Please sign in to post.

Toulouse during Easter week. Feedbacks appreciated

Posted by on

Hi all,

We are currently planning a one week trip to Toulouse and surrounding area during Easter week and would appreciate any feedbacks/suggestions. We are a family of 4 (kids are 9&11).

Day 1: land in Toulouse in the morning. Easy stroll on the left bank. Hotel dieu saint Jacques, pont neuf, walk along the river bank
Day 2 (Easter Sunday): basilique saint sernin, jacobins convent, place du capitole, saint etienne cathedral, victor Hugo market
Day 3 (Easter Monday): visit carcassonne by train
Day 4: Halle de la machine. Free afternoon
Day 5: the beginning of a 2-day road trip. Visit Albi. Drive to cordes sur ciel and spend the night
Day 6: explore cordes sur ciel early in the morning. Drive to najac and visit the castle. Drive to moissac for Saint Pierre cloister abbey. Return to Toulouse
Day 7: free day. Continue to explore Toulouse
Day 8: fly out

Is the itinerary too loose? We just had a wonderful trip to Andalusia but the itinerary was packed and we were exhausted at the end of it, so we are trying to take it easy this time. I’m not sure if the kids will get bored though.

My other concern is the Easter Sunday and Monday. I tried to research what will be open and what will be closed but have gotten conflicting information. At least some restaurants and grocery stores will remain open I hope? I will also need to confirm which attractions/monuments will closed using their official websites.

Thank you in advance for your feedbacks!

Posted by
2769 posts

IMO, the looser the better, especially with kids.

Posted by
3394 posts

Regarding your visit to Toulouse, take a look at this map I created, which might give you some information. I've taken visiting friends, more or less following the walking tours I've marked on the map. In case it's helpful:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1Z1sSFFM4Injq9W_WArpkpYN_6SanFjw&usp=sharing

The Halle de la Machine will certainly be a big hit with children (and you too!).

As for days 5 and 6, Cordes-sur-Ciel is nice to see, but guidebooks often forget to mention other places, so I think you'd benefit from looking at this other map, which will show you plenty of other worthwhile spots. Especially if you're going to Najac and Moissac from Albi. Specifically, you could plan a route that includes, for example, Castelnau-de-Montmirail, Puycelsi, and Bruniquel.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1SrAtdgxHVZnob6W3FwLoW4bqrLmZCuU&usp=sharing

Regarding openings and closings during Easter Sunday and Monday, with maybe some exceptions that should be verified on a case-by-case basis, all historical sites, castles, etc., will normally be open.

Services such as banks, post offices, and government offices will be closed. There are pharmacies on duty.

Restaurants that are usually open on Sundays and Mondays during the year are generally also open during Easter. So there's no need to worry about that. Many shops in towns that are open on Saturdays usually close on Mondays anyway.

Supermarkets are closed on Sundays, except for a few small town supermarkets like Carrefour Market.
As for supermarkets and other food stores, on Easter Monday they are either completely closed or only open in the morning. It's a case-by-case decision and impossible to know in advance.

The Victor Hugo market in Toulouse is closed every Monday (the good restaurants upstairs are also closed).

Posted by
13 posts

Wow JoLui this is fantastic. Thank you!

Those medieval villages do look great and actually bruniquel was on the list, but I decided to drop it to keep the itinerary simple. Will reconsider. Perhaps bruniquel instead of najac.

That’s a lot of good info to digest. Thanks again!

Posted by
3394 posts

If you include Bruniquel in your trip, don't forget Puycelsi, which is very close and on the same route (15 minutes by car from Bruniquel. The D964 departmental road is very scenic in places, a bit winding but very safe.

Castelnau-de-Montmirail is a rather nice traditional bastide village to visit; if you're passing through, you can stop for an hour. It's also on the same D964 road.

In the area, between Toulouse and Albi, you can also visit Gaillac, a pretty town famous for its wines.

https://www.tourisme-tarn.com/decouvrir/incontournables/bastides-villages/villes/gaillac/

Add Reply

Please do not reply to violations of our Community Guidelines.