Things to Do in Toulouse in July
July weather, activities, events & insider tips
July Weather in Toulouse
Is July Right for You?
Advantages
- Peak summer festival season - July 14th Bastille Day celebrations transform the city with massive fireworks over the Garonne River, live music in every square, and street parties that locals actually attend (not tourist-only events). The entire month has outdoor concerts and cinema screenings in parks.
- Perfect terrace weather with long daylight hours - sunset doesn't happen until around 9:30pm, meaning you can comfortably explore until late evening. The city's 200+ outdoor terraces along Canal du Midi and Place du Capitole are at their absolute best, and locals shift to outdoor dining almost exclusively.
- Summer university break means fewer crowds at major sites - Toulouse has 130,000 students who largely leave in July, so museums like Les Abattoirs and Musée des Augustins are noticeably quieter than May-June. You'll actually get close to the artworks without being rushed.
- Regional produce is exceptional - cassoulet season technically starts, local melons from nearby Quercy are at peak sweetness, and the Victor Hugo market becomes a genuine experience rather than a photo opportunity. The Saturday morning market has triple the usual tomato varieties, and farmers are selling direct.
Considerations
- Inconsistent business hours due to summer closures - many neighborhood bakeries and smaller restaurants close for 2-3 weeks in July for annual vacations (a French tradition), and you won't always know which ones until you show up. Some favorite local spots near Saint-Cyprien might be shuttered when you visit.
- Afternoon heat can be genuinely uncomfortable for walking tours - between 2pm-5pm, temperatures combined with 70% humidity make the old town's narrow streets feel stifling. The pink brick buildings that make Toulouse famous actually retain and radiate heat, turning Place du Capitole into a bit of an oven by mid-afternoon.
- Occasional thunderstorms disrupt outdoor plans - those 10 rainy days often mean sudden afternoon storms with proper downpours, not gentle drizzle. When storms hit, they can last 45-90 minutes and completely shut down outdoor dining and park activities, though they usually clear by evening.
Best Activities in July
Canal du Midi cycling routes
July is actually ideal for cycling the UNESCO-listed canal because the plane trees provide continuous shade and temperatures stay manageable under the canopy. The canal path extends 40 km (25 miles) in both directions from Toulouse, completely flat, and you'll pass working locks, waterside cafes, and almost no car traffic. Morning rides (7am-10am) before the heat builds are when you'll see locals doing their regular routes. The path connects to Carcassonne if you're ambitious, but even a 2-hour morning ride to Port Lauragais and back (about 20 km/12 miles round trip) gives you the full experience.
Cité de l'Espace aerospace museum visits
July means air-conditioned relief during the hottest part of the day, and this is genuinely one of Europe's best space museums - Toulouse is the Airbus headquarters, so this isn't a generic science center. The full-scale Ariane 5 rocket outside is impressive, but the planetarium shows (in French and English) and the MIR space station walkthrough are what make it worth the 25 euro admission. Budget 4-5 hours minimum. The museum added new Mars exploration exhibits in 2025 that are particularly strong.
Garonne River sunset walks and picnics
This is what locals actually do in July - buy supplies at Victor Hugo market in the morning, then claim a spot on the Prairie des Filtres (the long riverside park) around 7:30pm for sunset at 9:30pm. The pink brick buildings across the river turn genuinely spectacular colors as the sun sets, and you'll be surrounded by Toulousains doing the same thing, not tour groups. Wednesday and Saturday evenings often have impromptu music performances. The stretch from Pont Neuf to Pont Saint-Pierre is about 1.5 km (0.9 miles) of continuous riverbank access.
Airbus factory tours
July is actually excellent for this because tour groups are smaller (fewer school groups), and you're seeing where A380s and A350s are assembled - this is the largest aerospace manufacturing site in Europe. The 90-minute guided tours take you onto the actual assembly lines when production is running. You need to book well ahead as tours sell out, but it's genuinely fascinating even if you're not an aviation enthusiast. Security is tight (passport required), and no photos allowed inside, but seeing a partially-assembled A380 fuselage is remarkable.
Covered market food tours
Victor Hugo market is the centerpiece, but July is when you'll find the best produce and when locals are shopping for their own summer entertaining. The market operates Tuesday-Sunday mornings until 1pm, and the upstairs restaurant section serves lunch until 2:30pm. This is where you try cassoulet at its source (yes, even in summer - locals eat it year-round), sample 15+ varieties of saucisson, and understand why Toulouse takes its food seriously. The Saturday morning crowd is intense but authentic - you're shopping alongside residents, not performing for tourists.
Pyrenees mountain day trips
July is peak season for Pyrenees access - all mountain roads are clear, refuges are open, and you can reach high-altitude lakes and peaks that are snowbound other months. The mountains are 90 minutes to 2 hours south of Toulouse by car, and temperatures drop noticeably with elevation (expect 18-22°C/64-72°F at 1,500 m/4,900 ft even when Toulouse is 28°C/82°F). Popular destinations include Lac d'Oô for moderate hiking, Cirque de Gavarnie for dramatic scenery, or Luchon for thermal baths. This is a genuine escape from city heat.
July Events & Festivals
Bastille Day (Fête Nationale)
July 14th is the biggest event of the month - Toulouse does this properly with a massive fireworks display over the Garonne River (visible from both banks and all bridges), military parade in the morning on Allées Jean-Jaurès, and street dances (bals populaires) in virtually every neighborhood square that evening. The fireworks typically start around 10:30pm and last 25-30 minutes. Locals picnic along Prairie des Filtres starting around 8pm to claim spots. This is a genuine national celebration, not a tourist event, so expect crowds and closed businesses on the 14th.
Toulouse d'Été Festival
This umbrella festival runs throughout July with free outdoor concerts, cinema screenings in parks, and theater performances across the city. Programming changes yearly but typically includes jazz concerts at Jardin Raymond VI, classic film screenings at Prairie des Filtres after sunset, and contemporary music at various squares. Most events are free or under 10 euros. Check the city's cultural calendar in late June for specific 2026 programming - events are usually announced 2-3 weeks ahead.
Siestes Électroniques
Electronic music festival that has been running for 15+ years, typically scheduled for mid-July. This is a proper multi-day event with international DJs, outdoor stages, and a mix of daytime and evening performances. Previous editions have featured techno, house, and experimental electronic acts. Not free - tickets typically cost 40-60 euros for day passes, 100-120 euros for weekend passes. Worth checking if you're into electronic music, as the lineup is usually strong and the outdoor venues take advantage of summer weather.