Beautiful European city that feels just like Barcelona but with fewer tourists

The beautiful European city feels just like Barcelona but with fewer tourists.

Toulouse is a large city in the south of France on the banks of the River Garonne with a population of over 500,000.

The city means the same to the Occitan region as Barcelona means to Spanish Catalonia. Both cities are fiefdoms far from their capitals, with distinct cultures, customs, history and their own languages. 

But while Barcelona attracts tens of millions of tourists from around the world each year with its Gothic quarter, the alleyways and cathedrals of Toulouse still have an air of mystery, a best-kept secret for those who walk the path less travelled.

Toulouse is known as La Ville Rose (the pink city) due to its unique architecture made of pinkish terracotta bricks and ochre roof tiles, making the city glow at sunset.

It has a beautiful Old Quarter, with a jumble of small shops, restaurants and churches. Beyond this is a large metropolis.

As France’s fourth largest city with a big student population, Toulouse has a vibrant nightlife as well as a café culture that makes it a perfect getaway to relax. 

The Fat Cat is a well-regarded jazz bar, and Café Théâtre Les 3T is a famous comedy club, although non-French speakers may find themselves out of place.

It is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Canal du Midi, the Basilica of St Sernin and the Hotel-Dieu Saint-Jacques because of their significance to the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route.

There is other history to see such as the Couvent des Jacobins, Place du Capitol, Musee des Augustins, Fondation Bemberg, and the university, which is also one of the oldest in Europe and was founded in 1229.

Those who have a passion for aerospace travel are in luck as the city is France’s capital with a space museum, an aviation museum and the Toulouse Space Centre, the largest of its kind in Europe.

In the summer, Toulouse has an average high temperature of just over 28C and a low of around 17C. In the winter, temperatures sit between 3C and 9C. 

The city has a number of places to stay, from hotels to hostels to holiday lets. There are direct flights from Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham and London.