A Tasty Suggestion
Emile restaurant is in Place Saint Georges in the centre of the city and is one of the most beautiful buildings in the area. The restaurant looks to serve classical French cuisine in an even more classical setting. Right in the heart of the old city it is packed out during the summer months as customers queue to get a spot out on the terrace to people watch. Reservations are essential here throughout the year. The most famous dish is their cassoulet, which was served to the first class passengers on the first flight of the Airbus A380. The set menus begin at EUR17, and include dishes such as foie de canard, or pigeon and foie gras. To find out more about one of Toulouse’s best restaurants visit www.restaurant-emile.com
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SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2008: The Festival Occitania has over 300 artists presenting 53 different cultural event throughout the two months. Artists come from all over the world to showcase their ideas and work and it is not to be missed. See www.ieo31.com/ for more information.
…and here’s some more great things to see and do in and around Toulouse…
NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2008: The Toulouse Short Film Festival brings all of the city’s cinemas together as short film from all over Europe are presented to an international crowd of film fans and critics. One of the more serious competitions of its kind, visit www.sequence-court.com/ to find out more.
JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2009: The Toulouse annual Modern Dance Festival is held at the Centre de Developement and various other theatres and studios across the city. Some of the best modern dance performers will be on show, visit www.cdctoulouse.com/
MAY – APRIL 2009: The Printemps du Rire Comedy Festival showcases some of the best in contemporary stand up comedy. It will be one of the funniest events of year, go to www.printempsdurire.com/ for further information
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Forgotten Films are brought back to life in Zoom Orriére
This new event running all through February 2008 is based on restoring cinema heritage in Toulouse. It hopes to become the new film festival of France by looking at cinema from different perspectives. Young filmmakers can also take part in Little Zoom where they are introduced to some of cinemas greatest characters such as Charlie Chaplin or Laurel and Hardy. www.uk.toulouse-tourisme.com
The ‘Toulouse en Liberte’ City Pass
Make the most of everything Toulouse has to offer with the "Toulouse en Liberte" city pass! Attractive accommodation, cultural immersion, unusual walks, gourmet food, nocturnal exploration or shopping galore; it's up to you. Altogether, more than 200 discounts are on offer. The city pass, issued in a single name, is valid for a period of 1 year from the date of issue. Make the most of all these advantages, and treat yourself to a stay in Toulouse as often as your heart desires!
There are two versions of the city pass: The red city pass includes accommodation offers and discounts on culture, exploration, excursions, shopping, restaurants and trips out. The offers on accommodation are valid on weekends and school holidays. The card can be directly purchased or booked from the Tourist Office or in participating hotel establishments. Adults: 13 euros / Children: 7 euros.
The violet city pass excludes accommodation offers and costs 10 euros (adults) 5 euros (children). www.toulouse-tourisme.com
Toulouse, City of Light
The city of Toulouse is proud of its heritage, and has now instigated a 'Plan Lumière' to reveal a hitherto unknown Toulouse. Clever lighting brings a thousand architectural details to life. Facades and streets, rivers and monuments wake up to a nocturnal existence. Toulouse becomes the magical backdrop to your evenings out.
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If you’ve reached the point where you think all French provincial towns look the same, get yourself over to Toulouse.
Sassy, vibrant and trimmed with marble, this is France’s fourth-largest town and radical on every front.
It’s nestled in the Midi-Pyrénées and is an easy-going, southern city with one of France’s finest Romanesque churches, the longest one in the occidental world, a Roman amphitheatre, and, somewhat incongruously, a buzzing nightlife. All add up to a fascinating visit.
The beautiful historic heart is built of millions of pink bricks, giving it the tag la Ville Rose, and is overrun with magnificent buildings, from 16th century merchant houses to the pink-and-white striped Capitole façades.
It is here that Toulouse citizens throng to the bars and cafés, particularly at dusk when the town is bathed in a rosy glow. It’s the scene for an enormous weekly market and where you’ll find the Cathédrale St-Etienne in a mesh of quiet lanes by the old parlement. Here you’ll also find the final resting place of St Thomas Aquinas, his tomb is at the church of the Jacobins.
With 115,000 students and 70 per cent of the industry in the Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse basks in both youth and affluence.
After the Second World War, the government ploughed money into the city to turn it into a high-tech think-tank for the aviation and technology industries. It’s a move that’s paid off. Airbus Industrie is the pioneer of the super-jumbo, three-deck A380 aircraft, nosing Airbus ahead of Boeing and making Toulouse a global centre for aviation engineering. The air and space industry have attracted dozens of research centres, 600 related high-tech firms, numerous elite academic schools, in addition to its distinguished university.
The mix of cash-starved students and high-earning industrialists gives the town a superb blend of restaurants, bars and entertainment to suit all pockets and tastes.
If you’re on a budget, head straight to the student quarter and the rue du Taur, where you can eat well for only €5 a head. Alternatively, for Toulouse's finest gastronomy visit Michel Sarran's restaurant (1 boulevard Armand Duportal), two stars at the Michelin Guide. There, it is a house more than a restaurant, where the cooking is an art, far away from the interrogations about the virtue of the "terroir" or the modernization. Michel Sarran is a cook from those days, who likes to achieve a Latin cooking, drawing his inspiration from his memory drawers, playing with lavender and violette, foie gras and parmesan, rougets and pumpkin, etc ". www.michel-sarran.com
If you’re after nightlife, bars are open late on place du Capitole and place St-Pierre, but there’s also theatre, opera and live classical concerts.
In short, whether you’ve come for museums and galleries, you’re on a pilgrimage to the churches or simply want a weekend away down by the river, Toulouse is one of France’s most culturally diverse cities and well worth discovering.
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As the ville rose is packed with beautiful public buildings, gardens, museums and galleries, choosing what to do can be a problem.
As the Basilica of St-Sernin is the largest Romanesque church in the western world, it’s probably worth a look. In 1969 the church gained a new interior when some of the fiddly neo-Gothic mouldings were removed to reveal some 12th century frescoes. It’s also worth paying €1.10 fee to enter the ambulatory where amazing 11th century marble reliefs and a treasure-trove of holy relics can be seen.
On the south side of place St-Sernin, a rich archaeological display is on offer at the Musée St-Raymond, including gold torques from a Celtic tribe. The surrounding area is Toulouse’s Latin Quarter, ever since the university was established here in 1229, which has an engaging, bohemian atmosphere.
If you are in town on the weekend, you can catch the flea market right outside the cathedral. The stalls are laden with bric-á-brac, second-hand books and the odd antique.
Then head over to place du Capitole and stop for coffee at any one of the plaza’s cafés. You can sit and feast your eyes on the elaborate pink-and-white façade of Le Capitole, while having a rest. The ideal place for people watching! Take a quick look at the 19th century murals and the Impressionist works - if there’s no wedding going on at Salle des Illustres.
Have a stroll through the web of pedestrianised streets around the huge Capitole square. They are lined with medieval capitouls houses, built mainly of rosy Toulousian brick. Most are shut to the public, but head to Hôtel Assézat at the end of rue de Metz to see the impressive Bemberg painting collection.
A clutch of five restaurants can be found on the mezzanine floor above the sumptuous food market in place Victor Hugo - the perfect venue for lunch.
Now revived, meander over to the church of the Jacobins, and visit the altar of that great prayer-writer, Thomas Aquinas. Amble about the hushed cloisters and gardens. One of the city’s greatest Renaissance houses, Hôtel de Bernuy is nearby, peek in from its stone courtyard.
Head over to place du Capitole or place Saint-Georges for an early evening drink and to mingle with the locals, or join the students Place St Pierre. While dining, resolve to return to visit everything you’ve missed.
As night falls, watch as Toulouse’s historic monuments, modern architecture, districts and rivers are brought to life by lights.
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Aim to stay in the city centre, where there’s no shortage of top-value hotels or grand five-star luxury. If you arrive without a reservation, hotels congregate around the train station, but more comfortable alternatives are worth reserving in the old town or on the city’s outskirts.
The four-star superior Crowne Plaza is in the heart of Toulouse, just by the famous Place du Capitole. Facilities include a sauna and gym. Also in the city centre - away from the noise and in a green leafy courtyard - is the three-star, 52 rooms Mermoz with bedrooms decorated in art deco style. It’s rumoured to serve the best breakfast in Toulouse. www.flybehotels.com
New charming two-star hotel : « Hotel Saint-Claire », 29 place Bachelier (10mn from the Capitole) / fluent English speaking – www.stclairehotel.fr
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By car: Explore the city and the countryside in comfort and style at great prices! Get the best deal by checking Flybe's partner Avis for the best available car hire rates at www.flybe.com/avis
By road: Take the N20, or take the A61 to the main ring-road (A62) and on to the centre. Toulouse-Blagnac airport is about 10 km (6 miles) from Toulouse. Contact Avis, Flybe’s car rental partner, for the best available car hire rates.
By bus or coach: Coach transfers to the city centre run every 20 minutes and take about 30 minutes and cost €3.90.
By taxi: Plenty available outside the terminal building or reserve ahead on (+33 (0) 5 61 30 02 54). Expect to pay around €20 during the day, €25 at night.
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The airport shuttle bus will drop you at the gare Matabiau and gare Routière (or stop before, near Compans Caffarelli, Place Jeanne d’Arc, Allées Jean-Jaurès), which are placed next to each other on boulevard Pierre-Sémard. To reach the city centre, take the metro to the Capitole stop.
A €1.30 ticket gives you one hour’s metro or Tisséo (bus) (+33 (0) 5 61 41 70 70) city centre travel. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the train station to the old town. Maps are available from ticket kiosks or the tourist office and metro trains run from 5:15am-midnight. Although the metro is useful for finding your hotel, most of the main tourist sights are easily reached on foot.
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L’observatoire de Jolimont: In Toulouse was once the hub of European space advancement. This observatory was on the cutting edge of astronomy and space technology since the 19th century, up until 1973 but now is used only by non-professionals. Discover it by taking the metro to Joliment. Gardens open daily from 7.45 am – 6 pm. The observatory is open until 9 pm on Fridays. www.imcce.fr
La Cite de l’Espace: Not your average space exhibit. With real artefacts, such as the oldest craft to take a man into space; a planetarium; an IMAX cinema, a stellarium; a life sized replica of a space shuttle; and a play area for little astronauts the sheer volume of activity occurring at this one site will take up a whole day.
www.cite-espace.com
River cruises: Toulouse Croisières offers night cruises to help visitors discover the lights of the city every night in July and August. In thee day, a pleasure boat offers daily 90-minute cruises along the Garonne River. Le Capitole takes passengers under the loveliest bridge in Toulouse, the Pont Neuf, past the Hotel Dieu Saint Jacques, a former hospital which looked after pilgrims en route to Compostella, through the impressive Saint Michel lock and alongside numerous other beautiful, historic pink-bricked Toulousian monuments. Embarkation is 10 minutes before departure at Quai de la Daurade. Contact Toulouse Croisières (+33 (0) 5 61 257 257)
www.toulouse-croisieres.com
Cycling: Velo-station Capitole: to discover the town in a relaxed way, and take advantage of the cycle paths along the banks of the Garonne or the Canal du Midi, the Vélo-Station offers you high quality town bicycles for adults and children.
Open every day, Weekdays 8 am to 7 pm, Weekends 10 am to 7 pm. Square Charles de Gaulle (opposite Tourist Office)
(+33 (0) 5 34 300 300) Prices: half-day: €1, day: €2, day + night: €3
www.movimento.coop
Toulouse Marathon: The first marathon ever to be held in Toulouse took place in October 2007. Over 1600 people committed themselves to running this great race in aid of countless charities and it should become an annual event. www.lemarathondugrandtoulouse.fr
Night cruises: Discover the lights of the city every night in July and August. A pleasure boat offers daily 90-minute cruises along the Garonne River. Le Capitole takes passengers under the loveliest bridge in Toulouse, the Pont Neuf, past the Hotel Dieu Saint Jacques, a former hospital which looked after pilgrims en route to Compostella, through the impressive Saint Michel lock and alongside numerous other beautiful, historic pink-bricked Toulousian monuments. Embarkation is 10 minutes before departure at Quai de la Daurade. Contact Toulouse Croisières (+33 (0) 5 61 257 257) www.toulouse-croisieres.com
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The combination of town and gown means Toulouse offers entertainment at every level for every budget. Come here for rock, opera, theatre, classical concerts or 24-hour discos. Bodega-Bodega (+33 (0) 5 61 63 03 63), 1 rue Gabriel Péri, is hugely popular with anyone under 30. The bar turns into a disco after 12pm. Or head to Esmeralda to dance ‘till you drop (+ 33 (0) 5 62 75 11 75), Sesquières lake. The Ubu Club (+33 (0) 5 61 23 26 75), 16 rue St Rome, offers everything under one roof - bar, restaurant and nightclub for anyone more 30. For cabaret, try O Toulouse , 9 rue Lejeune (+33 (0) 5 61 23 19 79). www.cabaret-otoulouse.com
If you’re here in July and August, Toulouse d’Eté brings classical or trendy concerts, jazz, gospel and ballet to a number of outdoor venues across town, including the Jacobins courtyard and the Halle aux Grains (+33 (0) 5 62 27 60 60) www.toulouse.fr
But for the latest information, pick up one of the listings magazines from the tourist office, or see What’s On? above.
www.toulouse-tourisme.com
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House prices in Toulouse are increasing, but outlying village properties cost considerably less than Provence or the Riviera. A small two-bed village house in need of total refurbishment, 40 minutes from Toulouse airport, was recently on the market for £27,160. A three-bed restored property, just outside Toulouse, was also sold for £108,595 by the same firm.
www.frenchpropertylinks.com
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A post-war economic success story, Toulouse not only boasts the National Space Centre and European shuttle programme, but also retains dozens of spin-off research centres, aeronautical schools and some 600 hi-tech firms. It also has a thriving electronics industry, numerous academic schools and a university reckoned to be second only to Paris. Its student population swells to over 115,000 during the summer.
If you’re looking for business links, (and with 70 per cent of the Midi-Pyrénées industry, Toulouse is a good place to expand) contact the Chamber of Commerce
www.toulouse.cci.fr
www.firmafrance.com
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Old Toulouse: An area you’ll certainly want to visit, is cut into quarters by two 19th century streets: rue d’Alsace-Lorraine, which turns into rue du Languedoc, and rue de Metz which runs east-west across the Garonne River. In the heart of the area, and indeed the city, is Place du Capitole, lined with neoclassical brick façades. The square is dominated by the city hall, Le Capitole, which occupies the entire eastern side, and has been the seat of the Toulouse government since the 12th century. Anyone getting married in the town has to pass through the Salle des Illustres, next to the town hall. If no weddings are being conducted, take a look inside (Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm; entry free) for a glimpse of ornate 19th century murals and 10 Impressionist works by Henri Martin. The square is the town’s social hub. It is packed at lunchtime with smart city workers and attracts a similar throng at dusk. As the sun sets, the brickwork becomes washed in pink. It’s also the venue for a huge market on Wednesdays.
Basilique St-Sernin: Just north is the world’s longest Romanesque building. Built in 1080 to accommodate the streams of pilgrims en-route to Santiago, the architecture is stunning. An octagonal brick belfry points skywards with five narrowing arches; the place is crammed with all manner of ornate mouldings, carvings and sculptures.
The church is open everyday with tours in French during July and August, entry free (+33 (0) 5 61 21 80 45). The Crypt is also open. Entry is 3 euros.
Church of the Jacobins: Built in 1230, is an impressive fortress-like building with a long interior of unadorned pillars. The ashes of St Thomas Aquinas take centre stage, in a raised under-lit tomb. Open daily 9am-7pm. There are weekly piano concerts in September (International Festival “Piano aux Jacobins”). In the cloister is a formal design of box-trees and there’s an adjacent art exhibition hall, open daily 10am-7pm. Entry is 3 euros. One of Toulouse’s best Renaissance houses, Hôtel de Bernuy, is definitely worth a look just close by.
Musée des Augustins: Romanesque and Medieval sculptures are on show at Musée des Augustins. Entry is 3 euros. It features two cloisters of an Augustin priory, one now a lovely restored monastery garden and some saucy-looking gargoyles. www.augustins.org
Hôtel d’Assezat: (including Bemberg Foundation) displays an impressive collection of paintings by Bonnard, Dufy, Pissarro and Gauguin, plus a few by Picasso, Renoir and Matisse (+33 (0) 5 61 12 06 89). Musée St-Raymond houses more rare archaeological finds (+33 (0) 5 61 22 31 44) Entry is 2.20. While the new contemporary art gallery, Les Abattoirs features over 2,000 exhibits of modern art - paintings, sculpture and high-tech, media displays. Entry is 6.10. www.lesabattoirs.org
Cité de l’Espace: Devoted to the city’s space programme. Highly interactive it includes a planetarium, Mir space station game, Ariane 5 rocket and a large-format cinema in its new attraction: “Astralia”. It is extremely popular particularly in summer.Take the bus (number 37) from Jolimont station. Entry is 19-21 euros.
www.cite-espace.com
Airbus: Visit opens the doors of 2 Airbus sites, the largest aeronautical plant in Europe. First tour with the Clement Ader Tour: Airbus A330/ A340 / A 340-500/600 - 1 hour guided tour. A coach tour of the exterior will show you the principal elements of the installation (manufacturing halls, aeroplane test preparation areas, A300-600 ST - Beluga unloading area). This is followed by a tour of the Clement Adler factory. You will discover the modular assembly of the Airbus A330, A340, and A340-500/600 from a panoramic viewpoint. www.taxiway.fr
Second and new tour with Jean-Luc Lagardere tour: Airbus A380 - 1 hour guided tour. The coach tour sets out from the reception area and takes you around the perimeter of the airport's runways (you might be lucky enough to witness the take-off or landing of the A380 Airbus) to reach the Jean-Luc Lagardere 'cathedral' in which the spectacular A380 is assembled. From the viewpoint, you will see the 'General Testing' and the 'External Testing' stations, as well as a general overview of the site.
Available as an optional extra, exclusively in conjunction with an A380 or A330/ A340 / A340-500/600 tour, the discovery of Concorde (1hr): an external tour of the machine, followed by on-board access for a complete introduction to this legendary plane.
Entry to the C. Ader site 9.50 euros and with Concorde 14 euros
Entry to the Lagardere site 14 euros and with Concorde 18.50 euros.
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Cité de l’Espace: If you’re short of time, take a trip out to the suburbs and visit Cité de l’Espace. Take bus 37 from Jolimont metro station. Even if you don’t think you’re interested in space or space exploration, it’s hard not be impressed. There’s a mock-up of the Mir Space Station, interactive exhibits on mars, meteorology, the Ariane space rocket, a planetarium and 3-D screen cinema. It’s fairly expensive - €18.50 per adult rising to €21 during July and August, children under 15 cost €12 rising to €14 during July and August - but is a fascinating insight you’re unlikely to find elsewhere.
Albi, Carcassonne, Cahors or Castres: The cities are an easy day trip from Toulouse. In Castres, buses run from the bus station, place Soult (+33 (0) 5 63 35 37 31). Castres boasts two excellent museums, one for lovers of art, the other for social historians. Musée Goya (+33 (0) 5 63 71 59 27) contains the world’s second-largest collection of Spanish paintings. Needless to say, Goya’s works feature prominently. Behind the museum is an impeccably kept garden, Jardin de l’Evêché.
Centre National et Musée Jean Jaurès: If you’ve ever wondered why so many French town feature an avenue Jean Jaurès, visit the Centre National et Musée Jean Jaurès (+33 (0) 5 63 72 01 01). The philosopher and scholar was a leading socialist in the 19th century and led a revolt by glass-workers. He also backed a Jewish officer, Alfred Dreyfus, who was wrongly accused of being a traitor in the army, before Jaurès himself was assassinated in 1914 for his pacifist stance against World War 1. Try the markets on place Jean Jaurès for lunch or one of the restaurants on Pont Vieux.
Albi: Alternatively, you could take an hour’s train journey to the town of Albi, the birthplace of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. It’s dominated by the towering Cathédrale Ste-Cécile, and is a pretty town with narrow, cobbled streets twisting down to the River Tarn.
The Palais de la Berbie: A 13th century Bishop’s palace, contains the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec. Albi’s most famous son led a tragic life, disabled from birth, he spent much time with Paris’ low-life, but his satirical wit and accomplished skill as an artist left a legacy of impressive oil paintings and ink prints. All 31 of the famous posters of Montmartre nightclubs are on display here.
place de l’Archevêché: When the sun sets, head to place de l’Archevêché, where Spanish dancing, salsa and merengue heat up the night at Le Patino Latino. In summer, Albi hosts numerous festivals.
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Toulouse has long been at the forefront of aviation technology. Back in the 1920s, St-Exupéry and Mermoz launched their pioneering flights from here across Africa and the Atlantic.
Today Toulouse leads Europe as a centre for aeronautics and boasts the world’s second-largest space centre. If you take a trip to the fascinating Airbus site, you get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the world’s largest aircraft in the making, the A380, destined to carry 550 passengers when it comes into service towards the end of 2006.
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