Sites of Toulouse by Catherine Cooper
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Hotel Garonne
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A city break in France doesn’t have to mean going to Paris. As France’s fourth-largest city, Toulouse is easily accessible via cheap flights from the UK and has a lot to offer for a long-weekend or as a base for a longer stay.
The city is small and easy to explore on foot, whether you are interested in historical buildings and churches, museums and galleries or simply eating, drinking and shopping. Its hallmark pink brick buildings give it a sunny, Mediterranean feel, and its large student population makes it young and vibrant.
At its hub is Place de Capitole – an enormous square which has a market several days a week and serves as an entertainment-venue during the summer. Down one side is the Capitole itself which houses the town hall at one end and a theatre at the other.
The town hall is well worth a look for lovers of impressionist paintings – the walls of one of its main rooms are covered with enormous paintings by Henri Martin depicting the city and the surrounding countryside. Along the other side are cafes and bars with tables outside. Among these is Café Florida – an old and traditional café, which has a Moroccan-style lounge bar upstairs – The Roof – which is open in the evening.
Snaking away from Place de Capitole are narrow streets lined with shops and punctuated with smaller, sunny squares and more pavement cafes. Boutiques selling designer clothes are mainly grouped around Place St Georges, while Rue St Rome is cheap and student-friendly. However a little further on, between Place de la Trinité and Place des Carmes is a Brightonesque area with quirky shops, juice bars and wacky-looking coiffures.
Toulouse offers a wealth of choice for foodies on every budget – there are five Michelin-starred restaurants including L’Amphitryon, which was awarded its second Michelin star last year. Good traditional mid-range restaurants include La Corde, which is set in a 15th-century tower and Le Bon Vivre for regional dishes.
For something more modern, two restaurant/clubs worth a look are La Villa Tropezienne and its colour-changing bar Les Coulisse, which serve traditional food, sushi and cocktails into the night, or Les Fabuleux Festins, which serves international food among regularly-changing installations and artworks from young artists and DJs.
Alternatively head to the bars around Place de St Pierre, where everyone from students to artists drink and chat. Reasonably priced lunch recommendations include La Braisiere, a Toulouse institution which has been a restaurant for over 30 years and the newer Monsieur Georges in Place St Georges housed in an old wine cave.
For aviation fans, Toulouse is of course home to Airbus and Airbus site offers tours around both the A380 test site and two Concordes. Now you wouldn’t get that in Paris…..