Living in Bonnefoy, Toulouse
Colocation Living in Bonnefoy, Toulouse - chambre à louer entre particuliers, sans agence - Toulouse
An old neighborhood of railway workers and market gardeners that is filling up with young people, right next to Toulouse-Matabiau station and a handful of stops from the Capitole.
Bonnefoy is one of those neighborhoods few tourists see but where many people in Toulouse would like to live. It sits just north of the centre, just outside the big boulevards, glued to Toulouse-Matabiau station. It is an old faubourg of railway workers and market gardeners, made of low pink-brick houses and small quiet streets, which in recent years has filled with students and young workers looking for a neighborhood close to the heart of the city but quieter.
Who lives here
A nice mix. The long-standing residents, often families who have lived here for generations, coexist with a population that has grown much younger: students, young couples, workers from the station area. It is a working-class but well-kept neighborhood, without airs, where people still know each other by sight. Anyone looking for a room here usually wants to be close to the centre and the station, in an authentic neighborhood.
What it's like during the day
By day Bonnefoy has the slow rhythm of a residential faubourg. Life is concentrated along the main street, where you find supermarkets, bakeries, a few bars and the neighborhood's little shops. There is the Espace Bonnefoy, a cultural and administrative hub, and the Jardin Michelet, a garden with fountains and paths, perfect for a break or for studying outdoors. Everything is within walking distance, with no need to take transport.
What it's like in the evening
Evenings are quiet: Bonnefoy is above all a neighborhood you come back to to sleep, not a nightlife area. A few restaurants and neighborhood bistros keep you company, but for real nights out the Capitole and the centre's venues are a few minutes away by metro. For those seeking quiet after work or study, that's exactly the charm.
Getting around
The strong point is the location. The nearest metro is Marengo-SNCF, on line A, reachable on foot in about ten minutes from the heart of the faubourg; alternatively there is Jolimont, also line A. From Marengo-SNCF the centre is very close: Jean Jaurès is one stop away and Capitole two, a few minutes in all. Marengo is also attached to Toulouse-Matabiau station, so TER trains and links to Toulouse-Blagnac airport are very handy. Several bus lines complete the picture, and there are VélôToulouse stations for cycling.
Eating and shopping
For daily shopping the neighborhood is self-sufficient: supermarkets, bakers, greengrocers and grocery shops along the main street. Don't expect a big food scene, but the brasseries and small neighborhood restaurants do their job, and for choice and variety the centre is two stops away.
When NOT to pick it
If you want nightlife, venues and restaurants of every kind on your doorstep, Bonnefoy will feel tight: the commercial offering is limited and the evening one even more so. Near Matabiau station you may notice some signs of social hardship, as in all station areas. And if having the metro right on your doorstep matters, bear in mind that from the edges of the neighborhood the nearest stop can be a quarter of an hour's walk away.
For anyone who puts proximity to the centre and the station and an authentic neighborhood atmosphere first, Bonnefoy is one of the most sensible picks in Toulouse: just tucked away enough, yet a breath from the Capitole.