TOULOUSE

Stroll through the capital of France's Occitanie region taking in historical architecture, regional flavours and aerospace attractions

- HANNAH BRANDLER

1 JARDIN JAPONAIS

We'll forgive you for thinking you have stumbled into our Kyoto feature but this image of a Japanese garden was actually taken in a southern French city. The Pierre Baudis Japanese garden is a zen paradise hidden away in the Compans-Caffarelli park, located in the northwestern part of Toulouse. The 7,000 sqm green space was created in 1981 after Baudis was inspired by the landscaped gardens he witnessed on his travels. The immaculately tended garden features a pond, which can be crossed via a striking red bridge, a Japanese dry garden featuring rocks and raked gravel, plus a serene tea pavilion. It's free to visit and open from 9am until around 6-7pm (depending on the season), though parks can also be closed due to Toulouse's notoriously strong winds - it's a no-go zone once these reach above 60km/h.

2 MANGER ET BOIRE