It’s amazing to me how quickly time passes. Four months have flown by since we were in France once the extreme restrictions were lifted. I had originally meant to post this almost three months ago. Here is how we spent our 2 days in Toulouse and l will even answer the question… “Is Toulouse worth visiting?”
2 Days in Toulouse: Where is Toulouse?
Toulouse is located in the southwest of France and is the fourth largest city in France. The European aerospace industry has the largest presence in the city. Intel and Airbus have their headquarters there. Toulouse also has one of Europe’s oldest universities, so it does have a young vibe overall.
I think a lot of people also know the city, thanks to the French painter and artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec-Montfa, or plain old Toulouse-Lautrec, who was born in nearby Albi. His posters for the Moulin Rouge for instance are world-famous.
The Pink City Nickname:
Toulouse is also referred to as “La Ville Rose” which translates to “The Pink City”. This is due to the architectural landscape. The buildings are made of pink-hued terracotta bricks. In many ways, Toulouse reminded me so much of the golden city of Salamanca, another college town. Not too much of a surprise l guess, after all, Toulouse is less than 80 miles from the Spanish border.
Why 2 days in Toulouse?
When l had originally started to plan our trip, we had wanted to visit four cities over two weeks. The cities we chose were Toulouse, Bordeaux, Rennes and Nantes. Digging further, l realized that both Rennes and Nantes didn’t really excite us. It was better to focus on just two places and really discover the cities.
We, therefore, eliminated both from the agenda. In the end, we settled on 10 days to be split between Bordeaux and Toulouse. Looking back, I am thrilled that we went to Bordeaux first and spent the majority of the time there as we really enjoyed the time we spent in that city.
I think we would have been a bit disappointed had we done it the other way. Bordeaux just has a lot more things to do compared to Toulouse, despite the fact that it is the smaller city of the two. Nevertheless, we had a good time in this chill city.
Toulouse Highlights: How to spend 2 days in Toulouse
Basilique Saint-Sernin de Toulouse:
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is dedicated to Saint Saturnin (Sernin), the first Bishop of Toulouse who became a martyr. His crypt is contained in the former basilica that existed on the same site.
The Basilique Saint Sernin is a very important stop on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route and it is still the largest Romanesque architectural building in all of Europe. It is quite nice inside, but compared to some of the churches, like the incredible one in Krakow and cathedrals we’ve been to, it’s just not memorable.
Place du Capitole:
A huge square in the heart of the city. Surrounded by cafes and restaurants, it is a very popular hangout for everybody, from students to families to homeless people.
The seat of government, the Capitol dominates the plaza and is quite beautiful. We were not able to see the huge Occitanie Cross on the ground as the grounds were being used for the Christmas market, and stalls were already set up in anticipation of the season. Definitely, a great place to hang out.
Marché de Victor Hugo
The Victor Hugo market is a historic market in the center that has been in existence since 1896. Much like other markets in Europe, this is a great place to find fresh fish and fruit, not to mention duck and mouth-watering desserts. There are also wonderful eateries (upstairs also) to grab a bite and people watch.
The rest of our weekend was spent discovering the city on foot and eating. There truthfully wasn’t really anything else that interested us enough to make the effort.
Where to stay in Toulouse:
We stayed at the Citiz Hotel which was right close to everything, including a metro stop on our doorstep. The views out the window were great, and the staff was lovely. I would definitely recommend it.
Food in Toulouse:
We had really good food everywhere we ate, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. One particular restaurant that stood out was Le May. It had good old-fashioned home cooking. Federico ate quite a bit of different cheeses.
Awesome food, great house wine, and lovely ambiance, plus the prices are pocket-friendly for France. What more could you ask for? Two meals out of six during our time there says a lot (yes… I had the duck twice! It was that good, and a specialty of the region).
Is Toulouse worth visiting?
This is a tough one to answer, but l will try my best.
Toulouse is a Yay if:
- If you enjoy mostly museums and the cafe culture, then it’s worth visiting. There are a total of 16 museums in Toulouse, including the Foundation Bemberg, Cité de l’Espace, and the Musée du Vieux.
- If you enjoy shopping, then you would like it. I get really, really bored shopping.
- If you want to use Toulouse as a base to visit nearby little towns, such as Carcassone or Albi. It would make a good day trip from somewhere else, especially because everything is concentrated in one area.
Toulouse is a Nay if:
- If you’re someone like me, then my answer would be a definite no. It pains me to say that because l really wanted to like the city. To me though, it was just okay.
- You want to do more than be in the cocoon of the city center.
- If you want more than just food, and staying put. There are not a lot of other sites to see. I tend to like a mix of everything, especially walking history places such as Rome and Istanbul.
My mind went back to an old house guest who was from Toulouse and visited Malta years ago. He had said not to bother visiting the city even though he was born and bred there. He had also said to skip Marseille though, so he was only half right :-).
Final thoughts on 2 days in Toulouse:
It’s a place I’m glad l visited, but l wouldn’t care for a return visit, unlike Marseille, a city that plenty of people told us not to bother going, where our second visit was just as lovely, and a place l would visit again.
Overall, Toulouse is a city that leaves me indifferent. Some will disagree with me, and that’s okay. We can’t all love the same places and things. Life would be completely boring.
2 days in Toulouse is just a tad too long for me, a memorable day trip might be lovelier and you can take one of those city tours. This post is certainly not to deter anyone from visiting. As you can see, we had a good time, it just wasn’t wow for us.
Have you been to Toulouse? Do you agree or disagree with what l think?
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You do get a special, instant type of bond with some cities and not with others. From your description and the photos, Toulouse does look like a great place to visit at least once – but nothing beats actually being there.
But one thing I learned today is that Carcassone is a real city, not just one of my favorite board games. Hahaha.
Yes, it’s true. A lot of times, I do know instantly if I’m going to like the city or not with very few exceptions. Toulouse is nice enough, it just didn’t excite me, but then again I’ve heard people say the opposite of places l hated, so it’s all down to individual tastes.
I also learned something new. I had no idea there was a board game named Carcassone! 🙂
Loved this – Toulouse (as with much of France) looks worth visiting if only for the food! But those honey-coloured old buildings are so beautiful too. A city I’d love to simply mooch around, then relax at a pavement cafe and people watch 🙂
Thanks Coralie! You definitely have the right idea. I love traveling for food, and people watching, so that was so worth it. The buildings are absolutely gorgeous.
Thanks for an honest review! I’ve not been to Toulouse & much as I love the look of the food, I’m not a big fan of museums…unless they’re amazing, or something of particular interest to me. Maybe a day would be more suited for me, although the sculptures look great!
I feel you Sue. I like museums, but l wouldn’t want that to be the major source of my enjoyment. I definitely think you would be more suited for a day trip then. The sculputures are pretty great :-).
This may be the first time I have read a blog post about Toulouse. We have family who stayed in the area a lot so we have visited several times – but usually only as a quick day trip. So it was interesting to see what we need to plan for a return visit. Although you are right and it really is hard to compare it to Bordeaux! It sure looks like we will eat really well. And you are right to suggest a visit to Carcassonne!
Haha! I guess Toulouse is just one of those places that one overlooks. There are so many more interesting places l guess. For someone who is into aviation, I think it would be great. I think for most people, a quick day trip like you did is best. The food is pretty amazing though, so there is that :-).
Not being a city person, it would be a nay for me. But now, if I ever get stuck there, at least I know where to find out about what I could be doing!
Yeah, if you’re not a city person, it’s not worth visiting. Makes for a nice break or layover though :-).
Kemkem,,
Appreciate your honest take on why a lot of people might not be drawn to Toulouse. At last, one place I don’t want to add to a ‘bucket list’ after reading a post!
Annie
Hahaha! I can’t say l blame you. Pretty as it is, it is not “bucket list” worthy. It’s an industrial city.
I have not been to Toulouse and am glad to read about it. Pink city is also a nickname of Jaipur, a city in Rajasthan, India.
Oh, you’re right. Jaipur is also known as the Pink City. I had completely forgotten about that. I’ve only been to New Delhi :-).