In less than 2 hours flight from Bristol, we can set foot in the Pink City in France, Toulouse.
With only knowing this place brought up Léon Marchand, the record-breaking swimming gold medallist in the Paris Olympics, I knew nothing more in particular, except the facts that the flight ticket and hotel were irresistibly purse-friendly (£220 for 5 nights!).
So, after a few clicks on the internet, my motion to travel to Toulouse was cemented. I was excited to find out that the giant metallic creatures from the unique museum, Halle de la Machine, were going to perform an urban play, called Le Gardien Du Temple, in the city centre of Toulouse during 25 to 27 October 2024.
Watch this video and you’ll know what I mean.
One day, we were standing in the crowd for almost 2 hours waiting for the show. Fortunately, our effort had paid off, as the performance was MAGNIFICENT! Definitely the climax of our trip. Head to their Instagram to watch more reels.
Now, here are 10 things I learnt about Toulouse (and the French).
1.Young and Energetic
This university city housed 130,000 students, which explains why I saw many youngsters hanging out smoking slim cigarettes and drinking wine like water. Besides, people running along the canal often came in sight, and I could see why they are more fit than the British, perhaps.
2. Fashionable
No surprise, French people are more nicely dressed up — men with collared shirts and polished shoes; and you won’t find the ladies wearing sport leggings as a pant.
3. Clean
Although France has a relatively high smoking rate, I didn’t notice cigarette butts on the street. It was fairly clean even nearby the central station, which is usually notoriously considered a bad area.
4. Walkable
On top of a well-developed transportation network that consists of trams, buses and metros, Toulouse is very walkable and foot-friendly. We enjoyed walking along the canal towards the city centre every day.
5. Fantastic Lunch Deal
They call it Menu Du Midi, usually around €25 for 3 courses; you can also choose 2 courses or only the plat du jour (dish of the day).
6. Early Lunch
Most of the restaurants offer lunch from noon to 1 PM, and the plat du jour is often finished if you arrive late (believe me, we’ve learnt a hard lesson).
Read this post for more details about eating in Toulouse.
7. (Maybe) Not Welcoming Foreigners
Once we went to a Michelin-recommended restaurant but got turned away despite vacant seats outside. Trying not to overthink, I’d say most of the French we encountered were polite and friendly.
8. Closed on Weekends
I started restaurant research from the Michelin guide and was surprised by how many of them are closed on Saturday and Sunday. Which means if you, a foodie, plan the Toulouse trip across a weekend, you’ll end up troubled by not knowing what to eat on the weekend.
Note: not only restaurants, many shops are closed on Sundays, and this applies to department store too.
9. One-Hour Train to UNESC
Since Toulouse falls asleep on Sundays, hop on a train and visit a UNESCO site is a good way to spend the weekend. Our recommendation: to see a grand cathedral in Albi, and wander in the walled city in Carcassonne. Both are an hour’s train from Toulouse.
Tips: remember to take advantage of the Occitanie train pass, which offers unlimited rides for only €20 for 2 consecutive days.
10. Church Crawl. Like many European countries, there’re a handful of basilicas/churches in Toulouse city centre. To name a few: Basilique Notre Dame la Daurade, Basilique Saint-Sernin de Toulouse, Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Toulouse, Couvent des Jacobins. They are beautiful and mostly free to visit.
Note: Basilica vs. Church: While a church is a building for Christian worship, a basilica is also a church, but designated by the Vatican for their historical, spiritual, and architectural features.
Conclusion
Toulouse is known as the Pink City because of its bricks’ colour. With that, I’d love to have a scenic city view but failed to find any high spot. Nonetheless, Toulouse presented itself with numerous independent stores and restaurants in a warm and inviting atmosphere. And not far away you can reach UNESCO with convenient transportation and a decent price, which makes Toulouse even more lovely. All these factors got stirred up with the unprecedented machine festival, making our trip a memorable one. Next time, hopefully I can enjoy more nature, too!
Related post: Toulouse: A Must-Visit Restaurant (Plus More)
