Toulouse, Francia

Our comfortable flat of 117m² can host 6 persons. It is located in the very center of Toulouse ans is a perfect base to discover "la ville rose" ("the pink city", nickname of Toulouse because of the red-pink bricks that gives its special charm to the city) and its beautiful surroundings. Toulouse was ranked in Lonely Planet's best in Europe 2014. See how the famous travel guide describes the city :
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/toulouse/travel-tips-and-articles/toulouse-la-vie-en-rose-in-frances-pink-city

THE APARTMENT :
Our apartment is a 117m² flat, with 4 rooms, on second floor. It has 1 living-room, a newly renovated kitchen, and 3 sleeping rooms. The main sleeping room has a queen-size bed (160 cm width) ; the guest room has a standard 140 cm width bed and includes a small bathroom (shower and sink), and our children's room has two single beds, on a mezzanine. There is also one bathroom with shower, and a separate WC.

The flat has all the commodities : wifi, LCD TV, CD reader, washing machine + tumble-drier, dishwasher, espresso coffee machine, electric oven, microwave oven, toaster, and a private parking lot in the courtyard.

LOCATION AND NEIGHBOURHOOD :
The flat is in the historical core of the city, 5 minutes walk from the Capitole plazza - the main square of Toulouse, and 1 minute walk from Garonne river and its nice pedestrian banks.
The building was built during the Middle Ages period (the flat itself has been renovated in 2024). The neighbourhood outside is very lively, with pedestrian streets, lots of shops and restaurants, small charming squares with fountains and coffee-shops terrasses...Most of the places of interest in Toulouse can be reached walking from our home.
You can find all commodities near the apartment : supermarkets, market (marché des Carmes, with local and traditionnal quality food products), bars and restaurants...

THE CITY

Culture and history :
Toulouse has a lot of great churches and cloisters to visit, in both roman and gothic style : Saint-Sernin, Les Jacobins, Saint Etienne are amongst the most remarkable ones. The Capitole square and it's townhall from XVIIIth century are another popular place. The banks of the river (docks from XVIIIth century) and the Pont Neuf ("new bridge", back from XVIIth century), the narrow street of the ancient city : all the historic sector of the city is within walking range from home.
There is also a rich museum offer : antic, medieval, modern and contemporary pieces of art are to be seen in the museums of St Raymond, Les Augustins, Les Abattoirs. There is a natural history museum, and, as a main aeronautical and space center (Airbus, European Space Agency, National Center for Spatial Studies, Meteo France...), Toulouse has also a "Cité de l'Espace", where you can see an Ariane rocket, the Mir space station and a Soyouz vessel - also a planetarium, 3D movies, etc., but also an aircraft museum (called "Aeroscopia") with a Concorde plane.
Toulouse and South West France are also known for the gastronomy (local specialities include duck meat and casssoulet) and the wines (Fronton, Gaillac, Corbières...)

Sports and relax:
Just go out of the apartment and you can follow the pedestrian walk along the shores of the river ! Very refreshing and nice in summer. If you have children, two nice parks are very close : la Prairie des Filtres (across the Pont Neuf, along the river), and Le jardin des Plantes, in XIXth century english garden style (10 minutes away)
In the summer, 15-20 min away walking, the "Central Park", on an island of the river, provides nice gardens and a huge open air swimming pools, with children games, sandboxes, tennis, volley, badminton, ping pong facilites, at very reasonnable price (entrance to the pool complex is less than 3 € per adult).
If you like cylcling, the Canal du Midi (XVIIIe century) offers a nice cycle way (also suitable for walking or running) under the shadow of its centenerial trees (the way follows the canal until the sea if you dare...). Bike rental available.

THE REGION
Within an hour drive or local trains, the region offers other beautiful medieval cities and villages, such as Carcassonne, Albi, Cordes sur Ciel, Moissac....
The Pyrenees mountains are just a bit more than 1h away (many possible hikes, mountaineering...) and the Mediterranean sea is 1h40 away for the closest beaches.