Phoenicia
Toulouse, Haute-Garonne

A 19th century building on the banks of Canal du Midi, the charming and friendly Hotel Phoenicia is located near the historical city centre of Toulouse. Fully renovated, the hotel offers a large choice of soundproofed, air-conditioned rooms featuring, among other amenities, parquet floors, minibar and satellite TV. In the lounge, free internet access is available for email. Hotel staff take pride in maintaining personal warmth and a friendly atmosphere.

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France’s fourth-largest metropolitan area is consistently vibrant, even when its student population (the largest outside Paris) takes off for the summer or winter holidays. Toulouse combines the easygoing character of the south-west with a self-assurance born not just from its rich cultural heritage, but also from its affluence and role as a high-tech industry town. Dubbed the ‘Ville Rose’ because of its pink brick buildings, Toulouse sits astride the Garonne river and the historic Canal du Midi, midway between the Med and the Atlantic. The heart of town is the vast, arcaded place du Capitole, where the impressive, grandiose Capitole building is the seat of local government. It is worth popping in, if only to see the floor-to-ceiling 19th-century paintings, including Henri Martin’s elaborate depiction of Toulousain life at the time.