Travelling home from Nérac last week, we were offered the chance to check out Toulouse thanks to our friends at Expedia.ca. “Toulouse?” I hear you say… “Isn’t that just over an hour from Nérac? Haven’t you been there before in all the trips you’ve taken over the past few years setting up the house?” Well, yes, we’ve been… to the outskirts of the city… To large hardware stores… to Ikea and other similar stores… but never to Toulouse proper. It’s always been a case of “so near yet so far”…
In any case, I knew that when I finally did make it to the “Pink City” (so-called because of the distinctive pink stone that is used to construct many of the buildings there), the Marché Victor Hugo would be the very first place I headed. Toulouse might not be at the top of many tourists’ “must visit” cities in France but those in the know will tell you it’s a food-lover’s paradise. There is definitely a focus on meat with menus featuring dishes such as cassoulet, confit de canard and sausages. The city even has its own trademarked saucisse de Toulouse which has been made since the 18th century and is now protected by an AOC – appellation d’origine contrôlée (whose standards stipulate that products must come from designated geographical regions and adhere to traditional methods of production). You’ll also see dishes featuring haricots blancs/ haricots Tarbais (white beans), another staple of the cuisine in South West France.
To get a general overview of the food scene, there’s no better place than the centrally-located Marché Victor Hugo. The square where the market sits today was originally constructed in 1827, at the time, named the Marché-au-Bois which sold animal feed and wood, then later, antiques. The square was named Victor Hugo in 1886, and the market was completely remodeled in 1892 to become a covered market. In 1959 it was renovated again to its current state. Work is set to begin again this fall, to modernise the parking lot and the surrounding square.
The market opens early (6am) and I suspect that when it’s not the summer holidays, it’s best to get there early to catch all the action without too many crowds of tourists. As it was, on a sunny Friday in August, we arrived around 10am and it was still fairly quiet. Sure, there were locals there doing their shopping (it still feels very much like a local market) and a few tourists, but it was quiet enough to be able to really get a good look at all the stalls. You can find a complete list of all the commerce in the market here (in French).
Here’s just a taste of what you can find there (warning – you might be hungry after watching this!) – even in August when a handful of the stalls were closed, there was still so much to see and buy.
Marché Victor Hugo
Place Victor Hugo
31000, Toulouse
Open everyday except Monday 6am – 2pm (also open on public holidays)
Tempted? Check out flights to Toulouse on Expedia.ca then look for a hotel deal in Toulouse – and watch out for my upcoming post where I’ll outline some places you won’t want to miss if you are a food enthusiast – and give you some tips for navigating summer closures – don’t worry, even with a few of the places we had on our “must visit” list closed for 4-8 weeks in the summer, we still found plenty to do and eat 🙂
Disclosure: Thanks to my friends at Expedia.ca for covering our stay Hotel Pullman on this trip as part of the Big World Explorer programme. I have not received further compensation and everything is written based on my personal experience on this trip.
Just wonderful Mardi. We are flying in and out of Toulouse on our trip to Ceret next month. We will finally spend a few days in the city after all these years of flying in and out. Your film of the market made my mouth water.
Snap, right? We’ve been “so close” before and out 36 hours made us think about planning some extra time there next trip too!
Thanks Mardi… very nice snapshot of the market. Looks like a must visit for any foodie visitor.
Definitely – or anyone really. It’s a great look into the way people live!
great camera work Mardi! I had to quit halfway through because I was drooling too much 😉
If I ever get back there…it’s a place to visit for sure.
Thanks – I did try to keep it short so people wouldn’t get bored. Didn’t count on the “drool” factor…
Thank you for letting us visit the market vicariously! I love the atmosphere of those European markets! Your video sure makes me want to be there!
My job here is done then 🙂 Glad you enjoyed!
It’s not surprising at all that you haven’t explored more of Toulouse, considering you’ve had a new home ground to establish and explore, along with your adventures elsewhere. It sounds like you’ll be visiting there again, though, which is the best endorsement they could earn.
I love visiting markets when I travel, as you said to Geoff, it’s a great way to get to know what locals love. Your video make me hungry for lunch and for travel!
Right – a market or supermarket is a great window into another culture!
I have to admit, Toulouse hasn’t been on my radar up til now, but I might just have to change my mind… I do have a soft spot for cassoulet, after all, and those cheese counters at the market looks positively swoon-worthy! (Plus it would give me a reason to go back to France, which is hardly a bad thing.)
Hey and I happen to know a little house just west of Toulouse that you might enjoy renting 😉 Seriously, you would LOVE Toulouse!!
Thanks so much for this post! We are planning our trip for next year and Toulouse might now be one of our stops. That market looks amazing!
Toulouse is definitely worth a few days’ exploring! Let me know if you need any other suggestions/ guidelines… And of course there’s always our vacation rental in Nérac… 😉
What a beautiful area, Mardi! Not going to lie, I’ve been eyeing your vacation rental and subtly showing my boyfriend, being like, “Hey, hey, look at this!” The fact that nearby Toulouse is a foodie paradise and has a beautiful food market (open early for early risers like me!) is just a bonus. Great post. 🙂
Cassie – so sweet of you! Toulouse is definitely one of the great reasons to stay in the area! Let me know if you have any questions!