Toulouse Falls Short of Expectations as Best City to Visit in 2025

Toulouse: I spent a couple of days in Toulouse, which Lonely Planet named the best city to visit in 2025. Known as the “Pink City,” it has a lot of universities and some iconic spots. But honestly, it didn’t have the sophisticated vibe I was hoping for.

My husband and I love checking out new places, so we were excited to include Toulouse in our trip through France and Spain. It’s in southern France, close to Spain, and has been a tourist favorite for a while.

Toulouse is famous for its beautiful rosy-colored buildings and landmarks like the Dome de La Grave by the Garonne River. While my husband enjoyed our time there, I felt something was missing.

A lot of the city seemed to cater to college students. I’m not a high-maintenance traveler, but I do like a bit of elegance in my trips. Unfortunately, Toulouse didn’t offer much in that department.

I expected to find some upscale shops and fancy restaurants, but instead, we mostly saw casual eateries and secondhand stores. On the bright side, we saved some cash eating at local cafés like El Amacen, which had tasty empanadas.

Toulouse was lively at night, which makes sense with all the nearby universities. But it got a bit too loud for my taste, especially with party-goers making noise late at night near our hotel.

We stayed in the city center, so I knew it wouldn’t be quiet, but I like a little peace after 11 p.m. We wanted to keep our window open for fresh air, but the noise made that tough.

Driving in Toulouse was a bit of a headache. The traffic was intimidating, with narrow one-way streets everywhere. It took us a while to find a place to park when we got to our hotel because of all the double-parked cars.

Luckily, Toulouse is pretty walkable, so we managed to explore on foot. Next time we’re in France with a car, we’ll probably skip Toulouse.

Overall, I wasn’t blown away by Toulouse, even though it was beautiful. We enjoyed the architecture and views along the Garonne, but it didn’t have that special charm I’ve felt in other French cities like Paris or Bordeaux.

It felt more like a college town, which makes sense given its large student population. I wished it had a more vibrant and sophisticated atmosphere, but not too loud at night.

I can see why some people love it, but I think I would’ve appreciated it more in my 20s. I’m in my 40s now, and we were only there for a short time, so I know I might not have seen everything.

Still, first impressions matter. I’m glad we visited, but I left feeling like once was enough.