Why Visit France Oustide of Paris?

Why skip Paris for small town France? I’m the first to recommend Paris full heartedly. It is a wonder trove made up of complex layers of history, architecture and people. Many French, however, cringe at the thought of spending time in the City of Lights. It’s dirty, crowded and moves at a hyper-active pace compared to the rest of France. Where does this opinion come from?

Well, it might be coming from people living in the south-western city of Toulouse. Compared with Paris life here is much less of a hassle. It’s cleaner, easier to get from place to place and the people are friendly from the first Bonjour!

All that is needed to understand the appeal of small-town France is a comparison of the Paris metro with Toulouse’s transportation system. The underground stations in Paris require passengers to march up, down, over and through all varieties of underground stairways, tunnels and escalators. Commuting in Paris means metro cars packed to the brim with rush-hour madness and the smell of urine lingering in dank passageways. Times this by two or three for the necessary transfers and you have a public transportation nightmare in the making.

Toulouse, by contrast, has two metro lines. Tiny bright yellow cars arrive every four minutes to shuffle Toulousians throughout the city in under 20 minutes. By the time you enter the station voilà! the trip seems already over.

Another benefit of Toulouse is that it’s quaint and calm. The streets are charming and welcoming. Most are so small and winding that they barely accommodate one-way traffic. Once you leave the busy shopping area you often find yourself alone to contemplate the cats lingering on cobblestone streets. This atmosphere becomes even more relaxed on Sundays, the day of pause. The city slows to a complete halt as families head to the park or out of town leaving streets empty and shops closed.

Most importantly, people in Toulouse are helpful and welcoming. When you’re spotted fumbling with a map, strangers offer to walk you to your destination and hand out their phone number in case you have more questions. I had one stranger give me her ATM card to help me start my cell phone plan! This might be slightly out of the norm even for Toulouse, but it is indicative of how helpful and friendly people are here.

To sum it up, Toulouse is a wonderful town to live in.Visiting smaller French towns like Toulouse allows you to vacation more like the French live, slowly with time to take in the beauty surrounding you. It’s a nice compliment to the more complex Parisian experience.