Digital Nomad Guide for Toulouse
Toulouse, also called the Pink City because of the multitude of pink-bricked houses, is a city in the South of France, just a few hours drive away from to the Spanish border.
I once went here for a day trip and loved it so much that I wanted to come back and stay for a little while longer. I’ve been back since that day trip and discovered the city a little further, also to evaluate how worthy it is to be called a ‘nomad destination’. Obviously, it is definitely worthy, otherwise I wouldn’t write this digital nomad guide!
Find below my digital nomad’s guide for Toulouse, France:)
Quicklinks:
Things To Do & See
Stroll around the picturesque streets
As always, the most perfect way to experience any European city is simply by taking a walk and getting lost in the beautiful and historic streets. And it’s no different with Toulouse. The picturesque streets with the pink-brick houses somehow remind me of the town from the Disney movie Belle and the Beast. So, it really does feel like straight out of a fairy tale!
While you’re strolling around, check out these main sights to see:
Place du Capitole - the main square in Toulouse, with loads of cafe’s where you can sit and take in the view.
Couvent des Jacobins - a gorgeous Catholic Church with a courtyard
Pont Neuve - the bridge connecting the main city centre with the part of town called St. Cyprien.
Chappelle Saint-Joseph de La Grace - a restored hospital building from the 1800s
Why not book a walking tour with a guide to tell you all about the history of Toulouse?
Do some shopping at the boutique stores
Toulouse has loads of cute boutique stores so if you love shopping then check out some of the following stores:
BiArts - Vintage clothing made new. I bought a really cute T-shirt here! They remake old clothing and add fun touches to them, like graphics. You can also have them customise a piece for you specifically.
TRAIT papier - lovely little stationary store where you can also find nice souvenirs.
Fifi Jolipois - Here you can make your own bead bracelets and other jewelry
Les Écuries - A quirky souvenir store, selling locally crafted accessories, and other handmade trinkets.
Check out some of the museums
There are quite a few museums in Toulouse, so if you’re a museum person, then there will be plenty to see. Here is a selection:
Musée aeroscopia - an Airplane museum close to the airport of Toulouse, which includes the Concorde and you can look inside an A380! Definitely a must for plane lovers.
George’s Bembergs Foundation - a museum housed in a gorgeous mansion with fine art from the Renaissance to the 19th century.
Musée des Augustins - a fine art museum particularly known for it’s sculptures and paintings from the 1700s.
Wander along the river Garonne
The river Garonne meanders through the city of Toulouse, and wandering along the river banks was one of my favourite things to do during my stay.
There are also other activities you can do at the river, such as kayaking or renting a boat.
Do a wine tasting and visit the vineyards
Wine and cheese tasting
If you find yourself in the South of France, wine tasting is a must for wine lover! There’s plenty of wine tasting events available in Toulouse.
If you’re staying in the city, I tried the wine tasting with cheese pairing at Les Petits Crus, which was a fun and tasty experience! You can choose either 4 or 6 wine/cheese pairings and you can also select your ‘flavour profile’, such as intense or mild. I love really strong cheeses so I went with an intense flavour profile 😄
If you have time and possibly a car, then it’s also a great idea to visit some of the wineries outside of the city. There are plenty of wine tastings and vineyard tours you can book via GetYourGuide for instance. This one includes transfer from Toulouse to the vineyards as well.
Check out the parks and gardens
There are quite a few lovely parks and gardens in Toulouse that are beautifully kept and are worth checking out:
Day trip to another French city
Toulouse is close to many other beautiful French cities such as Bordeaux, Carcassonne, The Pyrenees and others. Most are easily reachable by car or train.
You can also book a daytrip tour to Carcassonne for example, that takes care of all the transportation and also includes a tourguide.
Another idea is to visit the famous town Lourdes by booking a day trip from Toulouse.
Where To Eat
Specialty Coffee and Cafes to Work from
There’s quite a few nice specialty coffee spots in Toulouse and I also found several great ones to work from:
Hayuco Coffee Copola/Boutique - This specialty coffee place has two locations: one in the city centre inside a barber shop and another one just across the river, which also serves food and pastries. The latter is also an excellent place to do some work from, except if you go on a weekend when it’s more packed.
La Brûlerie des Filatiers - Specialty coffee bar and roastery. They sell various specialty coffee beans and you can also have your coffee at the bar.
Kopi Coffee - A cute cafe that serves great coffee, pastries and breakfast dishes (even Kaya toast). It’s also a great cafe to work from.
Plot Twist Cafe - a cozy specialty coffee spot, with a book nook and also a separate (small) coworking area.
Where To Eat
There are plenty of nice cafes and French restaurants around Toulouse.
Here are a few I’ve tried and enjoyed:
Campagne - a trendy French restaurant tucked in a small side street away from the crowds of the main square in Toulouse. Great food and wine for a reasonable price.
Bun Viet - a small and cozy Vietnamese place in case you’re craving some Asian food.
Camille Morning Bistrot- a popular breakfast and brunch spot and they serve delicious gourmet french breakfast, such as omelettes and pancakes.
Café La Fiancée - a beautiful brunch and coffee spot with a lovely terrace.
Victor Hugo Market- a small market in the city centre with loads of local delicacies to try.
🥖 TIP: There’s also a wonderful food tour you can do, led by a chef and you can sample different local foods.
Where To Work From
Toulouse doesn't have the same nomad density as digital nomad hotspost like Lisbon or Chiang Mai, but there are a few coworking spaces that stand out for actually building a community around them — not just renting an office desks.
Here are four worth checking out:
The Social Hub Toulouse - Part of a Europe-wide network built specifically with digital nomads in mind. There’s a weekly programme of workshops, networking events, and even wellness sessions, plus a genuinely international crowd since members can hop between 20+ sister locations across Europe.
TAU Coworking - A small, member-run space right on Place de la Daurade overlooking the river Garonne. Here, members share responsibilities and the vibe feels closer to a coliving than a ‘corporate’ coworking space.
Ô Local - Set in a beautiful old warehouse building (Château du Canal, dating back to 1830), with a terrace and even a pool table for when you need a break. They offer a specific day rate for nomads (~€18/day) and the team has a reputation for being especially welcoming to people just passing through.
HarryCow Coworking - Housed in a picturesque building near the river, with exposed brick and wood floors. HarryCow runs regular member events for connecting and networking, and there's no deposit or long-term commitment required.
Noma Coworking Cafe - a coworking cafe with great coffee, fast wifi, meeting rooms and overall friendly vibes. You pay for the time you spend there and the drinks and snacks are unlimited. You can also already book your spot in advance.
Where To Stay
During my stay in Toulouse I stayed in an Airbnb, just outside the city centre. I though the price was pretty okay per night: around 65 euros a night. Of course, this also depends on the month and the season you are visiting Toulouse, but since I went end of August, I thought this price was no too bad at all.
There’s also plenty of hotels and apartments that you can book via Booking.com.
Here’s a budget apart-hotel I stayed at which is also great for week-long stays and is close to the city: Appart'hôtel Odalys City - Toulouse Centre Compans Caffarelli.
When To Go
The best time to go to Toulouse is spring and early summer - when you’ll likely smell the lavender scents in the air and the temperature is a brilliant 18-25 degrees Celsius. However, the summer months of July and August are of course the priciest time to go.
Since Toulouse sits in the South of France, temperatures in the autumn months are also really pleasant. It’s a mild 12-24C; perfect temperature for a city trip, and it might be less expensive than during the summer.
How To Get Around
Toulouse isn’t big - you can walk anywhere within 30 minutes. Another great option is to rent a bike because the city is very bike friendly.
There’s also a metro and a tram system which can take you to various places in Toulouse.
There’s also a free shuttle bus that takes you to the centre of Toulouse! You can hop on at different stops around the city and the bus goes every 15 minutes and does a loop around the city. You can find more info and the specific stops here.
☀️ Resources for your nomad trip to Toulouse:
As a digital nomad, it’s extra important to get a a travel insurance so that you can travel stress free. I always use SafetyWingwhich is designed specifically for digital nomads and I think is great value for money. I have the Nomad Complete plan which covers both health and travel insurance in one.
Get an eSim to stay connected while you’re traveling. I use the Saily app, which I think is the easiest and most reliable. You can use TND10 to get 10% off your first plan!
Get a Wise card to avoid ATM transaction fees and pay in a local currency with a Wise card - you can get one here.
Digital Nomad Community
Despite not being a traditional nomad destination, Toulouse has an active expat (thanks to the Airbus headquarters) and remote-worker scene — partly thanks to the student population and a growing tech sector. A lot of the connection happens through coworking spaces themselves: The Social Hub runs a weekly programme of networking events and workshops, and smaller member-run spaces like TAU tend to organize their own casual meetups too.
Beyond the coworking spaces, here are a few places to find your people:
Expats in Toulouse - The biggest one, with nearly 8,000 members. They run frequent language cafés, social nights, and city activities, and it's very much a "come as you are" kind of group.
Toulouse Expats (Facebook group) - Useful for more practical, day-to-day questions (visas, housing, recommendations) alongside the social side.
Toulouse as a DN Destination
While Toulouse is not a very famous nomad destination I think it’s definitely got the potential. Especially if you want to stay in France for a while, I think it’s probably your best option, because in my opinion, Paris is way too expensive for the average digital nomad.
There are plenty of cafes to work from and also several co-working spaces, and it seems like more things are opening that cater to the remote worker.
That being said, there aren’t many meetups specifically for digital nomads. What I could find was mostly student language exchangs and meetups for expats. However, this may definitely change in the future!
If you’re looking for a quintessential French experience while nomading around the world, Toulouse is definitely a great option.
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