When people talk about pilgrimages, the mind often goes straight to Spain and the Camino de Santiago. But France has its own powerful routes, and for Catholics, the stretch from Paris down to Lourdes can feel like walking through centuries of prayer. It’s not just about churches—it’s about the people, the stories, and the small moments along the way.

Paris: Where It All Starts

Paris doesn’t exactly scream “pilgrimage” at first. It’s loud, crowded, and modern. But then you turn a corner and you’re standing in front of Notre-Dame. Even with the last bit of scaffolding around it after the fire, it’s overwhelming. You think of all the people who’ve stood in the same place – kings, peasants, tourists, and pilgrims – and realize you’re just another name in that line.

The Chapel of the Miraculous Medal is a much quieter stop. You wouldn’t notice it if you weren’t looking. Inside, though, it feels charged. This is where Catherine Labouré saw the Virgin Mary, and where the Miraculous Medal devotion started. I’ve seen people walk in casually and leave in tears. It’s that kind of place.

And if you climb Montmartre, you’ll find Sacré-Cœur, white against the Paris sky. Inside, the Blessed Sacrament has been adored nonstop for more than a century. It’s a strange contrast: silence inside, city noise outside.

Chartres: Windows of Light

Leaving Paris, you head southwest and suddenly there’s Chartres Cathedral, towering over the fields. Pilgrims have been coming here since the Middle Ages. Some even still walk the 50 miles from Paris, though most of us take the train or a bus.

The stained glass alone could keep you there for hours. Deep blues, ruby reds, scenes from the Bible told without a single word. And then there’s the relic—the veil that tradition holds belonged to Mary. People kneel, pray, or sometimes just stare. Chartres has a way of slowing you down, whether you mean to or not.

Lisieux: The Little Way

Further along the road is Lisieux, home of St. Thérèse, the “Little Flower.” She died young, but her “little way” of holiness through small acts has reached millions.

The basilica built in her honor feels huge, but her presence is simple. You visit the Carmelite convent where she lived, and maybe read a passage from ‘Story of a Soul.’ Suddenly, her words don’t feel old at all. They feel practical. Pilgrims leave with the sense that holiness doesn’t need to be grand; it can also be ordinary and hidden.

Lourdes: A Place of Hope

Then there’s Lourdes, down near the Pyrenees. This is usually the final stop. In 1858, Mary appeared to Bernadette here. A spring began to flow at the grotto, and people have been coming ever since.

You see the sick everywhere—some in wheelchairs, some on stretchers. Volunteers push them through the streets. It could feel heavy, but it doesn’t. There’s so much hope in Lourdes that it changes the atmosphere.

People bathe in the spring water, light candles, and join the nightly rosary procession. Thousands of candles flickering in the dark while voices sing the Ave Maria—it’s hard not to feel moved, even if you arrived skeptical.

More Than a Map of Shrines

What makes the pilgrimage special isn’t just the famous sites. It’s the spaces in between. The train rides, the countryside, the small parish churches you stumble into by chance. Faith seeps in slowly when you travel in this way.

By the time you reach Lourdes, you’ve already been shaped by the journey. The shrines are markers along the way, but the true pilgrimage takes place in your heart.