Has anyone been to Toulouse?

Any recommendations as something special to do or restaurant to try?

Thank you.

top five things to see are

x Basilique St Sernin - city's top attraction, consecrated in 1096, and is the largest Romanesque church in Europe
x Le Musee du Vieux Toulouse - this museum is housed in a 17th century town mansion, with pictures and historical records detailing the past history of Toulouse
x Jardin Compans-Caffarelli - this 1981 park has long paths that snake between flowerbeds and ponds that lead up to the Japanese Garden, which is designed like a traditional meditation garden.
x Cathedrale St Etienne - one of the city's major ecclectic buildings
x Festival de rue de Ramonville - if you are going in september, you can enjoy this local festival.

Thank you schuba!

Any suggestions on where to go for a nice lunch?

no. too long.

topping for mweiner.

For lunch Bistro des Beaux Arts right by the river, (Pont des Beax Arts )good seafood and other dishes, great setting and service.

We also love Les Augustins (cathedral) - pillars like palm trees, beautiful cloisters.

Or of course just sit in the main square, the Capitole and watch people.

toulouse is a wonderful place - just the right size for exploring on foot, but not too small as to be confining. we love la corde restaurant - in fact, we hosted a very important business dinner there in january...the bistro (not the upscale restaurant-we hated that) at the hotel l'opera has good food and service also. but truth be told, i had many good meals found simply by wandering.

shopping is fairly good, too if you like that...mainly smaller stores on winding streets...and you might find the airbus tour(s) interesting but book ahead.

Interesting to hear, Brinks that you hated the restaurant at Jardin de l'Opera. We too found it stuffy, food not exceptional, and the whole meal not enjoyable. We like other starred restaurants, so it wasn't that. And I think it has been downgraded in the latest Michelin guide.

We'll look for La Corde the next time we're there.

If you like looking at art, I would recommend the Bemberg collection in the hôtel d'Assézat, Place d'Assezat. The collection is very disparate, but excellent -- Italian Renaissance, some excellent German paintings, including Cranach, French 16th century portraits, Chinese art, several rooms of really good Bonnards.

> Festival de rue de Ramonville - if you are going in september, you can enjoy this local festival.<

Can you give me some information about this festival? We'll be in the area in September and I'm finding it hard to get information about it. Is it on September 16?

We were there when it was screamingly hot and the most fun to be had was taking the tourist boat along the canal. Cool and tree-shaded.