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Toulouse, France
Toulouse in France with e-travelguide.info
Welcome To the e-travelguide to Hotels, guest houses and attractions in Toulouse.
Make the most of your time in Toulouse, use the information provided on this web site by clicking on the links above to plan your visit.
The dynamic city of Toulouse is a strong European aerospace base and is located in the south-west of France providing a gateway to the nearby Pyrenees. The capital of the otherwise sparse Midi-Pyrenees region, Toulouse has grown considerably since the middle of the 20th century thanks to its economic boosters and its thriving industries. Today it is the fourth largest city in the country and continues to grow at a pace.
Toulouse, often referred to as the Ville Rose, or the pink city due to its tinted buildings, features a typical southern French style. A number of aspects serve to mark the city out from the rest, whether it is its food, its history, its cultural treasures or its friendly atmosphere. Indeed it is a much sought after region due to the positioning of the Airbus and Aerospatiale bases in and around the city and this has generated plenty of employment. The city’s population has pushed through the one million barrier and this figure continues to rise, helped in part by the growing number of students. Some 110,000 people are thought to study in Toulouse, including many at the 1229-built university which is also the country’s second largest.
Boasting some 2,000 years of history, Toulouse features a number of traditional buildings complementing the high-tech modern centres of late. One of the major examples of this is the lovely Place du Capitole situated at the city’s heart. Here visitors will find the hotel de Ville, the opera house and the Doujou du Capitole.
The 11th- and 12th-century-built Saint Basilica is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site and forms part of the Way of St James pilgrimage as it works its way towards Santiago de Compostella in the north-west of Spain. Also set in Toulouse are the St Etienne Cathedral, the Jacobin’s Convent buildings and a number of Renaissance town houses. There is something of an Occitan identity in this part of the country, paying testament to the region’s past, while mixed in there are also Spanish influences thanks to its proximity to the Iberian country as well as a number of Italian style structures.
The River Garonne runs through the city and ensures further pleasant places to visit, its banks proving a popular place for people to walk and relax. The Canal du Midi also begins in the city before working its way east to spill out into the Mediterranean Sea. Back on solid ground, meanwhile, there are many cafes and terraces which, in true French fashion, open out onto the surrounding streets. Toulouse is also good for shopping, thanks in part to its open-air and covered markets which sell many local products.
Toulouse’s space centre is the largest in Europe and is just part of the aerospace industry in the Midi-Pyrenees administrative capital. It is also home to EADS which is a large satellite manufacturer. Airbus planes, the main rival to Boeing, are put together in the suburb of Colombiers meanwhile. The city is now home to the National Centre for Space Research as well as the air and space museum which was launched in 1997.
There are no fewer than 20 pipe organs in the city, a fact providing perfect reason to host an international organ festival each year. Other unique cultural facets come in the shape of the cuisine which sees the likes of Saucisses de Toulouse (a herb sausage), Cassoulet Toulousain (a bean and pork stew) and Garbure (a cabbage soup with poultry) hitting the plates of the restaurants and homes in the city.