I didn't know anything about Toulouse except that it was the home of  cassoulet (sausage, bean and duck casserole), the best foie gras and Europe's space program. But Easyjet sales means that it's easy to broaden my travelling horizons and I'm becoming a fan of visiting 'fourth city tourism' - visitng the regional cities of Western Europe where there's no must-see hectic sightseeing, the city is chilled out, the locals are friendly and most importantly, the food is still fantastic.

Eat at:

Philippe Faur. One of a row of ice cream shops on place du Capitole but I was attracted to this one because of its steel ice cream canisters - a mark of quality given my experiences in Rome. The violet sorbet (a speciality of the town) was very sweet and refreshing.

Capucine. A sweet Tiffany-eggshell blue cafe serving tea in beautiful china cups.

Sorbet d'amour. Famous ice cream makers since 1935, as evidenced by the long line. Two ice creams in a day was no obstacle to me sampling their interesting flavours, including mirabelle de Lorraine.

Le Colombier. Billing itself as 'The Temple of Cassoulet', this local haunt was full on Saturday night and at every table the patrons were tucking into terracotta bowls of cassoulet. Their version was delicious and hearty but it's definitely not every day food unless you are a farmer in the mountains. According to the website, the recipe of the cassoulet from Castelnaudary has remained at Le Colombier for 150 years and when the restaurant was sold in 1976, the recipe was sold with it! I think it's really funny that the origins of cassoulet are apparently in dispute with the Villefrance-de-Lauiragais region - the only difference being that the Toulousian version is eaten slightly browned on top!

Antic et the. This serene antique shop hides a mini salon de the where you can sip your drink in fine china and refined surroundings. They get their tea from a tea merchant down the road, Saveurs et Harmonies. One of my favourite discoveries of Toulouse.

Brasserie Le Bibent. This gorgeously baroque dining room looks out onto the place du Capitole and is perfect for a relaxing Sunday lunch. It seems that the locals agree because many were greeted by the waitress with familiar kisses, including a cute old couple at the best table in the house - he dressed in a tie and waistcoat, she with her white hair done up and makeup on.  Our escargots du Dordogne were enormous and rightly garlicky, the mains were a bit heavy (more foie gras for Huy and duck for me) but the pinnacle was the tres jolie dessert platter which we spied at the next table and then ordered for ourselves. Two hours and 30 euros later, it was time for a post-prandial nap.

Le Paradis du Fruit. A cute fruit juice and home-made ice cream bar with a bright interior, fantastic icecream and the biggest creamiest cappucino ever. A lovely respite from the rain.

Shop at:

To do:

Visit Cathedrale Saint-Etienne. This cathedral is the weirdest mishmash of architectural styles I've ever seen thanks to a patchwork of unfinished or chopped off construction. It was one of many examples of in the city of the weird juxtaposition of ancient and modern buildings, of brick and concrete.

Visit Basilique St. Sernin. This calm and light church is the largest Romanesque church in Europe and is a soothing place to rest from the crazy trash market outside on Sunday.

Cinema Utopia. A wet Sunday in Toulouse doesn't leave many options if you've already spent 2 hours at lunch and am anticipating another 2 hours for dinner. So we decided to indulge in a very French pastime and aller au cinema. Unfortunately, the only English language cinema in town (a cute little place with velvet wallpaper, 19th century portraits and mini-chandelier lamps) was showing films we had already seen...or a French film. So we decided to go for L'ete Indien - at least we could sleep and for 5.50 euro it was cheaper than a hotel room. After 5 minutes of sweeping views of the Haute-Savoie and no dialogue, Huy started snoring gently, while my schoolgirl French got me through the story about a lonely taciturn man in the mountains, his daughter in love with her boyfriend and wanting to get married and his sadness since his wife left him. It was actually quite enjoyable and the scenery was stunning.

Stay at:

Hotel Heliot.  A lovely cosy hotel hosted by incredibly friendly Frederic and presided over by his black and white cat. Our spacious room included high ceilings, a Juliet balcony, fancy cornices around the fireplace and comfortable beds. It's in a great location for the main eating and shopping areas and convenient for the train station and the bus stop (NB the airport bus departs every 20 minutes and only costs 6 euros return). A final novelty from a hotel in the city which is home to the Airbus, Concorde and the European Space Program: a late night door opening system which checks you in via your digital fingerprint. A wonderful find for 70 euros.