Toulouse: The Pink City Walking Tour with 23 Audio Commentaries
Wander freely through centuries of history, architecture, and student spirit in France's most vibrant southern city.
This Toulouse self-guided audio walking tour covers 6.5 kilometers and 23 carefully selected landmarks, letting you explore the city entirely at your own rhythm. The Navaway app delivers audio commentary at each stop, connecting the stones, squares, and facades to the stories behind them.
From the towering Romanesque nave of Saint-Sernin Basilica to the lively terraces of Saint-Pierre Square, the route threads through neighborhoods that have evolved from medieval plague quarters to cosmopolitan cultural hubs. The pink brick that gives the city its nickname appears at almost every turn, making the rare white stone facade of the Hotel de Bagis all the more striking.
The tour also brings lesser-known details to life, including the street where the great fire of 1463 began and the ceramic tympanum of Notre-Dame de la Dalbade, a work inspired by Fra Angelico and fired in 1878. These layered narratives reward curious travelers who want more than a postcard view of the city.
Students make up a significant portion of the local population, and the route passes through the squares and riverside spots where that energy is most tangible. The experience balances monumental heritage with the living, breathing texture of everyday Toulouse.
Tour Highlights
Visit Saint-Sernin Basilica, the largest Romanesque church in France, with a nave as long as a soccer field.
Explore the Capitol and its surrounding square, one of the largest event spaces in France, freed from earlier buildings in the 18th century.
Access 23 audio commentaries through the Navaway app, available directly on your smartphone without a guide.
Cross the Pont-Neuf, paradoxically the oldest bridge over the Garonne, and enjoy views of the Saint-Cyprien district.
Discover the Jacobin Convent, a spectacular monumental complex with a church, cloister, chapter house, and refectory.
Follow a 6.5 km circuit designed for easy walking, suitable for most fitness levels and requiring no prior booking of transport.
Admire the Hotel de Bagis, the only all-stone monument in a city otherwise built entirely from pink brick.
Itinerary Overview
Begin at the heart of Toulouse on the vast Capitol Square, then step behind the building to discover a 1525 gunpowder tower topped by a Flemish-style belfry, an unexpected architectural contrast to the surrounding neoclassical facades.
Walk north toward Notre-Dame du Taur, built on the site where the martyr Saint Sernin's body was found in the 3rd century. Continue to the basilica itself, the largest Romanesque church in France.
Enter the Jacobin monastic complex, then pass the opulent facade of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, one of the oldest artistic institutions in the Occitan region, founded under Louis XV in 1750.
Reach the riverbank beside the Basilica of La Daurade before crossing Pont-Neuf, the city's oldest surviving bridge, with views toward the left-bank Saint-Cyprien district and the Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Jacques.
Discover the atypical architecture of Saint-Étienne Cathedral, then rest at the pleasant Place de la Trinité, built on the site of a former Trinitarian convent and lined with cafe terraces.
Admire the ceramic tympanum of Notre-Dame de la Dalbade before finishing at the lively Saint-Pierre Square, the social center of student life in a city of more than 130,000 students.
What Is Included
Included
- Access to the Navaway audio tour application
- 23 audio commentaries in the app
- Self-guided route covering 23 landmarks
- GPS-assisted navigation through the app
- Flexible start time, valid any day
Not Included
- Smartphone or mobile device (bring your own)
- Headphones or earphones
- Entry fees to any monuments or museums
- Food, drinks, or transport
- Live human guide
Important Information
Ready to Explore Toulouse?
Start the tour whenever suits you best, no reservation needed on the day. Download the app, follow the route, and let the city tell its own story.
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