By Minivan
- If you arrive in Toulouse there is also the possibility of a transfer by minivan. Ophorus (http://www.ophorus.com/) also organises day tours departing from Toulouse towards the holy city of Lourdes with a guided tour included.
- Another possibility is the shuttle TOURSUD (http://www.toursud.com), which can take up to 7 passengers from Toulouse to Lourdes or Lourdes-->Toulouse. Look at the website to find out all the excursions organised by the driver-guide Arnaud in English, Spanish, French.
By train
Lourdes train station is just a few hundred metres from the town centre, and offers easy access and clear signs to the Domaine arealook for signs indicating "La Grotte" and "Massabielle". For information on trains to and from Lourdes, visit the SNCF website (http://www.sncf.fr/indexe.htm).
Several trains travel to Lourdes, including TGV service from Paris six hours and many trains to and from Pau, Bayonne/Biarritz, and Toulouse. The small SNCF station offers minimal services, but there are free toilets, a small coffee/pastry counter, vending machines, and an adjacent cafe and quick service restaurant service can be rather surly, even for France. Accessibility is excellent due to the large number of infirm and disabled pilgrims who visit Lourdes and many trains passing through Lourdes offer special services for the disabled.
Night trains from Tours and Paris are available; however, these can be quite uncomfortable as they feature standard, non-reclining seats rather than berths or beds, and lights remain on throughout the trip. However, travel in first class allows for a T4 compartment 2 bunkbeds. Lourdes is a stop rather than the terminus, so know what time you are supposed to arrive and listen for the announcement for Lourdes there will probably be many others going to Lourdes, especially the elderly or infirm, so you can watch rather than try to decipher the often-unintelligible PA announcements.
By bus
The majority of bus arrivals into Lourdes are charters, run by specific travel agencies for organised Pilgrim groups.