Things To Do in Toulouse
Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
Toulouse Attractions
If you’re here for more than a day, consider buying the Passe Tourisme giving free entry to major museums, access to an English-language walking tour (summer only) and discounts on shopping and entertainment. The cost is 20€ for 3 days; 30€ with 10 metro plasses. It is available from the tourist office or online at www.toulouse-tourisme.com/pass-tourisme. Before purchasing, make sure all of the town's top sites are open (some were undergoing renovations as we went to press). The tourist site also has a well-curated audio walking tour 6€ of Toulouse's top monuments that can be downloaded onto any smartphone.
Start at the impressive place du Capitole, the heart of the old town. Cafes on the west side offer great views over the square that fills with market stalls daily. Le Capitole, pl. du Capitole (tel. 05-61-22-34-12), is an outstanding achievement of civic architecture with its columns of pink marble and brickwork. Built in baroque style in 1753, it houses the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), as well as the Théâtre National du Capitole (tel. 05-61-63-13-13), which presents operas and ballets. Admission is free; group tours allow access to the theater. It is open Monday through Saturday 8:30am to 7pm, and from 10am to 7pm on Sundays and public holidays.
The gothic brick Couvent des Jacobins, parvis des Jacobins (www.jacobins.toulouse.fr; tel. 05-61-22-23-82), west of the place du Capitole in the narrow streets of the old town, dominates its surroundings. Founded in 1230 by the Dominicans to fight the Cathar heresy, the convent and church formed the center of a powerful monastery complex that includes a peaceful cloister, sacristy, chapter house, and refectory. Inside the 13th century church, look up at its “palm tree” ceiling of delicate fan vaults supported by seven huge columns. The chapelle de la Vierge contains richly embroidered ceremonial robes. The old refectory now houses temporary exhibitions. The complex is open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm, admission to the church and chapelle is free; the rest costs 5€ from June to September, 4€ the rest of the year and free on first Sunday of the month and for those 17 years and under.
Small and dating mostly from the 18th century, Notre-Dame de la Daurade, 1 pl. de la Daurade (tel. 05-61-21-38-32), sits to the west of the place du Capitole beside a riverside park from where you can take a boat cruise. Built on the site of a pagan temple, it was once covered in gilding. Its main possession is a statue of the Black Virgin, about 1m (3.25 ft.) tall, believed to cure ailments. The present Vierge noire, made in 1807, is a replica of the original destroyed during the French Revolution. Admission is free, and it is openndaily 9am to 6pm.
After sightseeing, head for place Wilson, a showcase 19th-century square (actually an oval) lined with fashionable cafes.
- Religious Site
Basilique St-Sernin
Walk north from the place du Capitole to reach the St-Sernin district. Consecrated in 1096, the basilica is the largest, finest, and purest Romanesque church in Europe, topped by a wedding-cake style bell tower. An important stop on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, it…Around Town
- Religious Site
Cathédrale St-Etienne
Still of rue de Metz, continue east to the place St-Etienne and the cathedral. Because it took so long to build, from the 13th to the 17th centuries, and is smaller than the original plan, this cathedral is an odd mix of proportions and architectural styles. Inside are Renaissance…Around Town - Museum
Fondation Bemberg
Walk east along rue de Metz to reach one of the city’s most important museums. Housed in the magnificent Hôtel Assézat built in 1555, the museum which opened in 1955 provides an overview of five centuries of world-class European art. The first floor takes you through a series of…Around Town - Museum
La Cité de l'Espace
It may be out of the center, but with Toulouse being the center of European space exploration, this high-tech attraction is very popular. Offering hands-on experiences, you learn how to program a satellite launch, what life is like on board the Soyuz spacecraft, and look at earth…Around Town - Museum
Musée des Augustins
A little further east on the rue de Metz, you come to another monastic order. Originally built for the powerful Augustinians in 1309, the monastery became a museum in 1793, shortly after the French Revolution and is the 2nd oldest in France after the Louvre. The two main collections…Around Town
Toulouse Shopping
Attractive, crowded traffic-free shopping streets criss-cross the Old Town. The area is packed with tempting stores large and small, including a stylish Galeries Lafayette for the latest French fashions. Most shops open Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, with a midday break. Toulouse loves markets, daily and weekly, such as its popular Toulouse Wednesday Market and Sunday morning St Sernin Market for second-hand curiosities. Local specialities include violets – find dozens of tempting treats made with them at Confiserie Regals.
Toulouse Nightlife
In this university city, there's a huge array of nightlife options in the Old Town, ranging from the Théâtre National de Toulouse to lively riverside music bars, jazz clubs and dance venues open till the small hours. Popular venues in East Toulouse include dinner-and-disco favourite Room 157. There's glitzier entertainment at Casino Barrière on the Île du Ramier.
