- We have made it to Toulouse!
And this city is bustling, but not overcrowded.
So I highly recommend coming here.
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We spent two days in Toulouse,
just before our cruise down the Canal du Midi
in Southern France.
This charming city is the country's fourth largest
and there are plenty of things to do
in Toulouse to make it one of the top destinations
to visit in France.
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We're going to share the best things
to do in Toulouse in two days
and show you why we fell in love with this unassuming city
in the South of France.
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One of the best things to do
when you come to Toulouse is to get the Toulouse Pass.
It's a great way to get
into all of the top attractions and museums.
The Toulouse Pass offers one, two or three day access
that includes public transport and free entrance
into most of the city's most popular tourist attractions,
including its top museums, monuments and heritage sites,
and a free walking tour.
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One of the best things to do
is to take a walking tour through the tourism office.
You meet just behind the Capitol building
at this one of the most beautiful tourism offices,
I've ever seen.
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Walking tours are given in French and English.
So make sure to join the one that suits your needs.
The tours take you to key attractions
as well as some hidden gems.
It's an excellent introduction to La Ville Rose.
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- So this is a pass through for locals
from one block to the other.
Nice, cool inside.
So let's go check it in.
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This is a secret walkthrough from one side of the street
to the other.
- It's very pleasant.
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Once we got our bearings,
it was time to branch out and explore Toulouse on our own.
Toulouse is a very walkable city
and you can see many of the sites in a day
by just walking around the downtown area.
I love this main capital square here.
During the day, they have a great huge market,
if you wanna do some shopping.
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La Place du Capitole is the main city square of Toulouse,
and it is gorgeous.
It's also most likely the first place you'll stop
at in Toulouse.
The capital building dominates a square spanning 420 feet
along the east side.
It also contains City Hall and the opera house.
Located in the old quarter of Toulouse La Place du Capitole
is lined with restaurants,
with outdoor terraces and plenty of shopping.
It is a great meeting place.
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I'm so excited to be in Toulouse,
it's my first time here in this amazing city.
I already feel at home here.
It's full of energy and friendly people.
People are coming out to talk to us.
You just don't get this in Paris.
If you are coming to France,
make sure to add Toulouse to your list.
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Toulouse is located on the Garonne River
and you must come down to the Place de la Daurade
to see the Pont Neuf.
And all of the sites along the river.
It's really funny,
they have a Pont Neuf and a Notre-Dame.
So you feel like you're in a little bit of Paris.
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Pont Neuf is the oldest bridge in Toulouse,
dating back to the 16th century.
It's the most photographed place in the city
and is the perfect spot to watch the sunset.
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We've come to the Japanese Garden just outside
of the downtown area.
And it's such a quiet retreat from the city.
I highly recommend coming in the morning
and going for little stroll.
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The Japanese Garden was an unexpected surprise
in the heart of the city.
The garden offers 7,000 square meters of green space,
complete with the typical rock gardens, water and pavilions,
you see in a traditional Japanese Garden.
While walking through the Botanical Garden,
we saw people enjoying Tai Chi and meditation.
And we spied large golden fish
in the koi pond and a couple of turtles basking in the sun.
It was pure serenity.
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The Basilique Saint-Sernin is dedicated
to the first Bishop of Toulouse, Saint Saturnin.
He was a martyr who was dragged through the streets
by a sacrificial bull in about 250 AD.
It's an incredible church inside.
On the outside,
it seems very unassuming, but when you go inside,
it's just one room after another.
It is filled with vaults, tombs,
and relics dating back to the 6th century.
The beautiful marble pillars reach 21 meters
or nearly 70 feet high.
The Basilique Saint-Sernin
is one of the must visit cathedrals in all of Europe.
This massive cathedral is the largest Romanesque church
in France and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This cathedral has been welcoming pilgrims
along the Camino de Santiago for centuries.
And when you visit Toulouse,
you really must go inside to experience all of its glory.
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- Toulouse is a beautiful city.
There's lots of to see,
it's very walkable and there's cafes all over the place.
It's a little different than your typical French city.
The reason is different is
because it feels like you're visiting more as a local,
rather than a tourist.
There's something I love about this city.
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Nothing beat French food.
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Wow, that's fantastic.
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- No trip to any French city
would be complete without gourmet food.
And we had two incredible meals,
during our two days in Toulouse
at La Gourmandine restaurant
and L'Air de Famille restaurant.
Both are short walk from Le Capitole
and both offered exceptional prefix and alacarte menus.
If you have only two days in Toulouse,
choose these two places for your dinners.
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The George Labit Museum
is worth visiting just for its beauty.
This is a small museum,
but it's the prettiest in all of Toulouse.
And it's included in your Toulouse Pass.
If you have yet to visit Egypt,
this is a great stop to explore Asian
and Egyptian art and antiquities.
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When you visit the George Labit Museum,
make sure to go around back to the Canal du Midi,
you'll see the barges on the water
and you'll be able to walk along the path.
The Canal du Midi is a UNESCO World Heritage site,
and it begins in Toulouse
and runs all the way to the Mediterranean Sea
for 250 kilometers.
It's a major engineering feat
that was built from 1666 to 1681.
For centuries, it was an important mode of transportation,
but with the invention of the railway, it declined.
You can take a barge or dinner cruise down the canal
or you can stroll along its banks.
It's very interesting to see the old barges converted
into houseboats where people actually live year-round
on the historic water vessels.
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We stayed at Hotel Grand Balcon,
located just steps away from the city square.
It pays homage to the aviation history of Toulouse
with photos of famous pilots that frequented its doors.
It's a chic boutique hotel
with moderate amenities,
effortlessly blending the history of Toulouse
with the standards of today's accommodation.
Toulouse has a huge aviation history.
And today, it is the center
of the aeronautics and space industry.
Airbus Group has its headquarters in Toulouse
and you can visit the Cité de l'espace
to see airplanes from the world wars,
two airplanes of today.
It's one of the top things to do in Toulouse.
A fun fact is that the first test flight
of the Concorde took off from Toulouse in 1969.
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The main museum in Toulouse is the Natural History Museum.
It's a huge museum
with 32,000 square feet or 3,000 meters of exhibition space.
This is the perfect place to escape the heat
of Southern France and to enjoy its displays
that take you on a journey through time.
When you finish up at the museum,
come on out to the park des Plantes.
It's a beautiful park with sculptures,
lots of shade and green spaces.
Jardins de Plantes is located next to the museum
to Toulouse.
The seven-hectare gardens house sculptures, ponds,
pedestrian pathways and play areas.
It connects with other gardens as well.
Nearby, there is the long shaded pedestrian path connecting
to the 18th century gardens, Jardin Grand Rond.
Toulouse is located in the South of France.
So any place you can find some shade is always welcome.
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Another must visit place in Toulouse
is the Church of the Jacobins.
Dating back to 1230, it was built as a monastery,
but today people visited
to see the magnificent palm tree pattern
on its incredible vaulted ceiling.
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Part Gothic, part Romanesque,
Cathedral Saint-Entienne traces its roots back to 1071.
It houses the oldest stained glass in Toulouse.
And when we went in for a peak, we had it all to ourselves.
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- Welcome to the beautiful city of Carcasonne.
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- [Deb] A popular day trip from Toulouse
is the fortified city of Carcasonne,
located just 45 minutes from Toulouse.
This medieval fortress dates back
to the 12th century and was meticulously restored in 1853.
Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
and the shining star of the Canal du Midi.
The massive complex has 52 towers
and three kilometers of rampart.
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- And that was the city of Carcasonne.
Beautiful!
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- [Deb] And that is how you make the most of two days
in Toulouse.
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