Toulouse Attractions

Fondation Bemberg is located in a mansion completed in 1555. The restored mansion contains the personal collection belonging to Georges Bemberg.

Highlights of the collection include paintings, bronze sculptures and other objects that date back to the 17th century and Renaissance.

Cite de l'Espace is an astronomical museum with a Planetarium. Outside the museum is a park with a maze featuring technological inventions and interactive displays. Displays include the MIR space station, a replica of Ariane 5, and the Soyuz space vehicle.

In Toulouse, west of the Place du Capitole is the brick-built Gothic church of the Jacobins (1260-1292), with a cloister of 1307. On one side is a handsome tower, built in 1301-1304 on the model of St Sernin. The two-aisled nave has dark-veined groined vaulting, which radiates in fan form from the last of the seven central piers in the choir. The remains of St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) were deposited in this church in 1974.

Hôtel Resseguier was built in the 17th century for François Resseguier and now serves as a department store, Nouvelles Galeries. Visitors can admire the exterior for its stone and brick designs around the windows, the courtyard and the two rectangular towers. Inside, the top floor is a cafe that offers spectacular views of the city.

In Toulouse, the Musée des Augustins, housed in a former Augustinian monastery, including the chapterhouse and the cloisters (14th and 17th C.), has a large collection of sculpture, with fine examples of Early Christian sarcophagi and medieval sculpture, and of pictures.

In Toulouse, a little way east of the Pont-Neuf, in Rue de Metz, is the Hôtel d'Assézat, the most elegant of the city's burghers' houses, built by Nicolas Bachelier in 1555-1557 for the Capitoul d'Assézat, with a beautiful courtyard.

In Toulouse, the Hôtel de Bernuy was built in 1509-1534 by a Spanish merchant of that name, with a beautiful courtyard in early Renaissance style.

In Toulouse, opposite St Sernin is the Musée St Raymond, with prehistoric and Roman antiquities and a rich collection of medieval and Renaissance decorative art.

Parc de la Prairie Filters is the largest green space in Toulouse. The park runs from the Pont-Neuf to the Pont-Saint-Michel along the river bank. There is a public garden, bowling alley and a children's playground. Visitors to Parc de la Prairie Filters can also enjoy walking or cycling throughout.

Place Dupuy is a large square in Toulouse that is noted for its small-town atmosphere. The square is surrounded by cafés with a central fountain that dates from 1832. The fountain in Place Dupuy commemorates one of the battles of the Italian wars. The tall column features four water-spitting griffins and an allegorical statue of Fame.

The hub of Toulouse's life is the busy Place du Capitole, the west side of which is lined with beautiful arcades. On the east side of the square is the Capitole, named after the old chapter (capitulum) of magistrates (capitouls) who ruled the city. In the right-hand wing of the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) is the Municipal Theater. To the rear is the Donjon, a defensive tower of 1529; in the courtyard are numerous works of modern sculpture.

Planète Jeux is an interactive game area that is geared to young people. The first floor features over 80 interactive video games including ski, motorcycle, formula 1 and jet simulators. The lower level of Planète Jeux is for 5 to 12 year olds with supervised workshops available.

There is a beautiful view of the mountains on this scenic rail trip.

Souillac hosts an annual three-day jazz festival which takes place in late July and includes a mixture of formal concerts and street entertainment. New Orleans bands and jazz quartets entertain visitors with American jazz music, which is the main focus of the festival.

The Toulouse Métro is a fully automated (unmanned) rubber tired system. It was opened in 1993 and is made up of one line with 10km of track, 9km of which are underground. There are 15 stations. Feeder buses serve five of the stations. Trains run between 5:00 in the morning until just past midnight.

The system serves about 22 million people yearly with 29 two-car trains.

This building is known for it's painting by Jean-Baptiste Despax which represent the interests of the Carmelite nuns.