You do not need a tour or a reservation to visit. The regional tourism board lists the basilica as open every day of the year from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with free admission, and suggests about an hour for an individual visit; guided tours for individuals and groups can be arranged through the local tourist office. There is a car park, coach parking, toilets and a picnic area. These details were read on October 10, 2026.
Besides the basilica, the sanctuary keeps his presbytery, preserved with his belongings, and the Chapel of the Heart, where the relic of his heart is kept. The basilica stands on the site of the village's twelfth-century church and was enlarged from 1862, three years after his death; Pope John Paul II came here as a pilgrim in October 1986. The sanctuary publishes its Mass and confession times on its own website; check them for your date.
Good to know before you go: Ars is a small village, and the practical question is how you will reach it. If you are coming from Lyon without a car, confirm the current bus or taxi connection with the sanctuary before you set out. His feast is August 4, and Pius XI named him patron of parish priests in 1929. Ars is often paired with Paray-le-Monial, the town of the Sacred Heart apparitions to St. Margaret Mary.