Sightseeing in Toulouse - what to see. Complete travel guide

The most stylish city of France, this city is also known as a center of culture and recreation. The city is conventionally divided into Old and New Quarters. In the old part of this place you will find numerous ancient architectural buildings, beautiful squares and parks. The new city is considered a business and a shopping part of the city. Here you can visit best restaurants, modern cinemas, galleries and shops. Each tourist will find here something to fit own taste. Even the choice of attractions allows selecting an exciting and entertaining tour for everyone.

Bazacle Complex is by far one of the most remarkable architectural complexes located near the Garonne River. Here visitors will see an old bridge, a dam, a beautiful castle and several windmills. Basilica of St. Sernin is considered the most beautiful religious monument of the city. This is also the world’s largest church built in the Romanesque style. The construction of the church took place in the 11th century. Since that time numerous luxury jewelry items, paintings and gold leaf murals have been collected in the church. The local botanical garden is considered the most beautiful part of Toulouse. The garden was founded in 1730 and is surrounded by a high wall made of stone. Several medieval buildings have also remained on its territory. Today the garden enumerates 1,300 species of trees and plants, some of which are entirely devoted to flowers.

If you want to visit modern architectural projects and entertainment venues, you will find everything you need and more in Space City theme park. It was opened in 1997 and contains models of space stations, rockets, a planetarium and a large number of exhibitions. We should also mention Augustinian Museum among the cultural facilities of the city. This museum exhibits a rich collection of paintings and sculptures. Here you will find works of either medieval masters or contemporary artists and painters. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Old Town Hall building is a permanent historical symbol of the city. It was built in the 18th century. The external image of the Town Hall combines unique elements of the Baroque style and classicism. Its internal decoration has remained unchanged since the 19th century. The building, once built for the city council, hasn't been used for its intended purpose for a long time. Nowadays, it is occupied by an Opera House and partly by a Concert Hall.

Saint-Etienne Cathedral is an important religious monument. Its construction began in the 11th century. For hundreds of years, the old building has been constantly rebuilt and modernized. In fact, it remained unfinished that way. The cathedral looks very unusual, it reminds of a complex of several buildings in various architectural styles. The cathedral is valuable for its interior. Unique stained glass windows of the 16th century, as well as other elements of the decor from that period, have survived there.

The Church of the Jacobins is a fascinating monument of the 13th century. Over the years, it has witnessed numerous important historical events. In the 18th century, the church was used as a powder magazine. Currently, it is considered a bright example of French Gothic with unique stained glass windows reflecting biblical scenes. The holy relics of Thomas Aquinas remain its essential value. At the present time, the building of the church is often used for performances of classical music.

Many beautiful old mansions have been preserved in Toulouse. The mansion of Assez is considered to be one of the most notorious. Built in the 16th century, it belonged to a wealthy industrialist. His descendants had owned the mansion until the 18th century. The mansion is a bright monument in the Renaissance style. Nowadays, an excellent art museum operates there.

Lovers of exciting tours should definitely visit the Museum of Natural History, whose opening took place back in the 18th century. The museum is located in the old monastery. Its exposition consists of about 2.5 million exhibits. They are presented in 19 halls of the museum. Visitors can see unique paleontological and archaeological finds, one-of-a-kind skeletons of prehistoric animals, rare specimens of minerals and fossils. Many exhibits were donated to the museum by private collectors.