Toulouse, a haven of culture and history to explore in France’s southwest

April 21, 2009

Cathedrals, culture and cassoulet make Toulouse a rich and varied destination for French and foreign tourists alike.

With hot summers and mild winters, Toulouse, nicknamed The Pink City because of its terracotta buildings, enjoys emperate, Mediterranean-style weather. Its history goes back centuries, with a wealth of architecturally notable monuments, chateaux and churches. For example, Toulouse’s Basilique St-Sernin is Europe’s largest Romanesque church, built between the 11th to the 13th century, containing the tomb of Saint-Saturnin or Sernin, martyr and bishop, who brought Christianity to Toulouse.  But Toulouse is no dusty museum piece of a city, with its thriving student culture, lively nightlife and fabulous food, whether you prefer the traditional specialties of the region such as cassoulet, foiegras or confit de canard , or want to sample the wares of innovative young chefs.  Dotted with chateaux, more than a dozen golf courses and even an African safari park, and host to famous music festivals devoted to jazz and to the pipe organ, Toulouse is truly a destination with something for everyone.

Toulouse is an easy trip from Paris and other cities in France, making it a popular tourist destination for the French. The Toulouse-Blagnac International Airport is only seven miles from the center of the city, and as many as 25 flights go to Toulouse daily from Paris.  If you prefer to enjoy the French scenery, nine high-speed TGV trains run from Paris to Toulouse every day in about five hours.  Trains also run from Bordeaux (two hours) and from Marseille (4.5 hours). Be prepared to spend about seven hours in your car if you drive from Paris to Toulouse.

Toulouse, divided into  17 districts, each with its own City Hall, has hotels to fit every taste and budget. As any tourist knows, style and comfort matter, but to have the kind of stay you want, it’s the location of your Toulouse hotel that makes the difference. But if you’re not familiar with Toulouse, how do you pick the right hotel in central Toulouse for your trip?

Fortunately, finding the right hotel in the heart of Toulouse just got easier. One website allows you to make Toulouse hotel reservations, without a fee, while choosing your Toulouse hotel based on its precise distance from various points of interest in Toulouse. Atel Hotels lists a host of hotels in the heart of Toulouse and allows visitors to its website search for hotel availability in Toulouse by price, level of luxury, and–most importantly, by exact location. For example, if you wanted your Toulouse hotel to be close to both the train station and the sights if the city center you might pick Hotel Saint Exupery, which Atel Hotels lists as being little over 600 feet away from the station. The three-star Hotel Mermoz would be another good choice. But if you preferred a quieter stay away from the crowds and activity of the city center you might make your Toulouse hotel reservation at the charming — and charmingly-named– three-star Hotel Le Canard sur La Toit (The Duck on the Roof), a few miles from both the airport and the city center, with its own gourmet restaurant. Atel’s website is unique in that it lists exact distances of each of its Toulouse hotels from sights, monuments and transportation hubs a great help to both business and leisure travelers. And to make your planning your visit to Toulouse even simpler, Atel’s website offers real-time, 24/7 information on hotel availability in Toulouse and up-to-the-minute room rates. Photos and detailed descriptions of each hotel let you know exactly what to expect at each property. Toulouse hotel reservations made through Atel are confirmed immediately, no matter what time or day you book, and incur no extra booking fees.

If you are looking to satisfy your hungers for both history, culture and a good hearty southwestern French meal an easy trip from Paris, head down to Toulouse. And if you seek a hotel in the heart of Toulouse that will suit your budget and meet your expectations in terms of location and atmosphere, make your Toulouse hotel reservation online with Atel.

Atel hotels is a reservation network of fine independent hotels all over Europe, offering travellers pinpointed location information, real-time hotel availability and 24/7 immediate confirmed reservations.

Services

Atel Hotels
10 rue Louis Vicat
75015 Paris
Tel : +33 1 45 31 25 45
Fax : +33 1 45 31 22 21
Email : Contact form
Web : http://www.atel-hotels-toulouse.com/gb/

Written by Web in France team - Filed Under Business, Featured, Focus 1, News, Tourism

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