The Basilica stands on a hill above the town with a broad flight of steps up to its doors and the crypt beneath, which is why the elevator matters. The sanctuary's opening-hours page, read on October 10, 2026, lists three stops: the crypt, the forecourt and the Basilica. You reach it from the forecourt at the base of the north tower, on the left as you face the building. It was blessed and opened on Palm Sunday, March 28, 2021, paid for by pilgrims' donations, and the same shaft continues up to the dome. The Basilica is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from November to March, to 7:00 p.m. in the other months and to 8:00 p.m. in August; the crypt closes fifteen minutes earlier. Daily Mass at 4:30 p.m. is in the crypt, and the reliquary of Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin is kept there.
Good to know before you go: the station is about a 10-minute walk from the Basilica, but the last stretch is uphill, so arriving by car or taxi is easier; the sanctuary lists a car park at the Basilica. Its website does not say anything about reserved accessible parking spaces, accessible restrooms or the loan of a wheelchair, and it gives no access details for the Carmel chapel or for Les Buissonnets, which is a family house. For those, call the sanctuary's reception at +33 2 31 48 55 00 or write to it before you travel; the staff also arrange guided visits and can tell you what is possible on the day.