TOULOUSE : L'ESSENTIEL

When you arrive in a city for the first time, you like to know what not to miss, while dreaming of the privilege of seeing exclusive places. If you agree, this tour is for you!

Beginning in the Place du Capitole, the guide will give you a whiff of antiquity, then introduce you to the opulence of the 18th-century judicial and merchant city, as displayed on the impressive pink-and-white façade!
Further on, you enter the Jacobins church, a noble brick vessel, the Gothic soul of the 13th and 14th centuries, where the memory of the Cathar heresy and the history of one of France's oldest universities live on.

In just a few steps, you'll be able to step inside the 16th century mansions of Messrs Bernuy and d'Assézat, the grandiose witnesses of a city reborn from the ashes of the great fire of 1463 thanks to the magic recipe of blue pastel dye.

This tour also takes you to the Garonne, the river's backbone and both the strength and weakness of the Pink City. Here you might hear the ancient rumours of the boatmen hoisting barrels onto the vanished barges, while today strollers sunbathe on the banks.

Finally, on the way back to the Capitole, the guide, a mischievous accomplice, will lead you through the charming lanes of the shopping district, which open up from crossroads to squares between timber-framed buildings and Baroque portals.

Intrigued? Experience Toulouse as both a visitor to Time AND a regular visitor to the city, by going straight to the essentials!