Welcome to France’s underrated Pink City, Toulouse! I honestly don’t know why this city doesn’t get talked about more, and I can’t believe how many people miss it completely. I’ve compiled my favorite things to do in Toulouse so you can explore this beautiful city.
Toulouse is known as La Ville Rose – the Pink City. That’s due to all the pink-filled terracotta brick buildings. The pretty streets are filled with pink-hued buildings and great cafés. It’s incredibly charming, and I easily fell in love with the city. I especially enjoyed watching the sunset along the Garonne River. Toulouse makes such a good French city break. It’s the perfect addition to your France itinerary.
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How Many Days to Spend in Toulouse?
Toulouse makes a great addition to your France itinerary. It’s only 2 hours from Bordeaux and Montpellier and 4 hours from both Barcelona and Paris. So, you can easily pair it with another city. I’d recommend spending 2-3 days in Toulouse. This will allow you to see the main sights and do a day trip to the countryside. I personally spent 3 days and did just that! It was nice to also see the beautiful Haute-Garonne countryside and Canal du Midi with this extra time.
If you’re short on time, you can definitely see the highlights of Toulouse in even a day. But it will be rushed! I prefer a slower pace so you can take in the sunset views along the Garonne and stroll around all the cute pink streets popping into nice cafes.
How to Get to Toulouse
Toulouse has its own airport (TLS – Toulouse-Blagnac Airport) just 20 minutes from the city. That makes it super easy to visit from international destinations. I flew in from London, and it was just a short and easy journey. If you’re traveling by train, the city is also well connected by train. Once in Toulouse, it’s such a walkable city. Many people ride bikes, and you can rent them to get around if you’d like to blend in like a local!
Where to Stay in Toulouse
Best Things to do in Toulouse, France
1. Take a food & walking tour
The first thing I’d do when you get to Toulouse is to book a food and walking tour with Toulouse Gourmet Tours. It was such a great introduction to the city, and the tour guide, Alex, was so wonderful and enthusiastic. He was easy to follow, as you can tell he loves his job, and he made things really interesting. You will go on 6 stops and hear 6 lessons about the history of Toulouse while also enjoying 6 snacks. After the tour, Alex emailed us all his favorite sights, cafes, and restaurants in Toulouse. It was nice to get recommendations from a local.
2. Explore Place du Capitole
Place du Capitole is home to the main lively square in Toulouse. The grand building has a neoclassical style and is pink like many of the buildings in this Pink City of Toulouse. I’d recommend visiting the inside with your Toulouse City Card. It’s absolutely gorgeous inside.
Don’t miss looking up above you as you walk through the La Galerue des Arcades in the same area as Place du Capitole. You will find 29 colourful painted panels by artist Raymond Moretti, created in 1997. The artwork depicts different moments from Toulouse’s history.
3. Visit Basilique Saint-Sernin and Saint-Étienne
Two of Toulouse’s famous churches include the Basilique Saint-Sernin and Saint-Étienne. Basilique Saint-Sernin is a 13th-century church and was the former abbey church of the Abbey of Saint-Sernin. You can visit the interior for free, but no photos are allowed inside.
Saint-Étienne was built over five centuries and uniquely looks like 2 churches combined.
4. Wander through the pink streets
I found so many picturesque streets to wander during my 3 days in Toulouse. Some of my favorite streets include Rue du Taur, Rue Merlane, and Pl. Saintes-Scarbes. I also loved seeing the fountain at Pl. Saintes-Scarbes.
Les Carmes is the historic neighborhood in Toulouse with many narrow medieval streets. So just get lost and explore all these pretty streets.
One thing to look out for is “maison en corondage.” These timber-framed houses can be found throughout Toulouse, most notably on 1 Rue des Arts and Rue Saint-Rome. They are rare survivors of the devastating Great Fire of 1463. Later 17th-century fire-prevention bans required timber façades to be covered in plaster or replaced entirely with brick.
Plus, you will find so many nice independent boutiques for shopping. Just note that the shops are mostly closed on Sundays.
5. Step inside the Couvent des Jacobins
Couvent des Jacobins is a 13th-century Dominican convent with impressive Gothic-style architecture. You can visit it for free, but I highly recommend paying the €5 to see the beautiful cloisters outside in the garden. It’s such an underrated activity to do in Toulouse.
6. Go café hopping around the city
I love café hopping! And Toulouse has so many cute cafés around every corner of this Pink City. My favorites include Peanut, Bapz, and Café La Fiancée. But there’s no shortage of cafes here!
7. Watch the sunset along the Garonne
Cross the Pont Neuf (the oldest surviving bridge across the Garonne River) and admire views of Chapelle Saint-Joseph de La Grave (the famous pink domed building). These are the city’s most iconic landmarks. If you visit during sunset, everyone gathers along the stairs or near the river. It’s such a magical place in the city to take in all the views.
8. Hire your own boat along the Garonne River
On the other side of Pont Neuf, there’s a dock for boats, and you’ll be able to hire your own boat here. It’s quite easy to drive the boat, and the staff is really helpful in getting you comfortable with it. Then, you can sail along the Garonne River and see the city from another perspective. The water is really calm, and it’s a short and peaceful ride.
You can rent it directly from the dock or through The Caboteurs website for €50. I’d recommend going with a group to split the cost. If driving the boat yourself isn’t your thing, you could also do a river cruise like this one!
Maison Soclo was my favorite dinner spot in Toulouse. It’s such a hidden gem. At night, the garden lights up, and it’s an intimate dinner setting. They have fantastic food in sharing style, and the cocktails are also wonderful.
10. Learn about Toulouse’s pastel blue dye
If you look around the city, you will find the color blue a lot. It will be in the doors or on some of the buildings you see. Interestingly enough, there’s a significant story behind this blue. This region was once famous for pastel, which is a plant that’s used to create a rich blue dye. During the Renaissance, the pastel trade made Toulouse wealthy, with rich merchants using their fortunes to build the grand private mansions you can still see around the city today.
To learn more about pastel, you can visit Terre de Pastel in Labège, just outside Toulouse, where you can discover how the plant was grown and turned into dye. They even have workshops where you can take part in the dyeing process yourself.
11. Try cassoulet
No trip to the Toulouse region would be complete without trying cassoulet. This is a specialty dish from southwest France. It’s made from white beans, duck confit, Toulouse sausage, and pork. The mixture is then slow-cooked in a traditional terracotta dish until golden on top.
I tried it at Auberge du Poids Public in Saint-Félix-Lauragais, a beautiful countryside spot about 45 minutes from Toulouse. Their cassoulet has even won the Grand Prix du Jury at the World Cassoulet Championship in Toulouse, so this was definitely the place to try it!
12. Take a day trip to the Canal du Midi, Lauragais, or Revel
Cycle through the peaceful Haute-Garonne countryside. You can rent bikes with Le Petit Cyclo and explore the Canal du Midi. Some other nearby stops include Saint-Félix-Lauragais, a cute medieval village.
Continue your day trip by visiting Saint-Ferréol Lake and seeing a nearby waterfall. The town of Revel is a short drive away. I’d visit on a Saturday to experience its lively market and local food.
For more reading, you may also like:
The Best South of France Towns and Villages
Christmas in Alsace
Visiting Eguisheim, France
15 Prettiest Streets in Paris
Crowd-Free Hidden Gems in Europe to Visit
