Tour Features

Itinerary

• 1st stop

  Basilique Saint-Sernin

  We start outside the Basilique Saint-Sernin, the largest Romanesque church in Europe, and begin by looking up: counting the levels of the bell tower together opens the tour as a game and shows how the building grew upward over the centuries. Around us the brick facade and the carved doorways give the first clue about the pink city.

• 2nd stop

  Rue du Taur

  We follow rue du Taur toward the center, the old road that connected the basilica to the town. Along the way we compare the shades of the bricks, from deep red to pale orange, and find out why Toulouse is called the pink city. It is an easy stretch for children, with plenty to spot on both sides of the street.

• 3rd stop

  Notre-Dame du Taur

  Notre-Dame du Taur is squeezed between the houses, and its facade looks like a great wall with bells set into it. We stop to find the church in the middle of the street and to tell the story of the bull that gave the street its name. A small puzzle of a building, easy to miss and fun to point out.

• 4th stop

  Square Charles-de-Gaulle

  We reach Square Charles-de-Gaulle, the garden behind the Capitole, and look for the medieval tower that stands at its edge. The green space is a good place for a short pause, and the tower reminds us that the Capitole was first a fortress before it became a palace.

• 5th stop

  Place du Capitole

  On the pavement of Place du Capitole we look for the great Occitan cross and the signs of the zodiac set into the stone. Finding all twelve signs keeps children busy while the square opens around us, with the long pink facade of the Capitole on one side. It is the heart of the city and the best place to understand its scale.

• 6th stop

  Portici del Capitole

  We walk under the arcades on the side opposite the town hall, where the portici del Capitole shelter a painted ceiling. Looking up reveals images and patterns above the shops, easy to walk past and a small reward for anyone who raises their eyes. The passage also keeps the walk comfortable whatever the weather.

• 7th stop

  Couvent des Jacobins

  We arrive at the Couvent des Jacobins, a vast brick convent, and look at the bell tower before stepping inside the church to see its spectacular palm-tree vault. The single column that opens into ribs above the nave is unlike anything else in the city, and entrance tickets are included so the group can look up in silence for a moment.

• 8th stop

  Hôtel d'Assézat

  We continue to Hôtel d'Assézat, a Renaissance palace with a grand portal, and compare its ordered stone facade with the medieval brick fronts we have just seen. The change in style is visible at a glance, and the courtyard gives us a quiet place to talk about how the city changed between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

• 9th stop

  Pont Neuf

  We stop at the entrance of the Pont Neuf, without crossing it, and look at the arches and the openings set into the piers. Those holes are there to let the water through when the Garonne rises, a clever solution that children can spot straight away once they know where to look.

• 10th stop

  Port de la Daurade

  We finish along the riverside at the Port de la Daurade, the open bank facing the Garonne, with the dome of La Grave across the water. The last stop is a pause with a view, a good place to end the walk and let the group enjoy the river before heading back into the city.

Tour Details

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