Work was my reason for visiting Toulouse, so my sightseeing was limited to two evenings. Still, I had several hours to wander parts of old town and thoroughly enjoyed the surroundings.
On my first night I walked primarily around the north part of old city, starting with the large church, Basilique Saint Sernin de Toulouse. The city is known for its pink coloring and I could see that right away in the varied facades.
(l) Basilique Saint Sernin, (r) street scene
Walking down Rue de Taur I scoped out the many restaurants- it was a warm night and nearly everyone was sitting at an outside table.
Rue de Taur with the Toulouse Notre Dame in the center
Continuing on I found myself in the large Place du Capitole, the large square that is the center of town. On one side was the imposing building, on the other a large number of busy restaurants.
Place du Capitole
Continuing south I wandered through a number of small streets full of shops and more restaurants.
Rue des Gestes
After dinner I walked down to the river. I had missed the sunset, so I decided to try and come back the next night a little earlier for more photos.
Pont des Catalans
I also found some interesting street art.
The next evening I made it back to the Garonne River for the sunset light.
Pont des Catalans, again.
Dome de la Grave and the Garrone River
On my way back to the hotel after a great dinner (nepalese curry at great dinner at Le Petit Rajistan) I heard music coming from the main square. Much to my surprise they had a video show playing on the Capitole!
Even in the summer time Toulouse still had a buzz to it, so I imagine that when university students return in the fall it is quite busy. Hopefully I’ll get another work trip here in the near future!