10 things to do in Toulouse
- La basilique St.-Sernin
- Musee des Augustins
- Cite de l'Espace
- Centre de developpement choregraphique
- African Safari
- Canal du Midi
- Espace d'Art moderne et contemporain
- Galerie Graal
- Fondation Bemberg
- Le Bikini
Recommended Toulouse Restaurants
- Brasserie le Capoul
- Jardins de l'Opera
- La Mare aux Canards
- Chez Michel Sarran
- Le Pôvre Yves
- Le Pois Gourmand
- L'Amphitryon
- Cabaret Stardust
"Toulouse metropolitan area is the fastest growing in Europe."
More on Toulouse
Toulouse, known as the Ville Rose ("Pink City") for its distinctive brick architecture,
is host to a rich and diverse culture. It has a thriving scene of unusually beautiful
graffitis, with the painter Miss Van at its forefront. Toulouse was the home of Antoine
de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944), most famous for his book Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince).
There is a permanent gallery with numerous photos, and some of his works, located in the
Hotel du Grand Balcon - just off the Place du Capitole - where he stayed.
It is the seat of the Académie des Jeux Floraux, the equivalent of the French Academy for the Occitan-speaking regions of southern France, making Toulouse the unofficial capital of Occitan culture. The traditional Occitan cross was adopted as the symbol of both the City of Toulouse and the newly-founded Midi-Pyrénées région.
Toulouse Culture
Toulouse is one of the most alternative French cities - maybe due to its huge student population and its historical past with half a million Spanish republican/communist/anarchists 'rebels' that settled in the region after they failed to rebel against Franco and escaped through the Pyrenees during the 'Retirada' in 1949. So even though the city is trying to get rid of them, it still offers a large number of squats, some of them hosting artistic movements. MixArt Myrys is one of the oldest and most active squat of artists within the city.
