Can anyone recomend a place to stay in Toulouse?

[barbamama]

Just for one night before going to visit relatives in Carcasonne. Cheap and cheerful is fine, as long as clean, for a family with a toddler and a baby. Also, what to do for one day and one evening?

Look no further! The Relais Matabiau is the place for you. DP, DS (three at the time) stayed there for one night last summer on the way home. They gave us a room with a double and a single bed and I am sure they will have cots. Self service breakfast with mini-portions of everything, which DS loved; cheerful and helpful staff.

That sounds ideal - thanks, will have a look.

Is it worth staying in Toulouse for 2 nights? I've never been and know nothing about it but are flying to Toulouse instead of Carcasonne (can't face Ryanair - Stansted).

What did you get up to?

We go to Toulouse for the same reason, but in our case it's to avoid Ryanair at East Midlands. Toulouse is very picturesque and interesting, but I'm not sure I would want to spend much time there with small children - it's more of an older children/grownup kind of place. We arrived early afternoon, checked in, had a walk round and ate sitting outside a cafe in the Capitole which is the absolutely enormous town square at the city centre.

Just in case anyone stumbles across this thread in the future looking for a hotel in Toulouse - disorganised dp left it to the last minute to book a hotel (unbeknownst to me) so the 2 hotels recomended on MN - Relais Matabiau and the Novotel one were full. We therefore stayed here www.hotel-albert1.com/ and I can thouroughly recommend it. Extremely central but relatively quiet street, rooms not massive but spotless, fab breakfast and good service. Oh and only 80 Euro. Perfect for a city hotel even with 2 children - we will definitely use it again. I am very fussy but I really had no complaints.