Self-guided walking tours in Toulouse

Walk it. Toulouse's centre is flat and compact, and one route strings the Capitole, the rue du Taur, Saint-Sernin, the Couvent des Jacobins and the woad merchants' courtyards together before crossing the Garonne once at the Pont Neuf. Spend the afternoon in Saint-Cyprien rather than doubling back, and finish on the grass at the Prairie des Filtres. Nine hours covers it at a walking pace, with three or four paid interiors along the way.

April to June and September to October give Toulouse its best walking weather, mild and bright. July and August average highs near 28 degrees and the brick holds the heat into the evening, so start early and keep the riverside for late afternoon. Winter is quiet and damp, with highs around 10 degrees. Whichever month you pick, try not to arrive on a Monday: the municipal museums and all three covered markets close.

Toulouse runs on Tisséo: two driverless metro lines, the T1 tram, buses and the Téléo cable car. A single trip costs €1.90 and lets you change lines for an hour; ten trips cost €16, a day pass €7.20 and a three-day pass €14.30. You can tap a contactless bank card at the metro gates instead of buying a ticket. The centre is small enough that most visitors walk more than they ride.

Take the Tisséo airport shuttle. It runs every 15 minutes, every day of the year, and reaches Matabiau station in under 25 minutes, with stops at Compans Caffarelli, Jeanne d'Arc and Jean Jaurès. The fare is €9 one way, more than a standard Tisséo ticket, but it also covers your onward metro, tram and bus travel. The T2 tram that once served Toulouse-Blagnac is suspended while metro Line C is built.

Yes. Toulouse's Pass Tourisme costs €26 and runs for one to three days from the moment you first use it, with free entry to the Muséum, Les Abattoirs, the Fondation Bemberg, the Musée des Augustins and the Couvent des Jacobins, and reduced entry to the Cité de l'espace and Aeroscopia. Ten transport trips add €10. It does not cover the airport shuttle, park and ride, regional trains or VélôToulouse.

Budget €45 to €70 per person for a full day in Toulouse: three or four paid entries at €5 to €12 each, lunch in a covered market or on a café terrace, coffee, and a transport ride or two. The Pass Tourisme at €26 pays for itself by the third paid site, and several museums are free to everyone on the first Sunday of the month.

Toulouse is a busy university city, and the central walking route stays well used from morning until late. Take the usual care with bags around Matabiau station and on crowded metro platforms in high season, and keep to lit streets at night. Dial 112 for any emergency; within France, 15 reaches the ambulance service, 17 the police and 18 the fire brigade.