Lourdes gained its fame in 1848, when the young Bernadette Soubirous had a vision of the Virgin Mary near the grotto of Massabiel Rock. Since then, pilgrims (about 4 million annually from France and worldwide) have flocked to this town 85 mi/135 km southwest of Toulouse in hopes of a miraculous cure for their ailments.
Few nonpilgrims bother to go to Lourdes—it's a rather gray town, well off the beaten tourist trail. However, the basilica and underground setting of the shrine are spectacular. The area surrounding the grotto, church, castle and museum should also be visited (ignore the numerous souvenir shops).
Lourdes also makes a good starting point for a trip through the Pyrenees. The nearby town of Pau (30 mi/50 km northwest) has a fabulous castle with a beautiful courtyard, museum, tapestries and tortoise-shell cradle. King Henry IV was born in the castle.
As for the body of Bernadette Soubirous, it now lies in a glass coffin in the St. Gildard Convent in the town of Nevers, south of Paris.
