Getting to and from Lourdes Tarbes Airport (LDE)

Lourdes Airport is also known as the Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport due to its location in the Hautes-Pyrenees department of France, and nearby the two cities of Tarbes and Lourdes. It is one of the smaller airports in the country, as it handles around 430,000 passengers per annum, but is nonetheless an important gateway for a number of reasons. Lourdes is a very important city for its religious aspects, and is found at the foot of the Pyrenees, where winter sporting activities are popular. Passengers can travel to the airport on buses or taxis, and for those in their own motor vehicles, Lourdes directions are simple to follow. The airport is on the main road between the two cities of its name.

Lourdes is in southern France, not far from the borders of Spain, and from popular cities on the southern and western coastlines of the country. From Tarbes, it is about 9km, or 6miles, and from Lourdes, it is about 10km. It is therefore found approximately halfway between these two cities. The airport is particularly nearby the small town of Ossun, as well as Juillan, Louey, Azereix and Lanne, while larger areas nearby include Argelès-Gazost, Bagnères-de-Bigorre and Lannemezan. In the country of France, Lourdes Airport is to the east of the coastal cities of Bayonne, Biarritz and Anglet, as well as Orthez, and to the west or south-west of Toulouse, Carcassonne, Narbonne, Beziers, Agde and Montpellier. To the south is the country of Spain, and to the north is Bordeaux, Bergerac and Poitiers. The airport’s physical address is the Aéroport International Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees, BP 3, 65290 Juillan, France, and it is also recognised by its official IATA code of LDE.

Directions from the A64 Autoroute

The A64Autoroute is the largest road in the vicinity of the airport, and passes Tarbes on its western sides. From this road, the airport is only a five minute drive. Motorists will take the exit marked as no.12 ‘Tarbes Quest’, and at the first roundabout, ‘Lourdes’ is signposted. Take this route and continue for about three kilometres, looking out for signs of the airport on the right hand side. The second exit on the N21 should be taken and the signs may read ‘Ossun’, with an aeroplane symbol. The drive to the airport is quite entertaining, as there are lovely winding roads and hills along the N21.

Directions from the west

From the coastal areas of Bayonne and Biarritz the easiest route to follow to Lourdes airport is the A64, or the E80. Bayonne is about 150km from the airport. Along the way, motorists will pass Orthez and Pau, which is about 40km (25 minutes) from the airport, and will follow the same directions as mentioned above once reaching Tarbes.

Direction from the east

The A64 runs to the east as well, and provides access to Tarbes from the city of Toulouse, which is about 150km from Lourdes Airport (from both Bayonne and Toulouse the drive will take approximately ninety minutes, depending on traffic conditions). From Toulouse, the A61 continues towards Carcassonne and Narbonne, and the A9 then heads north-east to Beziers and Montpellier. Along the way to the airport from Toulouse, motorists will pass the towns of Muret, Carbonne and Lannemezan.

Directions from the north

Larger roads from northern areas include the A65, which runs from the A62 nearby Bordeaux, and joins the A64 nearby Pau, and the N21, which is the airport’s main access road. The N21 leads to Agen, as well as further to Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Bergerac and Périgueux.

The major roads of the country of France have the tendency to become busy, especially during rush hour traffic times, therefore, always leave with sufficient time to travel to the airport, to find parking and to check-in for your flight. The airport provides an adequate number of parking spaces, and these spaces are free of charge. Alternatively, buses are available from the bus stations/stops nearby the SNCF stations of Lourdes and Tarbes, as well as from some of the other smaller towns in the vicinity, such as Argelés-Gazost, Luz Saint-Sauveur and Barèges. These are the public Line No.2 buses operated by Maligne. Taxis also bring passengers to the airport from all nearby locations, but there is no train station at the airport.

The airport consists of a modern single terminal building which is completely accessible to disabled passengers. There are thirty reserved car parking spaces in the parking lot and nearby the front of the terminal, suitable restrooms on all levels of the building, ramps and elevators and special lift trucks for boarding and disembarkation. Further assistance can also be arranged with the concerning airline company. Facilities at the airport also include a restaurant and a couple of bars, a newsagent and duty-free store, rooms for hire, Wi-Fi access and a mailbox. The airport provides several services for business passengers as well, including a VIP room with high-quality reception facilities, and concierge services. Special welcomes at the aircraft can also be arranged.

Further information regarding Lourdes directions can be found online, at http://maps.google.com, or from the information desk of the airport. The telephone number to contact is +33 (0)5 62 32 92 22.