Attractions in Hypercentre (Toulouse)

Hôtel d'Assézat

If you only have time to visit one of Toulouse's many old mansions, it should probably be the Assézat Renaissance palace. Built in 1555 for Pierre d'Assézat, a pastel merchant, it is now the headquarters of the town's academic societies and the Bemberg foundation (since 1993). Behind the heavy sculpted wooden door is an inner courtyard, where a profusion of columns, decorated windows and sculpted designs (note the pastel flowers on the eastern façade) alternate between stone and brick. A lion guards the entrance to the terrace; from May to October there is a café here. b>Admission: free

Jardin de la Daurade

A few steps down from the Daurade Square lies the Daurade garden, a tree-lined lawn on the bank of the Garonne River. The garden is bordered by the Henri Martin promenade, a paved path, which runs along the water from the Bazacle factory to the Garonnette. Whenever the sun comes out, the place fills with students lying on the grass. There is a wonderful view; a recent addition to the panorama is a mural on the walls of the Espace d'Art moderne et contemporain dike.

Rue Alsace-Lorraine

Built in 1874, this large street is contemporary to Haussmann's boulevards in Paris and contains many of Toulouse's superb examples of nineteenth-century architecture. Nearly all the yellow brick façades have been renovated: admire the cast-iron balconies surrounded by carved stonework. The most impressive is probably the Magasin Universel (today Marks & Spencer), which belonged to A. Labit (his son, Georges Labit, founded the Musée Labit). Don't miss the mosaic art deco façade of the Dépêche du Midi newspaper building.

Rue des Changes

This is one of many Toulouse streets named after the medieval activity that took place there. About thirty bankers and moneychangers once worked in this road, which was part of the main medieval high street. Today it's a busy clothes-shopping area, but it still has the most beautiful towers in town. They are now privately owned, but if you're ever lucky enough to be shown inside, you'll get a spectacular view of the city. The height and beauty of a tower once indicated the social rank of its owner. Among others, look out for the Arnault de Bruxelles tower (no.19), the Astorg tower (no.16) and the Pierre Delpech tower (no.20).

Eglise du Gésu

The église du Gésu in Toulouse, entirely renovated in 2000, is a location associated with the organization of Toulouse les Orgues as the musical venue of the religious community. The organ, built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll in 1864, is in a neo-gothic style and has three pointed turrets. With a 23 meter (75 foot high) vault, the building itself is one of the great edifices of the city. Along with the organ, it is remarkable for the interior decoration painted in wax by the architect's brother, Auguste Bach, and for the 19 massive stained glass windows.

Office de Tourisme de Toulouse

Directly behind the city hall in the Capitole, stands a striking square tower. It was built in 1530 to hold the city records, and renovated by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century. It is now the tourism office with information on the city and the whole Midi-Pyrénées region. The office has an efficient computerized research system as well as leaflets, guidebooks and postcards. Around the building, the small Capitole Garden is a popular place to picnic. There's a section with an ancient Gallo-Roman stone wall on the west side of the garden, and the entrance to the Capitole métro station is right opposite the tower. Hours vary as per season, call for further details.

Pont Neuf

This is the oldest and most beautiful bridge in Toulouse. It was built between 1544 and 1632, and Louis XIV himself crossed it in 1659. Flooding of the Garonne destroyed all the previous bridges, but this one has been in place for four centuries, thanks to tunnels above the arches, which allow water to flow away during floods. From the right bank there is an exceptional view of the Hôtel-Dieu and the Prairie des Filtres Park; from the left you can see the Daurade and Tunis quays. The two bridges either side are the Pont-Saint-Michel (upriver), and the Pont-Saint-Pierre (downriver). The latter offers an excellent view of the Pont-Neuf.

Basilique St. Sernin

This is the largest remaining Romanesque church in the world. It takes its name from Saint Saturnin, a Christian martyr, who was tied to a bull and dragged to his death in 250 AD. In 402 his remains, previously kept in the du Taur church, were moved here and a small church, Saint-Exupère, was built around them. Work on the present basilica started around 1080. It is worth visiting for the exterior brickwork, the two crypts, the tympanum over the main door depicting Christ's ascension, and the 800 sculpted column heads.

Hôtel de Bernuy

Jean de Bernuy was a wealthy, sixteenth-century woad merchant, whose fortune was large enough to put up bail for François Ist when he was held prisoner by Charles Quint, and to build one of the most beautiful mansions in Toulouse. He came to a sad end in 1556, when he organized a fight between dogs and a bull, and was gored to death. Following his death, his home was turned into a Jesuit college, and today is home to the Lycée Pierre de Fermat school. A visit to the two inner courtyards, with their elegant mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles is a must. Don't miss the hexagonal tower, which Bernuy wanted to be "as tall as the Prosecutor's tower". Admission: free

Basilique de la Daurade

Named after the golden mosaics, which adorned it from the 6th century, this former Roman temple was later converted into a Christian church. The present building was started in 1764 and finished nearly a century later; it features a classical stone façade, with heavy columns supporting a triangular pediment. Behind the front, the brick nave and chapels are quite beautiful; they are best seen from the courtyard of the nearby Ecole des Beaux-Arts. This was an important stop on the way to Saint-Jacques-de Compostelle; pilgrims came here to see the miraculous Black Virgin. The original statue was burnt during the French Revolution and the one now on display dates from 1807. The church still welcomes the many pilgrims who come to pay their respects.

Eglise St-Pierre-des-Chartreux

In the 16th century, the Chartreux friars, driven out of the city of Castres by the Protestants, purchased all the grounds north of this church to build a vast monastery (a few of the large cloister's arcades are still visible in the adjacent University Garden). The church nave is divided in two: the first half was for the congregation; only the Chartreux, who had their own separate entrance at the back, used the second. It is beautifully decorated with frescoes, bas-reliefs, series of paintings and a lavish marble altar. To the right of the choir, a tympanum depicting the Last Supper surmounts the door to the Crucifix chapel, which contains magnificent seventeenth-century woodwork.