Toulouse (France)

Advantages: Informative, fun exciting for all ages
Disadvantages: trnaslator batteries, food prices, not enough time to see and do everything!

A few years ago my mother-in-law bought a plot of land in the south of France with the intention of building a house to live in. That was the summer of 1998. That Christmas, my husband and I went to visit and we crammed as many wonderful places into our week holiday as possible. One place in particular was fascinating. This place was le city de l’espace, Toulouse. (Space City for anyone not up on the French lingo!) It was a relatively new attraction ...
...opening. It was a huge place with outdoor and indoor attractions. As it was the middle of winter (and even the south of France has a winter!) we decided to get the outdoor bit over and done with first as it was very cold and windy although the sky was clear and blue and the sun was shining. There was plenty to see and do but the most impressive outdoor attraction was the replica of the Russian space station MIR. It had walkways built round and through ... Read review

Advantages: A place to share with friends.
Disadvantages: None.

...stayed near the centre of Toulouse with a friend, and in this particular area, the parks are amazing. There are roads leading off in all directions, but the people in the parks do not have to be concerned with the hustle bustle of city life, because parks are joined to one another with bridges that cross these major roads, and walking in the parks, feeding the ducks, or discovering all the collection of trees that have been imported over the years ...
...The City Hall of Toulouse is housed in the largest square I have ever seen in France, bordered by street cafes and little streets that go off into different parts of the town, and I found that it is very easy to be disorientated in Toulouse, whereas normally my sense of direction is good. We walked through the streets and mingled with the people, through street markets where the atmosphere was one of comradeship and you actually felt safe, even though ... Read review

Advantages: very pretty, 'different', good nightlife
Disadvantages: expensive, locals not too friendly

...but from what I recall Toulouse is definitely worth a visit, if you're passing through or even on a weekend break in it's own right. The architecture is truely beautiful - it isn't named the 'ville rose' for nothing, many of the buildings are indeed a dusky pink colour. It's a big student town, full of bars and a sprinkling of night clubs but in general it's a tranquil place. The river banks are full of sunbathers in summer, as there aren't any ...
...are plenty of bistros in Toulouse where you can ask for a tres, tres, tres bien cuit steak - unless you like it looking like it's just been cut of a live cow, or else quite unusually for small/ medium sized cities in France, there is a decent selection of other international cuisine. I remember several decent restaurants - La Trattoria - a cute family fun Italian restaurant near the river, La Bodega - a Spanish bar/ restaurant with lots of dancing ... Read review

Advantages: great scenery and atmosphere
Disadvantages: sometimes a little TOO quiet

I went to stay in Lautrec with my friends for a summer holiday during July, the weather was gorgeous during the day, and we had kind of tropical storms in the evenings! It was amazing. We were staying in my friend's villa, but, we spent most of our time out. We went into the village market every morning, to do our grocery shopping, but in the afternoon, we did lots of different things. A lot of my friends are really artistic, so we all went for ...
...buildings, forests, and landscapes to interest you. The people of Lautrec were lovely, they helped us when we were lost, and helped us when our French failed! There was a lot of stuff to do if you were willing to venture out. We went to the market in the next village, where we bought clothes, souveniers and postcards. On the Thursday, we went to the water park in the town, as our kids were all getting a tad restless! It was great, and they enjoyed ... Read review

Advantages: Cosmoplitan Atmosphere, Excellent Restaraunts
Disadvantages: None

Toulouse is a wonderful City that is often missed by the traveller. It is used by many skiers during the winter as a transit point for the Pyrenees or Andora. The city is a true contrast between ancient and modern. The ancient being the old town full of wonderful museums and quaint resturaunts. The modern being the new developments associated with the new industries moving into Toulouse mainly attracted by the presence of the Airbus Industrie facility. ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap, Fun & frugal, quiter hub airports
Disadvantages: Limited UK airports, no fallbacks

...these they may not be an option. But both airports are reasonably well connected to the motorways and strategically placed to attract those who are fed up with struggling to the major UK hub airports. Neither airport is in the truly huge league of mega shopping and eating complexes - but then they do offer a little of what busy Gatwick tries to call the "hub without the hubbub". They fly exclusively to European destinations - From East Midlands they go to:- Brussels - Belgium Prague - Czech Republic Paris CDG, Nice,Toulouse - France Munich - Germany Milan (Bergamo), Pisa - Italy Faro - Portugal Cork, Dublin - Rep of Ireland Alicante, Barcelona, Ibiza, Malaga, Murcia, Palma - Spain Amsterdam - Netherlands Belfast Int., Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey - UK+ NI + Channel Is. From Cardiff to:- Paris CDG, Toulouse - France Munich... Read review

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Advantages: excellent beginer slopes
Disadvantages: limited skiing for the more experienced

...Arinsal, my first trip skiing was to arinsal andoora in the winter of 1994, a two week holiday with my step brother. We book with cyrstal holiday to stop in a small family run hotel, towards the lower end of the price scale. About a month before we were due to travel we were contacted and told there had been a problem with the hotel and they would have to move us to a different hotel the St Gottard. A 5 star hotel and one of the best in the resort. Bonus As with Pas da La Casa, you can see my report on that in the other section, the travelling is quite long and tedious as you have to fly toulouse in france and then transfer by coach to Andorra which takes about 3-4 hours. Arinsal is the last drop off by the coach so everyones usually very tired by the time you arrive. Hotel The hotel is towards the bottom of the hill leading up... Read review

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Advantages: Scenery, perfect for a winter holiday
Disadvantages: Longevity is low due to small size of country and lack of alternative activities

...nearby in Spain and France, primarily Toulouse in France and Barcelona in Spain. I personally flew to Toulouse (approx 1.5hr journey time) and then got a coach to Andorra (approx 3.5hr journey time). The journey itself is interesting as you get to see a bit of France and then the stunning scenery as you wind your way up through the Pyrenees, going through gorges and having giant mountains on either side with small communities clinging to the side. When there traveling around isn't too difficult (if a bit limited to where you can access). Many tour companies offer free buses around the country and especially to the ski slopes. Private car hire and taxi's are available at a reasonable price. The traffic and driving conditions can however be treacherous. Getting lost isn't too much of a problem as there are very few roads in Andorra and most... Read review

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