What's on

THE Tour de France is stopping off in Toulouse - on July 12 and 13 2008. The 8th stage of the Tour arrives in Toulouse on July 12: Figeac - Toulouse, 174 km. The riders will set off next day for the Pyrenees - Bagnères-de-Bigorre - on a stage 222 km long. There'll be exhibitions, concerts and a large number of events in the city to celebrate the great race and its riders … The Tour, its caravan and its champions will be heroes for a day.

Toulouse d'été "Chaud les musiques" makes for enchanting summer nights and gets in the rhythm. From July 15 to August 8, 2008, Toulouse Council offers anyone who takes the time an opportunity to be a spectator in a sublime combination of the architectural splendour of the city's monuments and the harmony of sound.

Out and about

AT the heart of the Midi region, Toulouse is France's fourth biggest city that bubbles over with life. There's nothing like a stroll around the historic centre, walking alongside the Garonne River and the Canal du Midi, or stopping in one of the many cafés whose terraces spill out onto the streets.

Toulouse offers many possibilities for exploration of various periods in time and some must-see attractions are: La Cite de l'espace - the space experience, the Augustins fine arts museum, The Capitole - the home of the Town Hall and Théâtre National du Capitole, The Paul Dupuy museum, applied arts, graphic arts and the stunning Saint-Sernin basilica.

The quickest way to get your bearings and some sight seeing is to jump on the tourist train. The accompanying commentary will enable you to discover the places that made Toulouse renowned, such as the Capitole, the basilica of Saint-Sernin, Saint-Pierre des Cuisines, the banks of the Garonne,

the Quai de la Daurade, the Promenade Henri Martin and the Hotel d'Assézat.

A major shopping destination, Toulouse has all the major brands in fashion, design, leather goods and jewellery. The city neighbourhoods also live by the rhythm of the open-air and covered markets. Here you'll find local products from the Midi-Pyrenees, which is one of the South-West's most important gastronomic regions - producing wine, foie gras, cheeses, charcuterie, and of course cassoulet - the Toulousain dish par excellence!

One of the most unusual tourist attractions is set deep in the heart of the underground. The Toulouse Tourist Office has developed a two-hour guided tour of the works of art found in eight metro stations. In this most unusual promenade, visitors will descend into the heart of an underground art gallery where architecture, sculpture, light, painting, and new technology inspire surprising emotions and feelings. Since the opening of the 18 A-Line stations in 1993, followed by the 20 new B-Line stations in 2007, contemporary art has been incorporated into and around the very heart of Toulouse's underground network. No fewer than 38 works of art line the halls of the A and B Lines, making the underground a unique exhibit area for works by artists of national and international renown. It serves as a perfect example of the integration of art into public space, and accessible to all.

The exhibit installation within each station is the fruit of a shared vision between artist and architect in a quest to provide cultural breadth and create a site of harmonious passage and exchange for citizens and visitors.

Hotel Garonne invites you to stay in an elegant and charming atmosphere. The 14 bedrooms overlooks either a small street, the river Garonne or the inner courtyard of number 51 rue des Couteliers. The restaurant Le 19 welcomes you in a setting combining tradition and modernity. Two brick vaulted dining rooms for your seminars or private dinners, a magnificent wine cellar and fine cigar collection.

For those on a budget, Hotel les Beaux-Arts is in the cultural and historical city centre, on the banks of the river Garonne, this 3*** charming hotel, includes stylish décor and is entirely non-smoking. Hotel des Beaux Arts offers the intimacy, the elegance and the charm of a small hotel with 19 rooms, costing from £86 per night on a room only basis.

Getting there

Fly direct from Belfast International to Toulouse with Jet2 www.jet2.com