Flights to Toulouse with Air France from CAD 797*

Toulouse, France's fourth-largest city

Toulouse is the 4th most populous city in France, with 458,000 inhabitants. If you include the city's suburbs, there are almost 1.3 million people who live here. Located in southwest France, Toulouse is the capital of the département of Haute-Garonne and the region of Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées.

Toulouse is a very large urban centre in terms of surface area. It covers 11,830 hectares, making it bigger than Paris or Lyon! Located on a bend of the Garonne River, the city is also crossed by the Canal du Midi, which links the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

In addition to its waterborne traffic, Toulouse is a major hub for air travel. Toulouse-Blagnac airport is used by 7.5 million passengers annually. As far as public transport is concerned, Toulouse has two underground lines, 123 bus routes and two tram lines. It is also well catered for in terms of overland rail services, thanks to Toulouse-Matabiau train station.

Toulouse, a paradise for tourists and history-lovers

If you decide to buy an airplane ticket to Toulouse, you'll have no shortage of sights and attractions to explore. Toulouse is nicknamed 'the Pink city', in reference to the colour of the brick out of which the city centre has been built. This pink brick, first introduced by the Romans in the 1st century BC, is now everywhere.

There are many remarkable buildings worth visiting in Toulouse. You could start off with the famous Capitole, which houses the town hall, the richly-decorated salle des Illustres (a long reception room within the town hall) and the opera house. These buildings all stand on the public square of the same name. You'll also have the chance to discover the city's incredible religious heritage, including the magnificent church of the Jacobins. Toulouse is also a great showcase for urban architectural gems in the shape of numerous townhouses and mansions built during the Renaissance period.

Perhaps you'll enjoy a stroll along the route of the old Roman road which begins in the rue de Taur and ends at the place des Carmes. This pedestrianized route is a perfect way to really drink in the atmosphere of calm which reigns in the pink city.

The prison Saint-Michel, the palais Niel, the old city fortifications and the Roman amphitheatre of Purpan-Ancely are also sights you shouldn't miss in Toulouse.

Toulouse is inevitably associated with fine dining, with its regional dishes of cassoulet (sausage and white bean stew), duck and various salamis. There are lots of restaurants which serve up these culinary delights.

Lastly, don't forget to visit the cité de l'Espace, a kind of scientific theme park focusing on space and space travel, undoubtedly inspired by the aerospace industry, which is a major employer in the Pink City.

Your journey to Toulouse: practical details

If you're going to book a flight to Toulouse, you'll need to allow around 9 hours for the Montreal-Toulouse journey and around 12 hours for a Vancouver-Toulouse flight. You will have a stopover in either Paris or Amsterdam. There is a six hour time difference between Montreal and France. In order to get over any jet-lag, do your best to adopt local time for your daily routine as soon as you arrive in France!

The best time of year to vacation in Toulouse is during the spring months of April, May and June. As the southwest of France generally has a warm, sunny climate, you should have good weather without it being overly hot.

When you book your flight to Toulouse, you can look forward to a comfortable trip and a range of Air France services, regardless of the class of ticket you purchase.