Essential Free Tour of Toulouse: History and Secrets of the Pink City

Welcome to Toulouse! Do you want to learn about the city's history while visiting its must-see monuments? Join me as we explore over two thousand years of history and discover how the Celtic Tolosa became the European capital of the aerospace industry.

We will take a walk discovering the essential places, but also those details that often go unnoticed, because when you know the history of a city, you start to enjoy it in a completely different way. 

The must-sees! The Place du Capitole, the heart of Toulouse. Here, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry used to have coffee, and long before, this place witnessed how the soul of Palladia Tolosa, the Roman city protected by Athena, was revived. Can you imagine a medieval city where neighbors gathered in popular assemblies in the style of ancient Rome?

We will follow the Camino de Santiago to the impressive Basilica of Saint-Sernin, where we will talk about pilgrims, the language of the troubadours, Occitan, and the traces left by the Spanish exile in the city. 

In the Convent of the Jacobins, we will discover who the Cathars were and how the south of France experienced one of the most fascinating and dramatic episodes of medieval Europe. 

Then we will travel to the Renaissance to learn about Toulouse's period of greatest splendor thanks to the trade of the famous blue gold, pastel, which filled the city with wealth and magnificent palaces. 

And, between stories, we will also look up to discover some of the street art works that fill the city with art. 

At the end of the tour, you will receive a comprehensive PDF with my personal recommendations for restaurants, cafes, markets, and cultural plans so you can continue enjoying Toulouse like a local.

My goal is not only to show you Toulouse but to help you understand its history and essence. When the tour is over, you will see the city with different eyes and understand why Toulouse is the Ville Rose.

Are you coming?

Practical Information

*The morning tour ends near the restaurants I recommend for lunch.
*The 6:30 PM tour is designed to adapt to the heat, lasts only 2 hours, and the visit to the monuments is exterior (only in the evening tour), so you can visit them inside at your own pace afterward.