Toulouse, France — Travel Tips
Getting There By Air
Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS)
Tel: 0825 380 000.
Website: www.toulouse.aeroport.fr
Toulouse-Blagnac Airport is located in Blagnac, 8km (5 miles) northwest of Toulouse. It is the fourth largest airport in France outside Paris (after Nice, Lyon and Marseille) and serves over 5.5 million passengers a year. Building work is currently under way to increase capacity to 7.7 million by 2008.
Airport facilities: There is a bureau de change, a post office and a bank in the terminal, as well as an information desk (tel: (05) 6142 4400) and a business center (tel: (05) 6142 4513). There are several bars and two restaurants, as well as a selection of shops, including duty-free. Car hire is available from Ada, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, National/Citer and Sixt.
Getting to the airport: Navettes Aéroport Toulouse (shuttle buses) (tel: (05) 3460 6400; website: www.navettevia-toulouse.com) leave every 20 minutes throughout the day from Door C for the city center (journey time - 20 minutes). Taxis are also available: they leave from a taxi rank situated outside Arrivals Door C. The fare to the city center is about €25.
Getting There By Road
The roads are modern in most parts of southwest France and in Toulouse itself you'll have no problem. Bear in mind that the roads into the Pyrenees are steep and winding, and that you will definitely need snow chains and/or tires (and know how to fit them) in winter. A word of warning: French drivers tend not to indicate, and road signs are much closer to the exit than in the UK. You'll need to have your wits about you. Traffic drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18 years old. Speed limits are 130kph (81mph) on motorways (110kph, or 68mph, when raining), 110kph (68mph) on dual carriageways separated by a central reservation, 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas. A national driving license, the car's registration documents, a red warning triangle and a reflective jacket must be carried at all times. Green Cards are not compulsory but may be useful for UK residents bringing their own vehicles into France for a period of less than 90 days. Autoroutes du Sud de la France (ASF) (tel: 0892 707 001; www.asf.fr) monitor the motorways here and provide traffic updates by telephone.
Emergency breakdown services
Dépann'Auto 31 (tel: 05 6187 8204).
Routes to the city
Four motorways converge on Toulouse: the A62 from the north, the A68 from the northeast, the A64 from the southwest and the A61 from the southeast. Toulouse is circled by a ring road, which you will join upon leaving the motorway. The following exits are particularly useful: Pont des Demoiselles (for Gare Matabiau) and exit 30: Ponts Jumeaux (for the city center).
Driving times to the city
From Paris – 8 hours; Barcelona - 4 hours; Marseille - 3 hours; Bordeaux - 2 hours.
Coach services
The coach station in Toulouse is located next to the Gare Matabiau on Boulevard Pierre Semard. Buses travel across the Midi-Pyrénées, as well as to Barcelona, Paris, Andorra la Vella and Bordeaux. See Eurolines (tel: 0892 899 091; www.eurolines.com) for international information.
Getting There By Rail
France's rail network is clean and reliable, although unfortunately the fast trains don't link up with Toulouse as well as you might hope.
Rail Services
The Gare Matabiau, 64 Boulevard Pierre Semard, is the hub for regional and national rail travel in Toulouse. Services run to Bordeaux via Agen and Montauban; Montpellier via Carcassonne, Narbonne, Béziers and Sète; and Perpignan via Narbonne, among many other destinations. For international rail travel, travel via Paris from destinations in North Europe or via Perpignan to reach Toulouse from Spain. Slower, more scenic routes from Barcelona run through LaTour de Carol to connect with Ax-les-Thermes.
Rail Operators
Societé Nationale des Chemins de Fer (SNCF) (tel: 0892 353 535; www.sncf.fr) is the national rail carrier. TER Midi-Pyrénées (tel: 0891 677 677; www.ter-sncf.com) handles regional journeys and Eurostar (tel: 0843 218 6186, in the UK only; www.eurostar.com) links Toulouse to the UK through the Eurostar service to Paris.
Connections
From London – 10 hours (via Paris); Barcelona – 8 hours (via LaTour de Carol); Marseille – 7 hours; Paris – 6 hours; Bordeaux – 2 to 3 hours; Perpignan – 1 hour 40 minutes; Carcassonne – 1 hour.
Getting Around in Toulouse, France
Public Transport
The buses and metro in Toulouse are very easy to use and are operated by Tisséo (tel: 05 6141 7070; www.tisseo.fr). Day and weekly passes, as well as books of 10 tickets are available.
Taxis
You'll find taxis at the airport, the train station and at the central Place du Capitole, but it can be difficult to flag one down in the street. As with most things in Toulouse, tipping is not expected. Try Capitole Taxi (tel: 05 3425 0250) or Taxi Radio Toulousain (tel: 05 6142 3838).
Driving in the City
Both driving and parking can be tricky in Toulouse. In fact, if you're only visiting the city then it's much easier to just walk or use public transport. You'll find plenty of car parks in Toulouse – but at a price, unless you park out of town at the following metro stations: Jolimont, Basso-Cambo, Arènes, Argoulets and Balma Gramont.
Car Hire
If you're over 18, have a passport, a driving license and an element of fearlessness, you can hire a car in Toulouse at either the station or the airport. Main operators include Sixt (tel: 0820 007 498; www.sixt.fr), Avis (tel: (0820 611 677; www.avis.fr), Budget (tel: 05 6163 1818; www.budget.fr) and Hertz (tel: 05 6273 3947; www.hertz.fr).
Bicycle Hire
Toulouse has plenty of cycle lanes, plus a pick-up and drop-off bicycle hire system across the city called VélôToulouse (tel: 0800 112 205; www.velo.toulouse.fr). For longer bicycle rentals, visit Maison du Vélo Toulouse, 12 boulevard Bonrepos (tel: 05 3440 6472; www.maisonduvelotoulouse.com).
