Traveling from Paris to Lourdes in October

If you have more money than time, there are a few flights a day from Paris to Lourdes. Look at Skyscanner for these: http://www.skyscanner.com/

Otherwise, look at SNCF for train schedules and prices: http://en.voyages-sncf.com/en/. Use France as your ticket collection country, to avoid being redirected to Rail Europe. If you have trouble booking a ticket on SNCF, you can use Capitaine Train (for now, same prices as SNCF but takes US credit cards): https://www.capitainetrain.com/en

I'd suggest staying as close to the shrine as possible, and requesting a room in back rather than one that overlooks the street. It can get fairly noisy in the evening when the final procession ends. Last visit I stayed at the Hotel Chappelle et Parc, which is in a great location. It's an older building, but well maintained and the staff were very pleasant. I seem to recall that Wi-Fi was only in the lobby, which wasn't a big problem for me – and it may have changed in the intervening year.

Both visits I've arrived by train. Plan on taking a taxi from the train station to the area of the shrine. Both times I left by air: once by Air France (to Paris) and once by Ryan Air (to Milan). I'm not sure I would repeat the Ryan Air experience; it was really chaotic, and I'm normally pretty adaptable. There are buses from the train station to the airport, although I've never used them. It was a not-too-expensive taxi ride from the hotel to the airport.

In deciding how long to stay, you may want to look at the website of the domain. It's much bigger than I expected, and on my first visit I didn't allow enough time. A really beautiful discovery on my last visit – the upper stations of the cross take you up on a mountain that overlooks the domain, and it's quiet and lovely. But it could be a challenging walk if one is mobility impaired. Also, I found the grotto to be particularly beautiful very early in the morning, before most people arrived. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, although the main gates close at night. There is a side entrance that remains open. The information building near the entrance provides maps and schedules. Maps and schedules are also available on their website.

Thanks so much. This is really helpful information!

Looks like you're on the right track. Either flight or train is "direct."