Alejandro V.: First Impression Of Toulouse

After we arrived in Toulouse, we had a quick meet and greet with our agency, grabbed a solid five hours of sleep, and then hit the streets to explore the old town, or as the locals call it, the centre-ville.

Right away, something caught my attention: the subway comes every 2 to 4 minutes. Can you imagine? For someone like me who's used to waiting much longer, that felt like a luxury. The buses are also fairly punctual, especially in the mornings. Though, I have to admit, in the evenings, waiting for a bus can test your patience a bit.

As soon as we reached the city center, I was honestly in awe. I couldn’t believe my eyes, beautiful buildings surrounded us on all sides. What really stood out to me was the blend of old and new architecture, all wrapped in this warm, reddish brick style that's unique to Toulouse. It’s often called La Ville Rose (“The Pink City”) for good reason.

People were sitting around in cafés, chatting and enjoying the sunshine. Kids were playing in the squares, music drifted through the air, it was like walking into a living postcard. I’ve never experienced such a relaxed and vibrant atmosphere in a city this size, especially one that isn’t super famous internationally. It made me wonder: why isn’t everyone talking about this place?

Another thing that surprised me, in a good way, is how young the city feels. You really don’t see many elderly people around. Instead, the streets are full of students, young professionals, and creatives. That’s when it hit me: Toulouse is a student city. And you can feel it in the energy, it’s lively, dynamic, and always moving.

But let’s talk about the heat for a second. Oh wow, the first few days were intense, with temperatures hitting at least 36°C and going up to 40°C daily. Thankfully, the forecast promises some cooler weather next week. Fingers crossed.

Now, about the city’s cleanliness: overall, Toulouse is very clean. Sure, there are a few spots here and there that aren’t spotless, but honestly, which city doesn’t have those?

The people here are quite friendly too, which makes settling in much easier. That said, one small challenge is the language barrier. Very few locals speak English, at least not fluently. Good practice for us though, right? On the bright side, being close to Spain means there's a noticeable Spanish influence here, you’ll find many Spanish speakers, and even some signs translated into Spanish. As a language lover, I really appreciate that.

However, not everything is sunshine and roses. One thing that really surprised me were the prices. Shopping for groceries here made us raise our eyebrows. Some goods and produce can cost almost double what we pay back home in Austria. Definitely something to keep in mind if you're coming on a student budget.