TOULOUSE : L'ESSENTIEL

When you arrive in a city for the first time, you want to know what you absolutely mustn’t miss, whilst dreaming of the privilege of seeing some exclusive spots. If you agree with this, this tour is made for you!

Starting at the Place du Capitole, your guide will give you a taste of antiquity before introducing you to the opulence of the 18th-century judicial and commercial centre, evident in its impressive pink and white façade!
Further on, you’ll enter the Church of the Jacobins, a stately brick edifice and the Gothic heart of the 13th and 14th centuries, where the memory of the Cathar heresy and the history of one of France’s oldest universities linger.

In just a few strides, you’ll find yourself stepping inside the exceptional 16th-century mansions of Messrs Bernuy and d’Assézat, magnificent testaments to a city rising from the ashes of the great fire of 1463 thanks to the magical recipe for blue pastel dye.

This tour also takes you to the Garonne, the city’s fluvial backbone, both its strength and its weakness. There, you might just hear the echoes of the old rumourmongers who hoisted barrels onto the now-vanished barges, whilst today’s strollers bask in the sun on the riverbanks.

Finally, on your way back to the Capitole, your guide – a mischievous companion – will lead you through the charming alleyways of the merchant quarter, which open out from crossroads into little squares amidst half-timbered houses and Baroque gateways.

Intrigued? Experience Toulouse both as a visitor from another era AND as a local, naturally focusing on the essentials!