September 2023. Oriol and I are flying to Toulouse for a road trip in Occitania and (French) Catalonia. We include the Principality of Andorra, which I can finally tick off the bucket list, and Llívia, Spain‘s exclave in France. Besides Toulouse we visit Mont-Louis, Villefranche-de-Conflent, Perpignan and Carcassonne.
After visiting Aeroscopia and having had lunch at Le Restaurant d’Aéroscopia, we returned by tram to the city to explore sites recommended on Toulouse-Visit.
From Aeroscopia we took a tram to Fer à cheval tram station and proceeded on foot on Pont Saint-Michel, via Île du Ramier, to walk on the banks of the Garonne River and the Quai de Tounis.
Contents
Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Daurade
The Notre-Dame-de-la-Daurade Basilica is home to the Black Virgin, adorned in her most beautiful finery in dresses signed by Christian Lacroix, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and other great couturiers.
Built in the 5th century on the remains of an ancient temple, its decoration favored mosaics with gold leaf, hence its name of Daurade. In the 9th century, it was integrated into a Benedictine monastery and extended by a nave and a cloister, on the site of which the Fine Arts School is now located.
The church had to be demolished at the end of the 18th century and completely rebuilt.
Cathédrale Saint-Étienne
Walking through Toulouse and we arrived at Le Capitole, which is the Hôtel de Ville or City Hall. But that was closed for an event linked to the opening of 2023 Rugby World Cup.
We decided to see more churches. Next up was the Cathédrale Saint-Étienne or St. Stephen’s Cathedral. With its architecture stretching across several centuries combining styles and its slightly lopsided air, this cathedral is worth a visit because of its organs that look as if they are suspended in the air.
Construction started in the 5th century. The current cathedral was built mainly in the 13th century. This incredible medieval construction brings together two Gothic styles: the Southern Gothic that is massive and powerful and the Northern Gothic style that is sleek and luminous.
St. Stephen’s boasts richly-sculpted headstones, its Baroque altarpiece, the grills and the ensemble of stained-glass windows. The chapels decorated with retables, tableaux and reliquaries form a succession of mini-museums.
The organ cabinet from the early 17th century, suspended in a ‘swallow’s nest’, is the oldest in the city.
It is here that Riquet is buried, the designer of the Canal du Midi.
Basilique Saint-Sernin
The largest Romanesque church in France, the Basilique Saint-Sernin or St. Saturnin’s Basilica is listed as World Heritage by UNESCO and has welcomed pilgrims for centuries along the Route of Santiago de Compostela.
One of the symbols of Toulouse, this basilica of brick and stone is certainly imposing. Majestic and luminous, it was built between the 11th and 14th centuries in honour of St. Saturnin (or Sernin), the first bishop of the city. An important stop along the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, it inspires reverence and its vast proportions are ideal for strolling past the numerous reliquaries.
A 21 metre high nave whose barrel vault rests upon richly sculpted capitals leads you to the choir and its gold-plated wooden and marble canopy. In the richly decorated transepts you can discover some moving medieval frescoes.
You can also access the crypts in which it is possible to admire, most notably, the enamel reliquary of the True Cross in the form of a sarcophagus.
Couvent de Jacobins
Our last religious stop in Toulouse was the Couvent des Jacobins or Jacobins Convent. This brickwork giant houses the relics of St. Thomas Aquinas in the shade of its giant palm tree.
The Jacobins Convent is a jewel of medieval art. A gigantic building that is both sober and original, it is home to a church that is unique in its genre. With an austere exterior, it astonishes visitors once inside with its luminosity, the lightness of its vaults and its double nave that ends with a spectacular stone palm tree with 22 leaf veins.
Beneath its altar are the relics of the Dominican friar Thomas Aquinas. Its walls are entirely painted with trompe l’œil that imitates marble, considered more noble than brick.
The cloister, the former refectory, the chapel of the Virgin and the chapel of Saint-Antonin are cool and tranquil stop-offs that also host concerts and exhibitions.
We only went inside in the free part of the Convent. It was due to close 15 minutes after our arrival so we didn’t pay to see the rest.
Toulouse vibes
Our very first day in Toulouse was just an evening. We went for cassoulet toulousain, the main local dish. It’s a lovely combination of beans, sausage and duck.
Toulouse is known as the Ville rose or Pink City. That Saturday, Toulouse was extra pink as the Rose Festival, a pop music event, was on and people wore pink.
A week later, all that was forgotten and Toulouse oozed rugby. Toulouse is France’s rugby capital and it shows. Everywhere there were references to rugby and the world cup.
The ‘interesting centre’ (as I like to call touristy parts of towns) is very walkable. But make no mistake, Toulouse is a large town. It was and is full of activity. Obviously helped by the events which were on, the nice weather and the date: September.
2023 Occitania – Andorra – Catalonia Road Trip
- TOULOUSE-BLAGNAC AIRPORT | Arrival, ID check, car rental and unusually strict security at departure.
- REVIEW | Novotel Toulouse Purpan Aéroport.
- Circuit Andorra.
- HOTEL REVIEW | Eurostars Andorra.
- REVIEW | Caldea hot spring spa and treatments in Andorra la Vella.
- Andorra la Vella & Escaldes–Engordany.
- QUEER ANDORRA | Entre Nous, the only gay bar in the village.
- ANDORRA PARLIAMENT HOUSE | Casa de la Vall.
- Andorra.
- Llívia, Spain’s exclave in France.
- LE TRAIN JAUNE TERRITORY | Mont-Louis and Villefranche-de-Conflent.
- REVIEW | Dali Hôtel Perpignan.
- Perpignan during the Visa pour l’image international photo journalism festival.
- PERPIGNAN | The Palace of the Kings of Majorca or Palais des Rois de Majorque.
- North Catalonia, Northern Catalonia or French Catalonia: Catalan presence in France.
- FRANCE | Carcassonne and its Counts Castle.
- REVIEW | Neméa Appart’Hôtel Toulouse Concorde.
- TOULOUSE | Aeroscopia aerospace ‘Airbus museum’.