bakers) are open Sunday mornings, in which case they will probably close Monday. Many shops close all day or half-day Monday. Hypermarkets are normally open until 2100 or 2200.

Post office:
Opening hours: 0800-1900 Monday to Friday; 0800-1200 Saturday.

Banks:
0900-1200 and 1400-1600 Monday to Friday. Some banks close Monday and some are open Saturday. Banks close early (1200) on the day before a bank holiday; in rare cases, they may also close for all or part of the day after.

Currency exchange:
Some first-class hotels are authorised to exchange foreign currency. Also look for the French equivalent of the Trustee Savings Bank, 'Crédit Mutuel' or 'Crédit Agricole', which have longer opening hours. Shops and hotels are prohibited from accepting foreign currency by law. Many UK banks offer differing exchange rates depending on the denominations of French currency being bought or sold. Travellers should check with their banks for details and current rates. Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club,Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted. Travellers cheques:Travellers cheques are accepted almost everywhere. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in French Francs.