36 Hours in Toulouse

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A cruise along the Garonne River and its offshoot canals offers theperfect vantage point to get the lay of the land and glimpse manyof Toulouse’s Old World monuments. The “CroisièreÉté Canal” cruise offered by Les BateauxToulousains passes through the lock of St. Pierre, underneath the venerablePont Neuf bridge, and past classic edifices like the 19th-centuryChâteau d’Eau, a brick water tower transformed into aphotography museum. The commentary is in French, but an Englishtext translation is provided. Cruises run about 75 minutes andgenerally operate from mid-March through October. The cost foradults is 8 euros, or about $13 at $1.60 to the euro.
Thick with white beans, pork, pork fat, red sausage, white sausageand abundant goose confit, the classic cassoulet served at LeColombier won’t win the endorsement of any cardiologists. But thehearty slow-cooked stew is an essential experience in southwesternFrance, and this simple stone and brick dining room is among thebest places in town to appreciate it. Finish with some strawberrysoup with lime sorbet, a blast of tart-sweet acidity to cut theheaviness of the meaty maelstrom. A three-course dinner for twopeople, without wine, is around 80 euros.
You half expect to run into factory workers and fishwives from aZola novel at Au Père Louis (45, rue des Tourneurs;33-5-61-21-33-45), a wine bar with oak barrels and dusty bottlesdating back to 1889. These days, wine is still its universalsolvent, washing away the distinctions between the different socialtypes — students, well-heeled couples, young professionals,rock-and-rollers — who sip glasses of Fronton (3 euros),Côtes du Rhône (2.80 euros) and other appellations underthe antique chandelier. Squeeze in before the 10:30 closing time.
Rue Cujas, an easy-to-miss lane in central Toulouse, might betterbe called Style Street. Clubbers and clotheshorses seek out the twoSun Bell stores (17 and 18, rue Cujas; 33-5-61-23-12-62), whichsell cardigans from Surface-to-Air, parkalike dresses from Paul &Joe and other clothes from cult-favorite French labels, starting atabout 125 euros.