The short version
- The fastest TGV from Paris Montparnasse takes 4 hours 29 minutes, with fares from €24. Air France, easyJet and Transavia fly from Paris many times a day.
- The tram to the airport is not running. Take the Navette Aéroport bus: €9, every 15 minutes, 25 to 45 minutes to the center and Matabiau station.
- A metro, tram or bus ticket is €1.90 and covers your connections for an hour.
- The Capitole’s historic rooms and the Basilique Saint-Sernin are free. The Jacobins cloister is €5 and closed on Monday.
- Airbus factory tours leave from the Aeroscopia museum. They cost €18, must be booked at least two working days ahead, and you need your original passport or ID card.
- The Musée des Augustins is reopening in stages: its Gothic rooms are open again, part of the cloister stays closed until spring 2027, and the church until autumn 2027.
What to see
Start on the Place du Capitole. The historic rooms of the city hall, including the Salle des Illustres, are free, but they close for weddings, council meetings and receptions, sometimes for whole days, so check before you go.
Walk north to the Basilique Saint-Sernin, the largest Romanesque church in France. It is free and open daily from 8:30, until 18:00 from October to May and 19:00 in summer.
See the Couvent des Jacobins for its Gothic church and the column the locals call the palm tree, with ribs fanning out across the vault. It is €5, free on the first Sunday of the month, closed Monday, and kept for booked groups on Thursday.
The Musée des Augustins, the fine-arts museum in a Gothic convent, opens Monday, Thursday and Friday from 12:00, and weekends from 10:00. It is closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
Out in Blagnac, Aeroscopia, the aviation museum, has a Concorde and costs €16. The Airbus tours leave from here on Wednesday and Saturday, and on more days during French school holidays. The Cité de l’espace, the space park, is closed January 4 to 31, 2027.
Getting there and around
TGV INOUI and OUIGO trains leave Paris Montparnasse for Toulouse Matabiau, about 13 a day, some direct. The overnight Intercités leaves from Paris Austerlitz.
The Navette Aéroport leaves from Gate C2 on the arrivals level and stops at Compans-Caffarelli, Jeanne d’Arc and Matabiau station. The ticket also covers an hour and a half on the metro and trams.
The center is compact, so you walk. Metro line A runs to the Capitole and the station, and tram T1 goes out to Aeroscopia. Buy tickets at the machines in any metro or tram station, or in the Tisséo app.
When to go
Spring and autumn are the best seasons. July and August are hot.
The Christmas market runs from November 26 to December 27, 2026.
Monday is the quiet day. The big markets, Victor-Hugo and the Carmes, are closed, and so are the Jacobins.
Book the Airbus tours two to three weeks ahead, and plan around January if you want the Cité de l’espace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I take the train or fly from Paris to Toulouse?
The TGV takes 4 hours 29 minutes at its fastest, center to center, from €24. Flying is shorter in the air, but add the trip to Orly or Charles de Gaulle, security, and the €9 bus from Toulouse airport into town.
Can you visit the Airbus factory in Toulouse?
Yes. The tours leave from the Aeroscopia museum in Blagnac and last an hour and a half. Book at least two working days ahead, bring your original passport or ID card, and leave the camera behind. They run on Wednesday and Saturday, and on more days during French school holidays.
How many days do you need in Toulouse?
Two. Spend one on the old center: the Capitole, Saint-Sernin, the Jacobins and the Garonne quays. Spend the other at Aeroscopia and the Airbus tour, or at the Cité de l’espace.
What should I eat in Toulouse?
Order cassoulet, the white beans baked with duck confit and Toulouse sausage, or the sausage grilled by itself. Try the violet sweets and a glass of Fronton red. For lunch, go to the food counters at the Victor-Hugo market hall, open Tuesday to Sunday until 14:00.
Is there a tour I can add on the way?
Yes. The TGV from Paris to Toulouse runs through Bordeaux, so stop for a night. Our Bordeaux overnight starts with a food walking tour of the city and a night at the Hôtel de Sèze, then two Médoc cellar tours the next day, with eight guests at most.
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