Why This French City Feels Different (Toulouse)

Welcome to Toulouse, one of the sunniest and most popular cities in France. Known for its history, its abundance of pink hued architecture, its student culture and its aerospace industry. In this travel guide we're going to show you the best of Toulouse including top attractions and hidden gems. One of the best ways to start any city exploration is of course by heading for a coffee and in Toulouse you'll want to come to the Capitole. This has been the cultural and governmental heart of the city since the 12th century. In 1522 Pierre Salmon suggested that the name be changed to Capitole in reference to Capitoline Hill in Rome. In the middle of the 18th century the Capitules, so the leaders of Toulouse, decided that they wanted something completely unique in France to house their municipal palace. They commissioned Guillaume Camas to create the building you see behind me. It was constructed in the typical pink stone that is so synonymous with Toulouse and was completed in 1760. Today it still houses the Marais, so the town hall, and if you're lucky enough during your visit then you can actually go inside and have a look because within the interior you'll find some beautiful frescoes. Right in the middle of the square you'll find an Occitan cross. This is a 12-pointed cross that first appeared during the reign of Raymond VI in 1211. It's also sometimes referred to as a long dot cross and this example bears the signs of the zodiac. A bit less interesting but the drain covers also have the form of the local cross. The French nickname for Toulouse is La Vie en Rose and that is for a very simple reason. The pink city is thanks to the fact that for thousands of years the houses and many of the main buildings here have been constructed out of pink terracotta. However it hasn't always had that nickname. In fact the nickname only appeared in 1906 and there was a period in the 18th century where residents were forced to whiten their homes for reasons of public hygiene. At that time even the capital that we just saw was bleached white. As one of the sunniest cities in France one of the best ways to enjoy Toulouse is simply by sitting out on one of the many terraces throughout the city. Another option if you are more on a budget is to go to a local bakery because of course we're in France and get a sandwich. If you come to the back of the capital building which is just as beautiful as the front then you'll find the Donjon which was constructed all the way back in 1525. It was restored by Violette Le Duc who is best known for restoring places such as Mont Saint-Michel and Carcassonne and then it has housed the tourist office since 1948. If you head inside then I found that they were super helpful in giving tips for the nearby region as well as offering a tourist map for Toulouse itself. As well as being almost completely pedestrianised the historic city centre of Toulouse is home to lots of quirky details. One of my favourites is that most of the street signs are in both French and Occitan and if you remember to look up when you're right in the heart of the city then you might be able to see the 24 hour clock face installed at the top of an 1895 built Haussmannian style building. It is one of only two such 24 hour clock faces in France the other being located in Auxerre in Burgundy. Now if you look closely then you might realise that it is not telling the correct time it's currently 1 46 pm and that is not the case on that clock. Like most big cities and towns in France Toulouse has countless churches and obviously we won't be able to visit them all over the course of this video but now we are going to explore some of the best ones. Listed as UNESCO on account of the fact that it appears on some of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage routes in France the Basilica of San Sarno is one of the most important churches in the city. This is a spot where in 250 common era the first bishop of Toulouse was martyred. In early Christian days people would want to be buried to him as close as possible. As early as 581 a basilica was established just above the final resting place of San Saturnin who's known as Sarni in Occitan. Today we can go inside and have a look at the basilica and see the centuries of history that have come together to form what you can see today. If you're a history lover then it would be easy enough to spend an hour or so wandering around the spacious basilica. Numerous treasures can be found within but my favourite had to be the exceptional 12th century Romanesque froscos. These medieval wall paintings were uncovered in the 1970s after a 19th century plaster layer was removed. After visiting the church don't forget to head downstairs to the crypt where you'll find a glass case showcasing medieval treasures and reliquaries linked to San Saturnin. Now that we've visited one of the largest and most important Romanesque churches in the world we're headed to see a slightly different style of church this time a chapel. Often serving as a cultural venue for classical concerts and art exhibitions the first stone of the building was laid by King Louis XIII and his wife Anne of Austria on the 1st of July 1622. The king had originally promised to finance the chapel but when he broke that commitment the president of inquest for the parliament of Toulouse took over and the chapel was completed. The magnificent froscos were painted in the late 17th century drawing inspiration from the Sistine Chapel. Toulouse has numerous cafes where you can stop for a quick bite to eat and a coffee so that's exactly what we did before heading to our next stop of the day. We've made it down to the Garonne river which is the main waterway that flows through Toulouse. Just behind me is the Pont Neuf and despite its name which translates into English as new bridge it's actually the oldest bridge in the city and dates back to the 17th century. The river Garonne has not always been kind to Toulouse and a good example of that is when you look at the bridge you'll see these little circular shapes. Each individual one is called an oculus and in times of flooding the water is able to pass right through those holes up there which means it gets very high. Toulouse is a city where old meets new in fact there are between 120 and 150,000 estimated students here and so you'll often find this play where there are new things installed on old monuments. A great example of this is the red devil. This was installed back in 2017 and has since become a fun symbol of the city. Toulouse boasts some pretty beautiful parks especially on a sunny day like today where you can see locals hanging out and plenty of birds. May and June are the best times to come because this is when most of the flowers are in bloom. There are three parks in particular that are very special the Grand Ronde, the Jardin des Plantes and the Jardin Royale. All three parks are conveniently connected by bridges meaning that you can continue wandering the green spaces at your own leisure. I don't recommend this for every city that we visit but when you come to Toulouse you definitely want to come down to the banks of the Grand Ronde for sunset. The skyline is just magical and this is the best time to see the city. Of course Toulouse isn't just a city for tourists to visit but it's also a place where people actually live in and so today we're going to be exploring some local gems of Toulouse alongside more of the top attractions that you don't want to miss. We're starting out the day at the Marché Victor Hugo which dates back to 1896 making it the oldest covered market in France. One of the more local places to eat in Toulouse is if you come upstairs in the market of Victor Hugo then you'll find lots of little restaurants. Everything is written on chalkboards because the menu is constantly changing and what's more is that most of the ingredients are sourced from the market right downstairs so you know you're having a very authentic French experience. There are lots of delicious things to eat but here are a few of the things we've got. As I mentioned earlier you can come inside the Marais in order to see all of the beautiful frescoes including the marriage room and a conference room. Yesterday when we tried to come they were closed because that ended up being some sort of ministerial meeting but they are open today and they're completely free to visit so let's go and have a look at them. While there are several rooms to explore my favourite was probably that which showcased designs from a local artist Henri Martin. The grandest room of them all is the Hall of the Illustrious which features famous people to have come from Toulouse including scientists, mathematicians and artists. The most important ecclesiastical building in Toulouse is the was founded all the way back in 1230 and is constructed from the pink terracotta tiles that are so synonymous with the city. It was founded in the 13th century and over the next 100 years a chapter house, cloister, refractory and chapel were all added. In the first half of the 19th century this space was requisitioned by Napoleon and was converted into an armory, barracks and stables. This of course caused significant damage to the building although fortunately it's been completely restored. Today you can visit the main church for free although if you want to access the cloisters and the other parts where the monks would have lived then you have to pay a small fee. It's currently under construction and so there is a lot of scaffolding but it remains very beautiful. So is a visit currently worth it? Well the church itself is free to go to so it's definitely worth visiting but the convent itself I would wait until the works are done because once we had paid it was only then that they said the refractory, which is the most important part, is currently closed. Today we've come back to the Garonne River because this is not only a place where tourists come to to enjoy the sunset but also where the locals hang out and one of the more popular spots along the river is the bouvet right behind me. That means drinking establishment although it has quite a dark history. In fact in times gone by the river Garonne used to flood a lot and during that time people would unfortunately drown. The authorities didn't know what to do with their bodies and they weren't able to identify them and so they placed them just behind me in what is now the drinking place in use as a morgue. It's hard to imagine that this was once used as such a tragic piece of history. While there are countless day trips you can take from Toulouse, the most popular is undoubtedly to Carcasson, the turreted fairy tale citadel which is often touted as France's greatest medieval treasure. The citadel was famously restored in controversial ways under the direction of Violette Le Duc in the 19th century and now you can wander the ramparts, explore the castle and soak up iconic views. If time allows then I highly recommend also visiting a local vineyard and sampling some delicious French wine. Carcasson itself sits at the crossroads of several wine regions so you're truly spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing somewhere. During our time in Carcasson we were keen to speak to a local winemaker and we actually had the pleasure of meeting with Stéphane, the owner of Domaine de la Perrinade. If you're curious to see more about Carcasson as well as its local wineries then we have a whole other video about this stunning place already on the channel. Thank you so much for watching and don't forget to like and subscribe for more travel content. See you next time!