City Guide: Lourdes

      Lourdes has a spring in its step.

     That spring has been there for more than 100 years. The change came in 1858 when Lourdes went from living the life of a little village to the one of the world's major draws for pilgrims. More than five million tourists a year flock Lourdes making it the second tourist city in France.

     Born from mystery, Lourdes is a city to visit with Booked.net. Be it a room in cheap hotel in Lourdes to the lap of luxuries we have them all at Booked.net. Our listings include maps, photos and secure forms on every hotel.

     Surprisingly, a little girl Bernadette Soubirous forever changed life in Lourdes when she reached a sacred cave to gather some wood. As the writings have it, "lifting her head, she saw, in the crevice of the rock, a young girl, surrounded by light, who looked at her and smiled". Even though visions of Virgin Mary came to the girl 18 more times, for Lourdes the first time was enough to bring pilgrims to a city that suddenly became sacred.

     Today Lourdes is both a premier pilgrimage site and the top tourist destination. Depending on how you regard it, Lourdes can be either a haunt of the Virgin Mary sights or a unique architectural gem to explore.

Attractions include;

- The Basilica of the Rosary, the historic place with cave where the virgin Mary first revealed herself to the girl

- Lourdes' castle, a Gothic-style church referring back to Roman times

- Pyrenean Museum, a home to exhibitions on life in the Pyrenees

- The House of Bernadette Soubirous' parents with kitchen, Bernadette's bedroom, photographs on display

     After you run out of places to see in Lourdes, look outside its limits. Sitting close to Pau and Tarbe cities, there is always an opportunity to change scene for a time. But if you are real backpacker there is always something to do in Lourdes. Skiing, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and the spa village of Argeles-Gazost are a few minutes away.

     The breath of modernity didn't leave even the holy lands of Lourdes aside. That means that if you are looking for a risky experience than you should take a 15-minute drive to the casino in the neighboring area. Striking a balance between its historic significance and glimpses of modernity, Lourdes has succeeded in both.

     This very historic city is second only to Paris about the quantity of high-end hotel rooms available within one city. Whatever stay you dream of, it comes true in Lourdes with Booked.net.