Lourdes Travel Guides (Updated September 2026)

This is our first time to visit Lourdes. The tour gave us a detail look on where the various sites are and our guide gave us a lot of tips. Our guide Laure is very knowledgeable, friendly, and accomodating. This is a very informative and valuable tour for first time visitor to Lourdes.

From the very beginning, our communication with Federica at the Raphael Tours office was exceptional. She was responsive, thoughtful, and genuinely caring throughout the planning of our journey from San Sebastián to Lourdes. Her attention to detail gave us confidence that we were in good hands even before our trip began.We had an absolutely wonderful of the entire trip. Our driver Armenio was punctual, professional, and made the journey comfortable and stress-free.Our tour guide Evelien was exceptional. She was incredibly knowledgeable about the life of St. Bernadette, Lourdes, and its spiritual history. What impressed us most was how she went beyond what was expected . She never rushed us and made sure the tour was complete and meaningful. She was a good photographer, too.Her passion, knowledge, and genuine care made our experience in Lourdes even more special. We are truly grateful for the wonderful service and personal attention we received.Without hesitation, 10 out of 10. Highly recommended!Thank you, Raphael Tours, for taking such wonderful care of us. Truly a 10/10 experience and one we will always remember.

Joseph with his wit and knowledge guided us through a very extensive tour of the sanctuary. His added commentary, along with helpful hints on times best to arrive for certain events at the sanctuary make all the difference between an average experience and an exceptional one.

Great guide who really knows a lot about the area. He explains the history really well. We would definitely recommend!

An awesome experience with Jodine as our private tour guide of Lourdes. She had an amazing knowledge of the area and of Saint Bernadette. I highly recommend private tour with Jodine as your guide.

Fantastic experience on this tour at Lourdes with Veronic. She was incredibly knowledgeable, a great communicator, good at connecting with the people on the tour. It would have taken many hours reading many books and articles to get as much information as I learned in the two hours with her.

Jodine was very knowledgeable on all things Lourdes. She provided insights beyond the published material and was joyful in the process. We all loved spending our day with Jodine and would recommend her to all!

We discovered the Bellyak and had an excellent time filled with thrills, laughter, and magnificent landscapes. The team is warm, welcoming, and professional, and our guide Tom knew how to put us at ease while ensuring our safety. We highly recommend this activity to share a good time of fun! Thanks to the whole team for these beautiful memories 😊👏 Big Daddy we will be back! Jonas, Monika and Marcel Little buddha ;)

We had an excellent time. A huge thank you to the team that accompanied us, Felipe, Marine, and Manu. You guys are the best. Thanks 😘

Laura was prompt. She was very knowledgeable and flexible especially when we got tired. She brought us to many important sites that we would never have known were there. She was also very patient and understanding if we wanted to stop to shop or have a bathroom break.

I really loved the story and so Amy people with candles was magical. The Apparitions: In 1858, a 14-year-old peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous reported seeing an apparition of a "beautiful lady" while gathering firewood at the grotto. The Timeline: The lady, later identified by the Catholic Church as the Virgin Mary (under the title of the Immaculate Conception), appeared to Bernadette a total of 18 times between February 11 and July 16, 1858. The Mandate: During these visions, the apparition requested that priests build a chapel at the site and that people should come there in procession. This request led directly to the construction of the massive architectural complex seen in the photos. The Sacred Water Discovery: During the 9th apparition on February 25, 1858, the apparition instructed Bernadette to "drink at the spring and wash in it." Bernadette dug into the muddy ground of the grotto, revealing a hidden, natural spring. Healing Beliefs: The water from this spring currently feeds the baths and water taps at the sanctuary. It is considered sacred because millions of pilgrims believe it possesses physical and spiritual healing properties.

We learned a lot of knowledge from Laure. She did an excellent job. She was very patient answering all the questions and explaining the history.

Great tour with Sandrine who knew how to tell us the story of Bernadette and Lourdes with passion Very good time

Joseph is an amazing tour guide who is accommodating and will guide you on a relaxed path through the town to visit important sites related to Bernadette. I met other visitors and we had a great time tasting wine and cheese and exploring the streets of Lourdes.

We did the half day rather than full day but that wasn’t and option for this review. Our guides were Flore and Marine and they were awesome. The whole family loved it. Well organised experience from start to finish

Our guide, Aurelian, was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. The tour gave a very thorough overview and covered a lot of ground in a relatively short time. It was an excellent way to see Lourdes.