Toulouse is a popular university town in the south of France that boasts much architectural wealth and is home to the French aviation and space industry. The town is crisscrossed by a network of canals and has bags of ambience in the town centre, with its narrow alleys and bustling squares.

Major sights in Toulouse include the huge and ancient Capitole building, the impressive Musée des Augustins, one of France’s best art museums, and the beautiful Basilica of St-Sernin. The basilica is one of the most stunning landmarks of any great French city and is the largest Romanesque church in Europe.

Toulouse is also a child-friendly city, with the excellent Space City space science centre, the African Safari Park, and the profusion of fun city parks. Leisure options also abound in Toulouse, where golf and skiing are widely enjoyed, while the city’s river and canals provide ample opportunity for strolling and cycling.

Toulouse also offers a good selection of cafés and restaurants in the heart of the city, and if you are into duck there is a myriad of dishes to try out. Shoppers will be pleased at the choice here, from many second-hand outlets and weekend flea markets to designer boutiques.

Those with hire cars might like to take a look at the region at large. Toulouse is surrounded by attractive scenery, and the driving is quite pleasant owing to the open spaces and good quality roads. Nearby towns to look out for are Albi for its cathedral, Toulouse-Lautrec for its paintings and the medieval town of Cordes. The Pyrenees Mountains are also within reach and feature excellent hiking and skiing.

Toulouse Hotel options are excellent, and there are many good areas to be based. The best of them is naturally in the city centre near the Capitole building, although only upmarket hotels reside here. Place Wilson in the town centre is another popular hotel area, as is Matabiau Station; the latter having the best choice and being the liveliest area. Make sure you book well in advance in the summer, over Christmas and during Easter and book online to get a better discount.

Getting here is straightforward, as the town has its own international airport with regular flights arriving from all over Europe, including from UK cities with budget airline easyJet. Trains also come in from Paris via Orleans and Limoges, while major roads congregate on the city from all directions, making bus travel and driving straightforward.

Toulouse has a temperate, Mediterranean climate which features hot summers and mild winters, with an average yearly temperature of around 20°C. The spring and autumn are much more pleasant than the summer season, with the former having the least amount of rain. Mornings are particularly nice and fresh at this time of the year.

Although the summer sees the least amount of rainfall in Toulouse, it is really hot and crowded. School summer holidays, Christmas and New Year, and Easter are all busy times to visit France, when locals tend to holiday at the same time.