My husband and I love exploring new cities, so when we were planning our recent trip across France and Spain, we knew Toulouse would be one of our stops. Located in southern France near the Spanish border, it has long attracted tourists β and travel site Lonely Planet named it the top city to visit in Toulouse is home to several universities and iconic sites, including the historic Dome de La Grave along the Garonne River.
It's also been nicknamed the "Pink City" for its stunning rosy-colored terra-cotta architecture. Although my husband loved our two days in Toulouse, something about it didn't fully click for me.
I'm not a fancy-pants traveler, but I still like to incorporate some swankiness into my trips. Unfortunately, we didn't find many opportunities to sprinkle sophistication into our days in Toulouse. As we were in a large French city , I expected to see a few more upmarket shops other than Galeries Lafayette and high-end restaurants mixed in with all the secondhand shops, bookstores, and casual eateries. Instead, we found more businesses and affordable eateries that seemed geared toward local students.
In addition, Toulouse seemed to have a lively nightlife, which makes sense considering the many nearby universities. It was a bit too much for me, especially since this meant we heard many loud people heading out of the bars late at night near our hotel. We stayed in the middle of the city, so I wasn't expecting silence. In fact, I enjoy hearing the sounds of a city in the evening. However, at a certain point β say, after 11 p.
My husband and I wanted to keep our hotel window open to get some fresh air as we slept, but the late-night revelers made that a less-appealing option. I'm happy we had the experience of driving across France , but doing so was particularly stressful in Toulouse. As with most major cities, traffic here felt intimidating β especially since Toulouse has numerous narrow one-way streets.
