I will be travelling to Lourdes in early February %26#39;07 to accompany my parents (father is partial wheelchair bound) with stage 4 cancer. Originally scheduled for mid-spring but rescheduled due to declining health. Just booked travel 4 days ago and have never been to France. We%26#39;ll only be visiting for 3 days Friday thru Monday. Would appreciate any info or suggestions to help make it a comfortable trip for them. 1)Trying to pack light so we may carry on baggage but need to know what we should pack - will it be cold, raining, etc...? 2) We will transfer planes from CDG to ORLY with a 4 hour lay over. Are CDG and ORLY 2 separate terminals? Are they close by? Is this enough time to make the transfer? 3)The hotel where we will be staying is less than 10 miles from Lourdes Tarbes Intl airport, past postings suggests Taxi is the best method, still true? suggestions? 4)We will definately visit the baths, grotto and attend Mass - what time/day is best? Is it wheelchair accessible? 5)Any %26quot;must see%26quot; places to suggest? We will not be renting a car. 6)Will language be an issue? Thanks for reading my posting.
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Hi SoCaltravelerSD and welcome to the forums!
The weather when you arrive in Paris may well be cold and possibly wet. It will surely feel cold to someone coming from SD. *Normal* high temps in Paris in early Feb. would probably be in the low 40s and in Lourdes in the mid-50s, but in both cases could be quite a bit warmer or cooler. The weather in France, especially in winter, is difficult to predict. if you check myforecast.com or wunderground.com you can find both historical data and weather forecasts so keep checking the latter as your travel date approaches.
CDG (Charles de Gaulle) and Orly are completely separate airports. CDG is north-east of Paris, Orly is south of the city. You have been routed this way because there are no flights from CDG to Lourdes AFAIK. There is an Air France coach connecting the two airports and I think the estimated transit time is one hour so if your flight from the US is not delayed you should not have a problem. Details at www.carsairfrance.com.
Given your father%26#39;s health issues you may want to just take a taxi between the airports. For space and convenience a mini-van type official Taxi Parisien would probably be best for you. I would guess the cost would be around 75€. You can find a taxi at the official ranks outside the terminal at CDG and while the majority of taxis are ordinary sedans, small by N/ American standards, mini-vans (also smaller than we are used to) are quite common especially at the airports.
Yes, I think you would be best to take a taxi again on arrival at Lourdes. Generally speaking, many of the cafés and restaurants will be closed in winter but you will still be able to find places to eat. There will be daily masses including an English mass. You might find this thread useful in terms of some of your other questions: tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187171-i780-k5559…
Which weekend will you actually be travelling?
Language will not be a major issue. If you have even a little French — enough to say Bonjour, monsieur/madame, s%26#39;il vous plait, merci, parlez-vous anglais and the like —it will help break the ice so use it even if you think your pronunciation is terrible. The effort will be appreciated.
Give another holler if you still have questions.
I hope you will have a smooth and easy trip and a good pilgrimage. I%26#39;ll say a prayer for you and your father.
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Hi Take your time, leave dad and mum to enjoy lourdes
I am taking 149 people to lourde this same week end . as a tours manager i feel mum and dad would enjoy the peace dont try to do too much follow the crowd and take as much as you can but dont do too much.
sit in the grotto is wonderful we have a mass in the upper bas in lourdes on saturday at 15.00hrs in english join us. PAB travel
steve fuery
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