Toulouse

If there is a Pink City (read: Jaipur) in India, there’s one in France as well. Toulouse has earned the moniker La Ville Rose (the pink city) for the distinct ochre rooftops and blush pink brick churches it houses. The coral-coloured shopfronts and churches of the Vieux Quartier (Old Quarter), the Garonne River and the overwhelming Canal du Midi are the top places of interest here. Drive all the way to the city university which continues to enjoy its slot as one of the largest universities outside Paris. Travellers with serious interest in French aeronautical history can visit the Airbus factory outside town to get some aero-enlightenment. And if when you want to let your hair down, there are numerous bars in the city awaiting your visit. Even a visit to the food markets as well as salons can be too hard to resist.