You’ll find the city of Toulouse in south west France, 420 miles south of Paris. It’s France’s fourth largest city and the capital of the Midi-Pyrénées region. If you’re renting a car in Toulouse, you’ll soon come across the bridges and islands at its heart – the city stands astride two canals and the River Garonne. Driving is a good idea – it allows you to tour the outlying attractions as well as the city centre. The roads are generally good and there’s a comprehensive ring road that lets you to dodge the worst of the jams.
The city might be known as a centre for technology but if you rent a car in Toulouse, you’ll be able to explore plenty of other attractions too. The Capitole is an 18th-century area, which includes the Hotel de Ville town hall, opera house and the old castle. There’s an acclaimed art gallery housed in the 16th-century Hôtel d’Assézat palace and a 400-year-old bridge over the river. To celebrate Toulouse’s links with aeronautics, the modern Cite de l’Espace is a popular exhibition park based on the concept of space exploration and includes two planetariums, an iMax cinema and enthralling interactive displays. You’ll find pink-hued terracotta brick buildings everywhere – you can’t miss the enormous Basilica of St Sernin, it’s Europe’s largest Romanesque building.
