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Self-guided walking itinerary

One day in Toulouse: a self-guided walking itinerary

One straight line from the Capitole to Saint-Sernin, then one river crossing into Saint-Cyprien.

Toulouse

Photo by kallerna on Wikimedia Commons

At a glance
On foot1.5 km25+ min
RouteGrand Rond → Jardin botanique Henri Gaussen
TerrainMostly flat and paved, with one river crossing and a grassy finish.
Day budgetBudget €45 to €70 per person: three or four paid entries at €5 to €12 each, lunch, coffee and a transit ride or two. The Pass Tourisme at €26, or €36 with ten transport trips, usually pays for itself by the third paid site.SourceToulouse Tourisme: Pass Tourisme

Interactive map of the route. The full stop list below works without it.

The day plan

How do you spend one day in Toulouse on foot?

The day starts on Place du Capitole and runs north up the rue du Taur to Saint-Sernin, then turns back south through the merchants' quarter. You go inside the Capitole while the state rooms are still calm, walk the straight axis to the basilica and the Roman museum, then drop through the Couvent des Jacobins and the woad merchants' courtyards. After lunch you cross the Garonne a single time and spend the rest of the day in Saint-Cyprien, ending on the grass at the Prairie des Filtres. Take the Pass Tourisme if you plan three or more paid entries; at €26 it turns most of this day's tickets into free entry.

  1. Morning9:00 to 12:00

    The Capitole to Saint-Sernin

      Start at the Hôtel du Grand Balcon, where the Aéropostale pilots based themselves in the 1920s. Cross to Place du Capitole and go inside the Capitole for the painted state rooms before the square fills. Then follow the rue du Taur north, the straight line that tradition says Saint Saturnin was dragged by a bull. Stop at Notre-Dame du Taur, the Renaissance portal of the Collège de l'Esquile, the Art Deco library and the Carmélites chapel when it is open. Finish at Saint-Sernin and the Musée Saint-Raymond, whose Roman busts put faces to the city Toulouse was.

      EatCoffee at Le Bibent on Place du Capitole, where the gilded dining room is worth the price.

    • Midday12:00 to 14:30

      Jacobins, woad merchants and the Augustins

        At the Couvent des Jacobins, pay the €5 entry or show a Pass Tourisme and walk under the palm-tree vault to the relics of Thomas Aquinas. Rue Saint-Rome leads south through the old shopping street. Eat before half past one, when the covered markets shut, or take a terrace on Place Saint-Georges that serves through the afternoon. The Musée des Augustins reopened with a partial route, so check the closed days before you go; if it is open, see the Romanesque capitals room and the monumental staircase. Then cut back to the Hôtel d'Assézat courtyard and the woad shop beside it, and end at the Daurade before you cross the river.

        • CostThe Couvent des Jacobins normally costs €5 and is free with the Pass Tourisme.SourceToulouse Tourisme: Pass Tourisme
        • HoursThe Musée des Augustins is closed to the public on Wednesdays and reserves Tuesdays for groups. On open days it runs from noon to 6pm Monday, Thursday and Friday, and from 10am to 6pm Saturday and Sunday.SourceMusée des Augustins: practical information
        • AccessThe reopened Musée des Augustins shows the Romanesque capitals room, the monumental staircase, the first-floor salons and part of the cloister, while the church and Gothic rooms remain closed.SourceMusée des Augustins: ticket page

        EatLunch at the Marché des Carmes before half past one, or a terrace on Place Saint-Georges if you get there later.

      • Afternoon14:30 to 18:00

        Cross the Pont Neuf into Saint-Cyprien

          Cross the Pont Neuf once and stay on the left bank. Stop at Le Château d'Eau, the 1823 water tower turned photography gallery, then walk the river past the Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Jacques and the Port Viguerie belvedere. The dome of La Grave marks the old hospital. At Les Abattoirs, a former slaughterhouse, the modern art collection is free with the Pass Tourisme or €8 at the door. End the afternoon near Place Saint-Cyprien.

          EatA cold drink on a terrace at Place Saint-Cyprien. The covered market is a morning stop: it closes at half past one and does not open on Mondays.

        • Eveningafter 18:00

          Meadow, river and the brick skyline

            Buy your picnic earlier in the day, at one of the covered markets before they shut at half past one or from the food shops around Place Saint-Cyprien, then walk to Prairie des Filtres. The meadow's name records how the city once filtered drinking water through the Garonne sand. Spread out on the grass and watch the brick skyline across the river. If you are tired, a Tisséo day ticket gets you back to the centre.

            EatPicnic supplies bought earlier in the day, and a bottle from a wine shop near Place Saint-Cyprien.

          Questions about the day

          Planning your day

          Can I really do all of this in one day on foot?

          Yes, at a steady pace. The route through Toulouse is one continuous walk that crosses the Garonne only once, and the distances between stops are short. What decides whether it fits is how many interiors you enter: three of the stops are museums you can drop without breaking the walk, while the Capitole state rooms, Saint-Sernin and the Jacobins church are free or quick. Plan on nine hours if you take everything.

          What should I book before I go?

          Not much. Buy the Pass Tourisme online if you plan three or more paid entries in Toulouse, and check the Musée des Augustins' closed days before you fix your date, because it shuts on Wednesdays and keeps Tuesdays for guided groups. The Muséum de Toulouse recommends reserving a slot online, and the first Sunday of the month is free everywhere but still needs a timed ticket collected on the day.

          SourceToulouse Tourisme: Pass TourismeMusée des Augustins: practical information
          What if I am here on a Tuesday or Wednesday?

          Both days work, with one swap each. On Wednesday the Musée des Augustins is closed, so put the Couvent des Jacobins in its place. Tuesday is harder on the left bank: the Augustins keeps that day for guided groups, and both Le Château d'Eau and Les Abattoirs are shut, so stay on the right bank instead and give the extra time to Saint-Sernin, the Muséum or the gardens.

          SourceMusée des Augustins: practical information
          Is this route comfortable in July and August?

          It is if you shift the hours. July and August in Toulouse average highs near 28 degrees, and the brick streets hold the warmth into the evening. Start at nine, carry water, and keep the left bank for late afternoon when the air moves off the Garonne. The Prairie des Filtres is the coolest place to finish, and the Canal de Brienne towpath under its plane trees is the shadiest walk in the centre.

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          More of Toulouse

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          Provenance · last verified August 27, 2026

          Routed from our own Toulouse walking tours, with the operational detail checked against the source.

          SourcesToulouse Tourisme: Pass TourismeMusée des Augustins: practical informationLes Abattoirs: prepare my visitTisséo tarifsPass Tourisme: savings calculatorMusée des Augustins: ticket pageLe Château d'Eau: informations pratiquesTisséo: fare list

          Photo by kallerna on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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