Things to Do in Toulouse, France

Toulouse rarely makes the top of people’s France lists, and I spent years treating it as a stopover rather than a destination. That was a mistake. The city, built almost entirely from rose colored brick, has a warmth that posts pictures of Paris never capture. I now think of it as the place to go when you want a real French city, full of students and markets and riverbanks, without having to fight for a view. Here are the things I would do with a couple of days in Toulouse.

Walk the rose brick old city

The color of Toulouse is more than a gimmick. Because the region lacked stone, builders used local red bricks, so nearly the whole historic center glows pink and orange in late afternoon light. The best way to see it is on foot, wandering the streets around the Place du Capitole. The square is the grand ceremonial heart of the city, with its vast painted ceiling in the town hall and its constant swirl of cafés and people. Just step off the main drag, though, and you find quiet lanes where the brickwork is older and the pace slows right down. Aim your walk for late afternoon, when the low sun turns the brick facades the color of dried apricots and the whole center feels lit from within.

See the Basilica of Saint Sernin

Saint Sernin is one of the largest Romanesque churches in Europe and a key stop on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela. The brick exterior is remarkably plain for a building of its importance, but the interior is cavernous and old in a way that deepens the quiet. Walk up onto the roof for a paid tour and you get a panorama of the city’s domes and belfries that is well worth the climb. I would pair this with the archaeological crypt underneath, which holds tombs and relics that go back to the fourth century. Give the basilica a full hour, because its scale and the softness of the light inside are easy to underestimate.

Stroll the Garonne riverbanks

Toulouse sits on the Garonne, and the river is the city at its most relaxed. The broad brick arches of the Pont Neuf are the classic viewpoint, and the quays below are made for a slow walk as the light fades. Cross over to the left bank and you reach a walled green space, the Prairie des Filtres, where locals picnic and play. On summer evenings the river becomes a stage, with swimmers and paddleboardders in the water and people lining the bridges to watch. It is the liveliest part of the city after dark, in the best way. Rent one of the small open boats or a pedal boat for an hour if you want the water from the water, which is a different and very pleasant experience.

Visit the museums that matter

Two museums stand out. The Fondation Bemberg, set in a grand mansion just off the Capitole, holds a remarkable collection of Impressionist and Post Impressionist paintings, from Bonnard to Gauguin, displayed in wood paneled rooms that make it feel personal rather than institutional. The other is the Musée des Augustins, a church and cloister turned museum of sculpture, where the calm medieval cloister garden is reason enough to go even if you skip the galleries. For Toulouse’s aerospace identity, the Cité de l’Espace on the edge of town has actual spacecraft to wander around and is a hit with children. There is also the great history museum under Saint Sernin, if you want to take the city’s layers all the way back to antiquity.

Learn where Toulouse got its nickname

Toulouse is nicknamed the Pink City for obvious reasons, but you should also know why it is called the cradle of the valiant, a label earned when its Academy of floral games began encouraging poetry in the Occitan language centuries ago. More practical for a visitor, the food here is built around duck and it rarely disappoints. Look for a cassoulet at a neighborhood restaurant and finish with a violet ice cream, since the city has long grown violets for their perfume and sweets. The violet is a proper local obsession, and the shops around the Capitole sell everything from violet liqueur to violet macarons that make memorable gifts.

Shop at Victor Hugo market

The covered market at Victor Hugo is the best place to see local life up close. The ground floor bursts with fresh produce, cheeses, and the famous Toulouse sausages, while upstairs a ring of small restaurants cooks the day’s catch. I have had some of my better French lunches up there, sitting elbow to elbow with students and market workers. Pick up picnic supplies here and take them down to the river, which is how many locals spend a sunny Saturday. Go early in the morning, before eleven if you can, to see the stalls at their most vivid and to beat the lunch rush that packs the upper gallery.

Make the time pass slowly

The beauty of Toulouse is that nothing is far away. The historic center is compact enough to cover on foot, the Metro is efficient, and the vibe is relaxed rather than rushed. Between the rose brick lanes, the riverside moments, and the long lunches, the city rewards a slow pace. Give it two full days and you will leave wondering why you never found it sooner, and probably planning when you might return.