The 10 addresses that make Toulouse

Toulouse is a city of colors. We're all familiar with the pinks on its facades, but it's less well known that, as early as the XVᵉ century, the city initiated the cultivation of woad in the nearby Lauragais region, producing the marvelous blue dye that ensured its prosperity. Wealthy merchants built the Renaissance churches and mansions that still grace the old town today, but Toulouse is not only rich in this prestigious past. It's also (and above all) a lively city - proud of its prestigious aeronautics cluster, its cultural dynamism and... its rugby team, which thrills everyone on match nights. A city where life is good, even for a long weekend.

Where to stay in Toulouse?

Eklo Toulouse

The young group of "eco-friendly" hotels has extended its network in France with a seventh address in Toulouse, in the heart of the new Cartoucherie district. And it's fair to say that Eklo is living up to its promise with this refuge, which occupies the first five floors of the Wood'art, a sumptuous 76 m-high wooden tower that has won awards for its high-tech insulation and low energy consumption. True to the spirit of the group, the 100 rooms (for 2, 4 or 6 people) are laid out around optimized spaces that combine comfort and fantasy: soft comforters, beautiful bathrooms and wooden cabins for children in the family rooms. The communal areas are in the same spirit... 300 m² with bar, dining room, ultra-chic lounge and coworking space, all decorated with Chesterfield sofas and raw wood tables d'hôtes. A new-generation place, as innovative as it is welcoming.

• Double room from 90 euros, breakfast not included
• 181 avenue de Grande-Bretagne 31300 Toulouse. Tel: 05 82 95 92 31
• Further information on Eklo Toulouse

Nicolas Anetson

La Cour des Consuls Hotel & Spa

In the heart of the Carmes district, this refuge is first and foremost a piece of history, as it nestles in one of the city's most beautiful 18th-century residences, crowned by a pink brick facade adorned with a coat of arms. Decorated with spirit by Chantal Peyrat, the hotel has retained its historic charm, with high ceilings and parquet floors, while offering the very best in contemporary comfort. Dressed in shades of beige and gray, with sleek furnishings, the 32 rooms and suites open onto the two beautiful interior courtyards. A member of the MGallery group, the hotel also boasts a spa with fitness room, hammam, sauna and treatment rooms, as well as a gourmet restaurant led by chef Thomas Vonderscher.

• Double room from 335 euros
• 46 rue des Cordeliers, 31000 Toulouse. Tel: 05 67 16 19 99
• More information on La Cour des Consuls Hôtel & Spa

Where to eat, drink and dine in Toulouse?

Hotus

Here's the review of this 2-toque Gault&Millau restaurant: "This prominent restaurant in the historic heart of Toulouse, between Carmes and Saint-Etienne, is a delight in its success, thanks to the excellent work of Clément Lessoud, who can already count on a full and lively room at every service. " Read more

• Rating : 14/20
• 17 rue Croix Baragnon 31000 Toulouse

Michel Sarran

Here's the review of this 4-toque Gault&Millau restaurant: "There's so much humanity and warmth in this good man that we'd like to give him nothing but compliments. To tell him, for example, how one of our meals at his place this year brought back that generous, bounty-loving tone that makes the Avenue Duportal restaurant such a mouth-watering destination." Read more

• Score : 17/20
• 21 boulevard Armand Duportal 31000 Toulouse

Jean-Jacques Gelbart

A drink on the banks of the Garonne, so dear to Claude Nougaro.

Rather than imagining a classic museum, Cécile Nougaro chose to fit out this poetic barge as a tribute to her father. During the day, visitors can enjoy a drink after admiring photos, objects and manuscripts by the artist (such as this moving score of the song Un Eté). And in the evening, it's all about the music, with concerts featuring musicians and singers inspired by the jazzman's world. Just around the corner, don't miss the écluse Saint-Pierre, recently converted into a bar, restaurant and concert venue; or the Botanique, set up in the heart of the Garonne theater. Or our favorite, Le Gros Arbre, with its guinguette-like setting on the banks of the Bassin des Filtres, a place to celebrate and share under the shade of a huge, hundred-year-old cedar.

• Maison Claude Nougaro, 112 Quai de Tounis 31000 Toulouse.
• L'Ecluse Saint-Pierre, 3-5 allée de Brienne. 31000 Toulouse
• Le Botanique, 63 Allée Charles de Fitte 31300 Toulouse.
• Le Gros Arbre, 110 rue des Amidonniers 31000 Toulouse

Things to see and do in Toulouse...

Place du Capitole and the Renaissance hotels as you stroll through the narrow streets.

The soul and beating heart of the city, with its theater, the seat of the municipality (since the XIIᵉ century) and a keep that seems, since time immemorial, to watch over the city and its inhabitants. Unmissable, the Place du Capitole is also the starting point through the surrounding alleyways, which reveal an incredible profusion of Renaissance mansions built by those merchants who made their fortune in the woad trade. Our favorites? The Hôtel de Bernuy, with its mullioned windows and delicate cherub carvings; the Hôtel de Boysson, with its cabbage-leaf carvings and fantastic characters; or thehôtel d'Assézat, arguably the most beautiful in the city - today transformed into a museum with a very rich collection of paintings from the XVIᵉ to the XIX centuries. And while you're there, don't miss the delights of Maison Conté, THE city's pastry shop where you can sample the caraque (a pyramid of chocolate ganache to die for) or the remarkable concept-store 2b design, another city institution.

• Hôtel de Bernuy, rue Gambetta 31000 Toulouse
• Hôtel de Boysson, 11 rue Malcousinat. 31000 Toulouse
• Hôtel d'Assézat, place d'Assézat 31000 Toulouse
• Maison Conté, 37 rue Croix-Baragnon 31000 Toulouse
• 2b Design, 37 rue Croix-Baragnon 31000 Toulouse

Musée des Abattoirs

One of the most beautiful buildings in Toulouse, with its arcades and belvedere overlooking the Garonne, and one of the richest too, with a collection of 3,900 works from the XXᵉ and XXIᵉ centuries.cles and some real nuggets (exceptional stage curtain by Picasso created for a play by Romain Rolland), but also workshops for children, a bookshop and an excellent restaurant. Not to be missed are the temporary exhibitions and their ever-changing themes, such as the current"Artistes et paysans, battre la campagne" ("Artists and farmers, beating the countryside" ).puts the world of agriculture into perspective, with works by Jean-François Millet, Rosa Bonheur and filmmaker Agnès Varda (until August 25, 2024).

• 76 Allée Charles de Fitte 31300 Toulouse
• Tel: 05 62 48 58 00

©Adobe Stock

The Natural History Museum, Jardin des Plantes and Quai des Savoirs.

Nature lovers will love strolling the paths of this garden with its natural ponds and the Potagers du monde, but here, people come first and foremost to discover the Natural History Museum housed in a XVIᵉ century monastery. One of Europe's most spectacular cultural venues (6,000m2 and 2.5 million exhibits), it's acclaimed for its ultra-modern museography, which allows visitors to witness the reconstruction of an earthquake, admire the skeleton of the largest reptile living on the planet or become fascinated by the origins of life. A stone's throw away, the Quai des Savoirs, housed in the former Faculty of Medicine, takes visitors on a journey through time to discover the science and technology of tomorrow.

• 35 Allée Jules Guesde 31000 Toulouse
• Tel: 05 67 73 84 84

Victor Hugo Market

A place of culture as much as gastronomy, with its sumptuous covered market halls (the oldest in France) and the profusion of bakers, cheese-makers, butchers, tripe-makers and even chevrotiers (for lamb) who sublimate the specialties of the South-West. A must-taste are the Toulouse sausages prepared since 1961 by Maison Garcia, which also offers an exceptional pata negra, and, outside, canned Cassoulet from Maison Samaran or the delights of delicatessen Café Bacquié.

► Place Victor Hugo 31000 Toulouse

The Jacobins convent

For many, this masterpiece of medieval architecture is the most beautiful building in Toulouse, and the most moving. Indeed, it's hard to resist discovering the stone "palm tree" in the apse that has become the symbol of the place, the immense columns of the double nave, the painted decorations that simulate marble and the rosettes on the west wall that have, miraculously, preserved their original XIIᵉ stained glass windows. A visual, and emotional, shock that's extended by a visit to the monks' former living quarters - the chapter house, the funeral chapel and the 50m-long refectory room, now home to temporary exhibitions.

• Allée Maurice Prin 31000 Toulouse
• www.jacobins.toulouse.fr

©Adobe Stock

One more escape in Toulouse

The Cité de l'espace

You won't want to miss this visit to the city that has made aerospace its main activity. Interactive exhibits, IMAX 3D cinema, planetarium, astronomy simulator, full-scale reconstruction of the Ariane 5 rocket (53m), the Russian Soyuz capsule or the Mir space station, dome to observe the sun, moon and planets through a telescope... The Cité de l'Espace is a must-see in Toulouse. The Cité de l'espace is a unique opportunity to explore the universe, with real treasures like this moving moonstone brought back by the astronauts of the Apollo 15 mission in 1971.

• Avenue Jean Gonord 31000 Toulouse
• Tel: 05 67 22 23 24