Top Museums in Toulouse

La Cité de l'Espace

Take exit 17 from the ring road to access this spectacular museum. Wander through the maze of the astronomic park before going in to see the exhibition. The latter explores astonishing technological inventions with interactive displays, but the museum's highlight is the Planetarium. There's a restaurant and shop. For specific timings, call ahead or check the website.

Fondation Bemberg

Designed in 1555 for the rich pastel merchant, Pierre Assézat, this beautiful private mansion in Toulouse has been superbly restored. It now houses the personal collection of Georges Bemberg. While paintings have pride of place, there are also bronze sculptures and other objects on display. The collection, which dates mainly from the 17th century and the Renaissance, features European schools, including work by François Clouet, Cranach, Pieter de Hooch, Pourbus and du Tintoret. The French modern movement is also represented with pieces by Manet, Picasso, Dufy, Vlaminck, etc.

Musée Georges Labit

Whether you are a connoisseur of oriental art or merely curious about Asian culture, the Georges-Labit Museum is well worth a visit. Covering more than 3,000 years of history, it displays original works from China, Japan, Nepal, India, Thailand, Indonesia and Tibet. The collection was compiled by the museum's founder, George Labit (1862-1899), who travelled the world looking for vestiges of little-known civilisations. There are regular themed exhibitions, e.g. on the subject of Tibetan art and the Tantric religious movement. There are also ancient Egyptian Coptic fabrics from the 4th to the 7th centuries on display. Inquire about guided tours.

Le Bazacle

Built on a natural ford, the Bazacle has blocked the passage of the River Garonne since the 12th century. The 21 lords who were the old equivalent of customs officers received payments in the form of flour for allowing people to cross. In 1907 the Toulouse Electricity Company took over the flourmills, thus allowing the inhabitants of Toulouse to have light. Today this hydroelectric factory (EDF-Bazacle) welcomes 65,000 visitors per year and puts on exhibitions concerning technical subjects, the environment and more. In spring and autumn youngsters watch enchanted the migration of sea salmon and trout through a window beneath the fish pass. Admission: free

Le Musée Paul Dupuy

Housed in the Besson mansion, this original museum exhibits diverse objects, furniture and works of art from the Middle Ages. There are many drawings and etchings by Toulouse artists and there are collections of glassware, ironwork, enamel, gold and silver, pottery, and wooden and ivory sculptures. The reconstruction of an old pharmacy is worth a visit in itself. The hours vary seasonally, for specific timings, call ahead or check the website.

Espace d'Art moderne et contemporain: Les Abattoirs

Toulouse's abattoir, which closed in 1988, is now a museum. Paintings, sculptures, and photographs by more than 700 artists from all over the world are on permanent exhibition. Always original, sometimes shocking, the works captivate the public; particularly enchanting is Picasso's La Dépouille du Minotaure en costume d'Harlequin (1936). In addition to a media library and bookshop, the centre also has lectures, guided tours,multi-media workshops and a plastic arts room for children. The hours vary seasonally, for specific timings, call ahead or check the website.

Musée des Augustins

This monastery, which dates from the 14th and 15th centuries, exhibits the town's largest selection of medieval sculptures (Romanesques and Gothic) and paintings. The collection contains works from the Italian, Flemish and Dutch schools including pieces by Rubens and Le Perugin and French artists from the 16th-20th centuries (Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet, etc.). The monastery itself has a chapel with two beautiful cloisters as well as a unique collection of Romanesque capitals. The museum also organizes guided tours and lectures.

Centre municipal de l'Affiche, de la Carte postale et de l'Art graphique

This museum changes its poster exhibition three times a year. The collections are diverse, sometimes devoted to a specific French or foreign artist, such as Toulouse-Lautrec or Folon, sometimes concerned with such themes as the bicycle, May 1968, or the circus. Calendars, promotional packaging (branded tins, etc.) are all on sale. A large sign outside announces the current exhibition. A good attraction for all ages. Admission: free

Salle des Illustres

In the heart of the Capitole, this impressive hall exhibits the work of Toulouse artists from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th. A highlight of the exhibition is the portrait of La Belle Paule, a delightful young girl who enchanted King François 1 and who was ordered by decree of the town councillors, known as Capitouls, to appear twice a day on her balcony in the Rue du Languedoc in order to prevent rioting among her admirers. This is also a registry office for weddings; couples from Toulouse can take their vows here, in front of Henri Martin's impressionist frescoes. For specific timings, call ahead or check the website.

Musée de l'Histoire de la Médecine

Ground-breaking doctors have worked in Toulouse, Purpan, Labadie and Rochas in the 17th century and, in the 19th century, the mental health expert Esquirol and his disciples, Gérard Marchand and Jean-Baptiste Delaye. It is only natural, therefore, that the Hôtel-Dieu should devote four rooms to old medical instruments, which seem so archaic and terrifying to us today. There are also books and engravings depicting various illnesses, which have thankfully disappeared from France. Don't miss the old pharmacy with its colorful jars of various mixtures. For specific timings, call ahead or check the website.