from the city centre,you can hire bycycles for about £4.take the toe path along the canal du midi and then join the river garrone.it takes you out of the city into wonderfull country side.it would be espesislly good for young children as the back roads are quiet and it is impossable to get lost as you cycle between the canal du midi and the river.as long as you do not cross any of them ,you are either going to;or away from toulouse.the villages all have somewere to buy food,so no need to take a pack.

Tea- and Cake-oholics, this is the place for you. It's not specific of Toulouse, but only there the atmosphere is so odd. Bap's near the lycée Pierre de Fermat. L'Autre Salon near Esquirol(there's like a big show there!)

Le Bar One is a cool, stylish bar near downtown Toulouse. The international croud hangs out there, and the typical combination of black, velvet and almost no light reminds of NYC lounges. Enjoy!

There are many local words in the South of France, mostly linked in a loose linguistic group called 'patois', (litellary 'lingo'), heavily influenced by Spanish, but generally accepted as a language in its own right. Occitan is just one of the variants, you also get Gascon, Gersois and so on. There are not many people who can converse in these languges, except maybe deep in the country or on the border regions ith Spain, where Catalan is of importance. 'Boudiou' means 'Bon Dieu' ; you also get neat words like 'moulte' as in 'multitude' but most important of all is what seems to be the French for 'farewell' (Adieu) used as a greeting: 'Adiou' means 'hello' , I think it may have something to do with 'A Dieu', +/- implying 'one with God'. Frequently used, this has obviously lost its religious connotation. Many words have been adopted in other French regions, passing into slang French.

When suddenly you feel like buying something from the shops in Toulouse, go to the city center and try the shops in rue Alsace-Lorraine, rue de Metz and all those little streets close to Place du Capitole. You'll always be glad of what you bought ;-)<BR>

Sometimes, when you are in Toulouse, you can be surprised to not understand very well what people from this city are telling you. Don't worry!!!<BR> In France, each area's got special vocabulary transmited by the history . In Provence, we say words from the Provençal in a French conversation. In Toulouse, the strange words you can hear are from the Occitan. So, for "Oh my God!", you'll hear "Boudu" (and not "Mon Dieu!"). A fall become a "rèche", and not a "chute" in French. Feel free to ask the person with who you're talking to explain...

One of the thing you can't miss in Toulouse is the "Place du Capitole". Just in the center of the city, in front of the city hall (which is called Le Capitole), it's a strong symbol of Toulouse. You can see an "occitane" cross (Occitanie is Toulouse area) on the floor. Take a look as well at the frescos which decorate the arcades, the "Galerue des Arcades" (each fresco shows you a part of Toulouse history).<BR> After this, take a break and go for a drink in one of the coffee places just around the "Place du Capitole". For example, you can try Le Florida and its lovely decoration...

Angels around you, archs and stained-glass windows... A new church in Toulouse? No. A swimming pool and a roof terrace? A new "aqualand" or something like that. No, no, and definitely no. This is the new disco in Toulouse, just close to the KL, you've got a little disco for people about thirty-year-old to forty-year-old. Believe me it's a good place to have fun until the end of the night (or the beginning of the day, as you prefer...)...<BR> And maybe this is the place to find your Esmeralda or your Quasimodo (sic!)...

Do you want to try French cuisine? So let's go to Au Petit Bonheur in the heart of this city. A black board to present the menu on your table, walls built with stone of the region, the smile of the owner (Fabien), etc: all those details will please you a lot.<BR> It's a small restaurant (I think no more than 40 seats), so please be a little bit before the hours of lunch in France or make a reservation.

As I'm very fond of everything in relation with sculpture, when I was in Toulouse, first, I was attracted by this museum. I was very surprised by the convent building, which is such adapted to discover art works: romanesque, gothic and 19th century sculptures, but also paintings from European and French painters. So enjoy to discover a town of arts !