Toulouse: know before you go

Toulouse-Blagnac Airport sits northwest of the centre, and the airport shuttle, not a train, is the direct public link. The T2 tram that once served the terminal is suspended until the end of 2026 while metro Line C is built, so the shuttle is the connection for now. It runs to Toulouse Matabiau station with central stops at Compans Caffarelli, Jeanne d'Arc and Jean Jaurès, every 15 minutes, and the trip takes under 25 minutes. First departures leave the airport at 05:40 and the city at 05:05, every day of the year including public holidays. At Matabiau you can change to metro lines A and B.

Toulouse's Tisséo network is built around two driverless metro lines, A and B, plus the T1 tram, buses and the Téléo cable car over the Garonne. The centre is compact, so the walking tours are mostly on foot, but the metro is the fastest way between Matabiau station, the Capitole and the museums. Line A serves Capitole and Jean Jaurès, while line B runs through Compans Caffarelli and Jeanne d'Arc. A single journey costs 1.90 € and lets you switch lines for an hour; a ten trip pack is 16 €, a one day pass 7.20 € and a three day pass 14.30 €. You can tap a contactless bank card at the gates instead of buying a ticket.

Toulouse adds a local tourist tax to your accommodation bill, and the amount depends on the property's category: a 2 star hotel adds 1.44 € per person per night, a 3 star 2.30 € and a 4 star 3.60 €. Small market stalls and some cafés can be cash-first for low amounts, so keep a few coins for the morning markets. The Pass Tourisme pays for itself from the third paid visit and bundles free entry to the Muséum, Les Abattoirs, Fondation Bemberg, Les Augustins and the Couvent des Jacobins. On its own it costs 26 €; adding ten public transport journeys brings it to 36 € for one to three days, though that add-on does not cover the airport shuttle, park and ride lots, regional trains or VélôToulouse bikes.

Toulouse is a safe city for a walking trip, and the centre stays busy into the evening around the Capitole and the Garonne quays. The realistic risk is petty theft, not violence: pickpockets work the tourist hubs such as Place du Capitole, Rue d'Alsace-Lorraine and the Saint-Cyprien markets, and crowded metro Line A is the line to watch. Keep a zipped crossbody bag worn in front and do not leave a phone on a café table. Around Matabiau station, stay alert after dark and treat it as a transit point rather than a place to linger.

The tap water is safe to drink, including from public fountains, so refill a bottle and skip buying plastic. Summer heat is the main physical concern: July and August average highs are 28.1 and 28.6 degrees Celsius, and the pink brick streets hold the warmth long after sunset. Plan longer walks for morning or evening, carry water, and keep sunscreen and a hat in your day bag from June to September. On the hottest afternoons, the shaded Grand Rond, Jardin Royal and Jardin des Plantes stay cooler than the exposed Capitole square, so build a green stop into the middle of the day rather than pushing through the heat.

In Toulouse, a short bonjour when you enter a shop, café or market stall is expected; starting without it reads as rude. Use bonsoir in the evening, and round every request with s'il vous plaît and merci. Meals run on fixed clocks: lunch is usually served from around 12:00 to 14:00 and many kitchens close until dinner, which typically starts around 19:30. Popular restaurants book out for dinner, so reserve ahead or arrive early. In the covered markets, greet the stallholder first and wait your turn rather than helping yourself to the produce.

French is the working language of Toulouse, and a few words go a long way because not everyone in shops and cafés is comfortable in English. The main transit and museum signage is in French, so download the Tisséo app or a translation app before you arrive. You will also hear Occitan, the city's historic regional language: metro station announcements are given in French and then Occitan, and many street signs in the old centre carry a second line in Occitan. Names such as rue Pargaminières and rue Peyrolières still record the medieval trades of parchment makers and cauldron makers. Listen for it, and greet people with a clear bonjour rather than assuming English.

Toulouse's centre is largely flat along the Garonne and around the Capitole, but the old quarter has cobbles and narrow pavements, which make a wheelchair or a stroller slower going than the riverside paths. The good news is the transit network: every metro, Téléo and tram station is accessible, all metro stations have lifts, and every bus is adapted with a ramp and reserved wheelchair spaces. Tisséo's app and website show real-time lift and escalator availability, so you can check a station before you set out. The airport shuttle buses are adapted for wheelchair users, and the Téléo cable car is fully accessible.

Monday is the day that breaks a Toulouse itinerary. The municipal museums close, and all three covered markets take the day off, so a Monday visit is a walking-and-churches day rather than a museum one. The Muséum de Toulouse opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 and shuts on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December, plus the first fifteen days of September. The Musée des Augustins closes Wednesdays and keeps Tuesdays for guided groups; while its cloister restoration runs, entry is reduced to 5 € full and 3 € concession. The covered markets trade from 07:00 to 13:30 and close Mondays, except the Carmes, which stays open until 19:30 on Fridays. Check opening days before you fix the order of your days.

For a short walking trip, the main things to book before you arrive are the big attractions and weekend museum slots. The Muséum de Toulouse recommends reserving in advance, especially at weekends and during school holidays. The Cité de l'espace sells timed tickets online and fills during French school holidays, so buy before you go. Aeroscopia's standard entry is 15 €, and the Pass Tourisme cuts it to 12 €. Restaurants around the Capitole and Saint-Georges book out for Friday and Saturday dinner, so reserve a table a day or two ahead if you want a specific place. The walking tours themselves need no booking.