France’s ‘Pink City’ Is a Charming (and Affordable) Alternative to Paris

As I walked alongside the riverfront walkway from Pont Neuf at sundown, I basked within the delight of one other profitable French getaway. Throughout my five-night journey, I had ticked off all of the checkboxes of a well-spent French trip. I discovered a favourite bakery, made (quite a few) journeys to Monoprix, visited ethereal cathedrals with sunshine-illuminated stained glass home windows, sampled produce and cheese at a neighborhood market, and launched into a number of museum outings to view works produced by grasp artists like Claude Monet and Auguste Rodin. 

However there’s a catch: I wasn’t in Paris. 

As a substitute, I visited the nation’s fourth largest metropolis, set within the southeastern province of Occitanie: Toulouse, France.

Very like Paris, the town is located on a river, the Garonne, which is (in my view) simply as romantic because the Seine. It even has a waterfront pathway in addition to a collection of bridges, together with its personal Pont Neuf. And whereas the capital has Canal Saint-Martin, Toulouse has Canal du Midi — whereas the previous is simply shy of three miles in size, the latter is a part of a virtually 223-mile waterway linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean. It’s so spectacular that it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

Toulouse is far much less touristed than the Metropolis of Gentle, but it surely’s definitely not brief on notable sights. Components of the famed pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago, run by the town, and you could find a number of factors of cultural significance alongside its path together with Basilique Saint-Sernin and the Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Jacques, a hospital based within the twelfth century that catered to sick pilgrims.

There are many different historic marvels to see, such because the gothic medieval architectural surprise, the Jacobins Convent (do not skip out on a stroll by the cloistered backyard), in addition to the Fondation Bemberg Museum. The museum simply reopened final yr after three years of intense renovations, and its huge assortment of art work — together with 1,400 items of work, sculptures, furnishings, and extra — is out there to the general public as soon as once more.

In the case of purchasing, Paris’ most well-known division retailer Galeries Lafayette has a hearty outpost right here, as do French manufacturers Comptoir des Cotonniers and The Kooples. However, if you happen to’re searching for one thing extra native, head to AHPY for garments which were dyed a pastel, moody blue with isatis tinctoria flowers (often known as dyer’s woad), and to La Maison de la Violette for artisanal creations, which run the gamut from soaps to candies, crafted with candy violet blossoms.

Toulouse is understood for a number of issues. It has a popularity as a school city and is residence to Université Toulouse, the second oldest college within the nation, dating back to 1229. Additionally it is well known as one among Europe’s main aerospace hubs. (In 1890, native engineer Clément Ader flew a bat-like plane 164 ft into the air — a flight that predates the Wright brothers’ 1903 aviation feat. Airbus relies in Toulouse, in addition to 500 different aerospace manufacturing and engineering firms, which has earned it the title of “Aerospace Valley.”)

That stated, Toulouse is maybe merely finest often known as La Ville Rose — the Pink Metropolis.

Not like Paris, with its mishmash of eclectic architectural kinds, Toulouse has a way more unified look, and it is characterised by its eye-catching, terra-cotta brick buildings. The Toulousean tradition of brick construction dates again to the twelfth century and started with centrally-located constructions, such because the Basilica of Saint-Sernin and Le Capitole, and radiated outward to the remainder of the town.

The bricks in Toulouse have a novel, soft-reddish hue that casts a terra-cotta glow on every thing round them. To enrich the rosy coloration, many companies within the historic a part of Toulouse are required to make use of brass signage. (Sure, meaning the McDonald’s golden arches really look gold right here!)

However Toulouse’s distinct fascination with the intersection of artwork and know-how is maybe finest skilled with a go to to La Halle de la Machine, an interactive museum sited on a decommissioned runway. The runway is now populated by monumental, elaborate animatronics — some, such because the 47-ton, 46-foot-tall Minotaur and Ariadne, the Spider — may even take you for rides on their backs.

Throughout the October weekend I visited, the Minotaur and Ariadne turned the town streets right into a stage for the city opera, Le Gardien du Temple, and drew a crowd of 1.2 million individuals. The efficiency felt like a real-life science fiction film, with flames, smoke, and reside music, including to the thrills.

All that sightseeing is certain to make you hungry, and there’s no scarcity of locations to eat in Toulouse. Occitanie is one among France’s main agricultural areas and you may’t go to with out taking a visit to one of many metropolis’s trio of coated markets, particularly Marché Victor Hugo.

Overwhelmed with the delightfully dizzying array of stands, I hopped on a Taste of Toulouse’s small-group tour led by Michigan native, Jessica Hammer, a French Wine Scholar, and former cheesemonger. As we shopped, snacked, and sipped our means by the aisles, Hammer shared her love of the French metropolis she’s referred to as residence for seven years.

“Like Paris, Toulouse has a really vibrant foods and drinks scene with chef-driven eating places that includes regionally sourced merchandise, coated markets, superb wine bars, craft cocktails, world-class chocolatiers, and extra — but it surely’s a lot cheaper than Paris,” she advised Journey + Leisure. “Individuals right here love good foods and drinks . . . the emphasis is on the components.”

Throughout our market go to, she acquired me so hooked on boulangerie Maison Beauhaire (headed by baker Jean-Luc Beauhaire, who has earned the coveted title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France) that I went again each morning for a chocolate croissant. Take word: Toulousians have a regional title for ache au chocolate — chocolatine. It’s precisely the identical pastry, however those that use the “fallacious” title will probably be corrected. (Or, because the joke goes, charged extra!)

My wildest French cheese desires got here true when Hammer took us throughout the road to Xavier Fromagerie, whose head fromager, Xavier Thuret, additionally has a Meilleur Ouvrier. My love for pungent cheese was glad with the bleu d’hougarou, a uncooked sheep milk blue cheese that originates from the Hautes Pyrénées, a area simply southwest of the town. Different spectacular culinary stops included the charcuterie Maison Garcia — do not skip the saucisson from Spanish producer Juan Pedro Domeq, which is requested by royalty and celebrities alike — and Chai Vincent with its wide selection of native wines.

Within the evenings, I indulged in French gastronomy at native spots like La Gourmandine and Emile, having fun with dinners paired with tremendous wine and even finer conversations. (Enjoyable reality: lengthy, leisurely dinners are such an integral a part of the French cultural expertise that the custom earned a spot on UNESCO’s Consultant Record of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.) Most eating places in Toulouse have cassoulet on the menu, a well-known regional stew sometimes consisting of white beans, pork, and duck.

One other one among Toulouse’s main appeals is its location, because it’s about midway between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and affords easy accessibility to the Pyrenees mountains in addition to Bordeaux’s famed vineyards. With Toulouse as a house base, the complete area of Occitanie turns right into a playground.

Plus, it has all of the perks of a Parisian getaway, at a fraction of the price. (For instance, the average Toulouse hotel room is round $259 per night time, in comparison with Paris’ average of $538 per night time.)

If adventures past Toulouse are in your want checklist, there isn’t any scarcity of issues to do within the space. Throughout my journey, I packed in a number of native excursions and visited locations like Albi and its UNESCO-recognized Old Town, the quiet, charming city of Auch, in addition to the dreamy village of Cordes-sur-Ciel, which sits excessive upon a hill, seemingly above the clouds. On one outing, I even acquired to play assistant skipper, serving to wrangle ropes on a canal boat as we navigated by Canal du Midi’s locks in Castelnaudary.

“Toulouse has most of the similar advantages as Paris, however with out the FOMO or the frenzy,” Hammer advised T+L. “A part of the allure of the town is simply melting into its enjoyable embrace. Wander by the streets, benefit from the café terrace tradition, and stroll alongside the river or the canal. It is a metropolis of small delights as a result of you may take the time to decelerate and spot issues.”

However maybe the town’s allure is finest summarized with its regional tackle the phrase “you’re welcome.” As a substitute of the standard de rien, which means “it’s nothing,” it’s extra widespread for locals to answer a thanks avec plaisir, or “with pleasure.”

“That, to me, is Toulouse in a nutshell,” Hammer stated.