Is Toulouse Worth Visiting? The 8 Top Reasons You Should Go

I must admit that Toulouse France was never on my travel radar. In fact, until last year I’d never heard of it. But then at some point, I came across Lonely Planet’s list of the world’s top cities to visit in 2025. And Toulouse France topped the list! Of course that grabbed my attention! So as I put together an itinerary for a Fall trip to France, visiting Toulouse was a must. Ultimately, we spent a full week exploring Toulouse – France’s fourth largest city.

So…did the city live up to the hype? Is Toulouse worth visiting?

The answer is an enthusiastic Yes!! Here are all the reasons that Toulouse France is now one of our very favorite cities.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  If you buy something after clicking one of these links, I may earn a small commission.  This does not cost you anything extra and helps support this blog.

Its Scenic Streets

Toulouse’s historic center is amazing! It is now one of my all-time favorite European city centers! Toulouse is nicknamed The Pink City because many of its building are constructed with red brick, which then take on a pinkish hue in low light.

Red brick was a very common building material in Toulouse due to a natural abundance of clay throughout the area. These red brick buildings line the winding narrow streets throughout Toulouse’s large historic center. Plus many of the town’s famed churches are also made with this brick.

The general architecture in Toulouse is quite different from other cities we’ve visited in France. You won’t find as much of the uniform 19th-century Hausmann architecture that became so prominent in Paris, Lyon, and other French cities. Instead, central Toulouse still retains a lot of its centuries-old Renaissance architecture. As you wander around, it “feels” older than those other cities.

Plus central Toulouse is really beautiful. And while red brick is very common, it’s not the exclusive building material in the historic center. You’ll see various other styles, materials, and colors as well. The streets of Toulouse really are a feast for the eyes…

And as you wander around Toulouse France, be sure to pay attention to the abundant use of a light blue color on doors, shutters, and other trim. This is the color Pastel and it stands out beautifully against the red brick. It is made from the leaves of a plant called woad – which was historically cultivated throughout the area. Pastel dye was extremely popular with European aristocracy in the late Middle Ages. And its production in Toulouse helped make the city an economic powerhouse.

So is Toulouse worth visiting for its scenic streets? I most definitely think it is! After all, wandering the streets of Europe is one of my favorite things to do.

Its Dynamic Vibe

But it’s not just the beauty of the streets that make Toulouse worth visiting. We discovered something special about the general vibe of Toulouse France as well. The knowing smile on this dog’s face (who jumped into my photo just as I clicked) gives you some sense of that….

Toulouse is a vibrant place, and during our October stay there was always a lot happening in the town center at seemingly all times. Busy pedestrian streets, busy cafes, pop-up outdoor markets, and weekend street fairs.

We felt a different kind of energy in Toulouse than we did during our stops in Paris and Lyon on this particular trip. Maybe because the residents seemed a little more laid back? Maybe because it’s a university town so we discovered Happy Hours and cheap eats everywhere? Maybe because the locals to tourist ratio was higher?

I can’t exactly put my finger on it, but we really enjoyed simply being out and about in Toulouse. It was a happy place to just hang out. And that definitely makes Toulouse worth visiting!

Its Historic Buildings

Toulouse France is also worth visiting for its top historical sites. One of the most iconic is The Capitole. This is Toulouse’s City Hall and was constructed in the mid-1700s. It sits majestically on one side of the town’s large central square called Place du Capitole. It’s a striking building with its mixture of red brick, marble columns, and pastel trim.

But the inside of The Capitole may be even more striking. Visitors can tour several of the building’s ornate ceremonial rooms which include the Hall picture below. It’s covered in large murals painted by the famed post-impressionist artist (and Toulouse native) Henri Martin. And entree into The Capitole is free!

Another of Toulouse’s iconic buildings is the Basilica of Saint-Sernin. Construction on this church started all the way back in 1080 AD and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was an important stopping point for pilgrims crossing southern France along The Way of St James to coastal Spain (more commonly known today as the Camino de Santiago.) It’s a magnificent building and its multi-tiered tower dominates the Toulouse skyline. You can also enter this building for free.

(Imagine our pleasure when we discovered that our Airbnb was on the street connecting The Capitole and the Basilica. This meant that we walked past both of these structures on a regular basis. I would definitely recommend staying in the historic center when visitingToulouse.)

Another essential building to see when visiting Toulouse France is the Couvent des Jacobins. This Dominican Convent and Church dates to 1230, and it was definitely a highlight of our time in Toulouse.

We’ve walked through many monasteries and convents throughout Europe (include this UNESCO-designated one in Lisbon). But the Couvent des Jacobins does an exceptional job actually detailing the monastic life of the Dominican friars who lived and worked here in the Middle Ages. This is done via a series of informational displays set up around the cloisters, its associated chapels, and other adjoining rooms. It’s the first time I’ve left a convent or monastery with a deep understanding of how it all worked. (You will pay a small fee to enter this part of the Convent.)

The Convent’s church is also well worth a visit. It includes tall columns meant to resemble palm trees, impressive stained glass windows, and even the tomb of St Thomas Aquinas directly in the center. (Entrance into the church is free).

Its Riverfront At Sunset

One of Toulouse’s key geographic features is the Garrone River which cuts through the center of the city. Is Toulouse worth visiting because of this river? Yes!! Because the riverside sunsets in Toulouse France are magical.

The Garrrone is a fairly wide river and several bridges connect the historic center of Toulouse with the other side of the city. Some of these bridges are quite scenic – like the 16th century Pont Neuf in the photo below. You’ll also find parks, cafes, and historical sites on both sides of the river.

But sunset is certainly the best time to enjoy riverside time in Toulouse. And both locals & tourists alike gather along the river’s eastern promenade to watch the sun go down.

In fact, we would grab some takeout dinner and a bottle of wine, dangle our feet over the edge, and soak up the ambience while the colors intensified.

This is an absolutely perfect way to spend an early evening when visiting Toulouse France!!

(If you would like to read about the greatest of all sunsets from our travels, then check out my post about our sunset experience in Meteora Greece.)

Its Green Spaces

In addition to the various parks located along the river, Toulouse France also has a few unique green spaces that are worth visiting.

One is the Pierre Baudis Japanese Garden which is located within a much larger city park called Compans-Caffarelli Park. It purposefully re-creates some of the 14th-16th century gardens of Kyoto Japan. And having visited a few of those Kyoto gardens ourselves, I can vouch for the similarities.

You should also consider exploring the various pathways along Toulouse’s famous canals. The most well-known of these canals is the Canal du Midi. In fact, this canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered one of the most impressive construction projects of the 17th century. It stretches all the way from Toulouse to the Mediterranean Sea – a total of 150 miles!

A much shorter canal called the Canal de Brienne connects the Canal du Midi directly with the Garonne River. This canal network was created all those centuries ago to provide a convenient method for transporting goods between Toulouse and the Mediterranean. And since the Garonne River also passes through Bordeaux (near the Atlantic coast), the ultimate result was a waterway cutting across Southern France – from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.

We spent some time strolling along the Canal de Brienne. It’s the canal closest to the historic center of town. And as you can see in the photo above, it’s a serene and scenic part of Toulouse. Well worth a visit! You can also take a boat tour of the Canal De Brienne too – if you would rather enjoy its ambience while sitting.

Its Airplane Museum

Toulouse France is home to Airbus – the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer. And near the company’s headquarters on the outskirts of town, you’ll find Musée Aeroscopia. We were visiting Toulouse at the end of our time in France, and honestly at that point in the trip, we really didn’t need to see any more classic pieces of art. But an airplane museum? Yes please!

If you are an airplane enthusiast, this museum is a must and will alone make Toulouse 100% worth visiting. And if you are a casual admirer and frequent flier (like us), then I highly recommend it as well. If for nothing else, just to see the Concorde!

For those of you too young to remember, the Concorde was the world’s only commercial supersonic plane. It flew at twice the speed of sound. Concorde passengers could get from Paris to New York in 3-3.5 hours. The Concorde ultimately became too expensive to operate and was discontinued in 2003.

But Musée Aeroscopia still has two of them on display. And you can actually walk inside one of those! It was more cramped and less luxurious than I expected. I think it’s probably a good thing the flight only took 3.5 hours.

Musée Aeroscopia features a giant hanger filled with planes of all sizes and types, informational displays tracing the history of flight (and of the Airbus company), and displays detailing the science of aeronautics. You could spend hours roaming about.

Plus, you are allowed outside the hanger as well, where you’ll find several examples of the company’s best known aircraft models. These include the giant two-decker A380 – the world’s largest commercial plane. We were able to walk all around it and wander around the inside too. It was awesome!

You should also be aware that you can actually tour the Airbus factory and visit the assembly lines themselves. I didn’t discover this until a few weeks before we arrived and our dates were already sold out. Consequently, plan ahead if you would like to take advantage of this unique opportunity. Here’s the ticketing website.

I should also mention that Toulouse has a popular and large educational center dedicated to spaceflight too. It’s called Cité de l’Espace. We didn’t visit, but if you love space travel, then this “space discovery center” would certainly make visiting Toulouse worthwhile.

And if you want to see art and archeological while visiting Toulouse, you can find those types of museums too. These include a museum of Roman artifacts called Musée Saint-Raymond. And a classical art museum called Musée des Augustins which is set inside a converted 14th-century convent. And a modern art museum called Les Abattoirs (we visited this one and I can recommend it.)

Its Food Scene

So what about food? Frequent readers know that eating local cuisine is one of my chief travel passions. Is Toulouse worth visiting for its food? Absolutely!

First of all, any Foodie visiting Toulouse needs to spend some time exploring the city’s Victor Hugo Market. This always-bustling market is filled with all kinds of fresh produce, seafood, meats, cheese, bakery items, and grab-&-go food.

And after you finish wandering around, wishing you had a market this great at home, then you should eat lunch at one of several restaurants occupying the market’s second floor. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a seat on the veranda like we did.

Also while visiting Toulouse France, you should be sure to sample the region’s most iconic (and quite rustic) dishes. These include Cassoulet – a stew of white beans, sausage, and duck confit. The photo below shows the Cassoulet I enjoyed from a restaurant called Aligot Bar (recommended to us by a local). Our dining experience was enhanced by the friendliness of the chef/owner who came out and talked to us about his family’s long Cassoulet cooking history.

Two other must-eats in Toulouse France are pictured in the photo below (also from Aligot Bar). Saucisse de Toulouse or Toulouse Sausage – a flavorful pork sausage. And Aligot – a mixture of mashed potatoes, cheese, cream, and garlic. The resultant melange stretches like cheese when you eat it. It’s very good and very decadent!

But you won’t only find rustic food when visiting Toulouse. You can find plenty of finer French dining opportunities as well. I’ve advised elsewhere on this blog that you should take advantage of the daily Menu Midi offered by many restaurants all over France. These are 3-coursed lunches, using seasonal ingredients, and typically priced very reasonably.

One of our favorites in Toulouse was at L’ Air de Famille. This restaurant has been recognized by the Michelin Guide with a Bib Gourmand Award, and reservations are pretty much essential (but easy to make online). Here’s a look at my 3 courses at this great restaurant.

A thick velvety mushroom soup (called a Veloute)…

Sea Bass in orange sauce with carrots three different ways…

And Tarte Tartin – a French classic! An upside-down Apple Tart.

The cost for all this great food was only 28 Euros. I really miss eating in France!

I also mentioned earlier in this post that Toulouse France is a university town. Consequently there are lots of cheap eats options and plenty of international cuisine choices as well. One our very best (and least expensive) meals while visiting Toulouse was at a small Korean restaurant named Sarang House.

It’s Easy To Get Around Toulouse

Another important factor to consider is how you’ll get around when visiting Toulouse. And the good news? It’s really easy.

First of all Toulouse France is a very walkable city. With the exception of the Airbus museum, we walked to every place I mentioned in this post.

For slightly further distances within the center, including back and forth from the main train station, we used Toulouse’s underground Metro system.

And to reach the Musée Aeroscopia, we used Toulouse’s light rail Tram system. Both of these methods are simple to use. You can purchase tickets from machines at every station (these include an English language option). And you can find your route and timing on Google Maps. Here’s the city’s public transportation website for more info.

Uber is also available in Toulouse if you would prefer, though I thought the cost was rather expensive compared to other places we have visited in Europe.

Toulouse is also well connected with the rest of France via both an airport and a large train station. We traveled around France by train – as I’ve outlined in my post about taking the high speed train from Paris to Lyon. And we arrived in Toulouse via a 4 hour train journey from Lyon.

The main Toulouse Matabiau train station also offers a perfect base for day trips in the area. We took a day trip to the beautiful medieval town of Albi via train. And the very popular (yet very touristy) fortified medieval city of Carcassonne is only an hour train ride away.

Final Thoughts

So….is Toulouse worth visiting? I think the answer should be quite clear at this point. Definitely!!

I completely agree with Lonely Planet. Toulouse France now ranks as one of our favorite cities too. You really need to visit Toulouse and discover this amazing place for yourself.

If you would like to read more about traveling in France, then be sure to check out these posts:

Paris On A Budget – 8 Tips So You Don’t Break The Bank

The 8 Most Essential Things To Do in Lyon France

A Week in Provence – The Luberon, The Rhône, & Cassis

And if you would like to read about one of our other very favorite cities, then check out this post:

12 Things You Shouldn’t Miss When Visiting Gdansk Poland