Toulouse in Occitania, a pink city alongside the Garonne

Ochre, red, brick, pink, orange, Toulouse offers a cocktail of warm colours, along the embankments of the river separating its districts sung by Claude Nougaro. A foot in earthy territory, the other in the stars with the aerospatial industry of which Airbus is the flagship, capital of rugby, where art of living is a second nature, the city is very attentive to its strong architectural heritage.

In Occitania, Toulouse is nestled along the Garonne river

Religious or cultural, the pink city features a wide array of imposing constructions. The Capitol and its dungeon that attracts many visitors, the Saint-Sernin basilica with an octogonal steeple, the Les Jacobins monastery with its 28-meter-high "Stone Palm Tree", the Saint-Etienne cathedral, featuring a southern Gothic style, and the Musée des Augustins with gargoyles and monumental sculptures, all form a stunning patchwork.

Typical of the Renaissance, the Hôtel de Bernuy offers one of the highest towers of the pink city. © Patrice Nin

Decorated with masks, vegetals and animals, the facades of the Hôtel d'Assézat mansion shelter the Fondation Bemberg. © Patrice Nin

An innate feeling for revelry and common sense 

This young universitary town offers an innate sense of revelry. And in its gourmet basket, one finds foie gras, cassoulet, an assortment of charcuteries and the N°5 Wine Bar, elected best wine bar in the world. Amongst the spots where you can enjoy gastronomy, while admiring this animated metropolis of the South-West, the harbor of the Daurade succeeded in reinventing itself. This is where things are moving in Toulouse…

Built in 1215, the Cloître des Jacobins is very popular with the inhabitants of Toulouse, as well as tourists. © VDT

Impossible to miss, the Saint-Sernin basilica is one of the largest basilicas of Romanesque style, preserved in Europe! © JM Herrador