PETER MARTINI enjoys a visit to The Pink City

AH, la Ville Rose. The Pink City.

It’s five years since we last went to Toulouse, that beautiful city in the Midi-Pyrenees region of south west France, close to the border with Spain.

But we always said we’d be back, for several reasons.

The relaxed ambience, the gastronomy – contemporary world foods on one hand and high-quality local produce on the other, not least the cassoulet, pate, lamb and duck which are local specialities – and even the buildings, be they the spectacular landmarks or just the old dwellings made of the local pink brick from which the city gets its nickname.

Then there’s the wine - wonderful French wine, including Gaillac, a little-known red back home but a favourite round here.

Not to mention the stunning national parks to the south that take you into and up the Pyrenees, if you feel like swapping city life for mountains.

Toulouse, a former Roman town sitting astride the River Garonne, is France’s fourth biggest city - but don’t let that kid you.

There are some high-rise blocks and a bit of the usual graffiti in the outskirts, but, when it comes to hustle and bustle, forget it - this place is probably the most laid-back of all of France’s great multicultural municipalities.

You can maybe blame that on the warm weather and perhaps the Spanish influence. Blame it, too, on the sizeable student population – more than 100,000 of them apparently.

Either way, people stroll rather than walk, a drink is enjoyed rather than downed.

Toulouse is easy to get to. Flying from Manchester Airport with leisure airline Jet2 takes about two hours, and lands you at the city’s airport five miles or so out of the centre.

An easy tram ride later, costing E1.60, and we were at our hotel in the heart of town, the quaintly French Hotel du France.

Just over the road is an incredible indoor market where the fresh food and fish look so good you’d contemplate borrowing a self-catering apartment so you could take it home and have your own feast.

Mind you, there are restaurants on the same site and, yes, they are worth a visit.

The underground and tram system means you are never too far from the great sights, but lots of it is in walking distance.

To prove the point, Capitole is the city’s large, majestic square, to the front of which is a beautiful, free-to-enter historic town hall.

Nearby are two of the city’s great churches - the medieval Couvent des Jacobins in one direction, and St Sernin’s in another.

Both have intriguing histories.

The former, an old monastery of the Dominican friars, is an imposing building in southern Gothic style of the 13th Century.

The latter is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The story goes that in the third century, Bishop Sernin, as punishment by the Romans for preaching Christianity, was dragged through the streets by a bull until death. The basilica, dating back to the 11th century, was built where he died.

Across the city is the beauteous St Etienne’s Cathedral, built between the 13th and 17th Centuries, and not far from there a splendid 14th Century Augustine monastery, now one of Toulouse’s several museums and art galleries.

Many of these sights are free to enter with a Tourism Pass, which also provides free travel on public transport and admission to museums too.

A must-see among those is the Natural History Museum. Interesting, entertaining and educational in equal measure, it leaves you in awe at this world and the creatures who've inhabited it.

Another World Heritage offering is the Canal du Midi. Hop on a boat for a sleepy ride up the waterways, alternatively stroll alongside and around the city’s several splendid green spaces.

However, Toulouse isn’t all about the past – far from it.

It’s also home to the Cite de l’Espace theme park, a bus or tram ride out of the centre.

An interactive fun park for kids of all ages, it opens the door to other galaxies and extraterrestrial life, as well as the space race here on Earth. You can even train to be an astronaut with a moonwalk simulator.

Toulouse is also home to one of Europe’s most successful rugby union clubs and a top-flight French football team, whose 33,000 capacity ground hosted games at Euro 2016.

We were there, though, to watch our very own York City Knights take on Toulouse Olympique in rugby league – Olympique having temporarily moved to a picturesque ground in Blagnac while their own more central stadium gets a revamp.

TO, as they are known, rejoined the English league system this year in a bid to work their way up to join French neighbours Catalans Dragons in Super League. They’re on the right path, sitting atop League One.

And there’s more: given the convoluted league and play-off system in League One, our York team will now be returning there again this season – in a fortnight in fact – giving us a cracking excuse not to wait another five years to go back.

FACT FILE

Flights:

• Leading leisure airline Jet2.com offers friendly low fares, great flight times, and a generous 22kg baggage allowance to Toulouse from Manchester Airport. Flights start from £52 one way including taxes. For more information visit www.jet2.com or call 0800 408 5599

Manchester Airport:

• www.manchesterairport.co.uk/at-the-airport/

Toulouse tourism:

• visit uk.toulouse-tourisme.com or find Toulouse Tourisme on Facebook.

• Call into Toulouse Metropole Tourist Office (next to Capitole square), phone +33 540 131 531, and get a Tourist Guide and map

• Tourism Pass costs E15, E22 or E29 for 1, 2 or 3 days respectively and provides free public transport, free entry into city-centre museums/monuments and other activities at reduced rates. Premium pass (E20, E27 or E35) includes a boat trip on the Garonne/Canal du Midi and a trip on the tourist train around town.