Living in Le Busca, Toulouse
Colocation Living in Le Busca, Toulouse - chambre à louer entre particuliers, sans agence - Toulouse
Bourgeois townhouses, tree-lined avenues and Toulouse's finest garden on your doorstep.
Busca is the neighborhood south of the Capitole, set between the Jardin des Plantes, the Grand-Rond and the canal du Midi. It grew out of a large eighteenth-century estate and, in the late nineteenth century, filled with bourgeois townhouses: traditional pink brick still coexists here with Art Nouveau and Art Déco buildings and tree-lined avenues. The result is one of the greenest and most prized areas of the centre, right next to the lively Carmes and Saint-Michel. Its symbolic axis is the allée des Demoiselles, which starts from the Grand-Rond and runs down to the south-east, as far as the rond-point des Français-Libres.
Who lives here
Families of the Toulouse bourgeoisie, professionals, a few bohemian-chic profiles and students looking for quiet without giving up centrality. It is an area of owners more than quick rentals, so free rooms are snapped up fast. A calm, residential atmosphere, with a good mix of ages.
What it's like during the day
Life revolves around the greenery: the Jardin des Plantes (seven hectares, the lung of the historic centre), the Muséum d'histoire naturelle, the Quai des Savoirs and the Jardin Royal. People study on a bench, run along the avenues, walk the dog at the Grand-Rond. Quiet streets, neighborhood cafés, occasional markets. The musée Georges-Labit and the théâtre Sorano round out the cultural offering.
What it's like in the evening
Busca itself is quiet and residential: little nightlife, lots of calm. But that is exactly its charm, because the bars, restaurants and venues of Carmes and Saint-Michel are a few minutes' walk away. You step out into the silence and in ten minutes you are in the heart of Toulouse's evening life.
Getting around
Served by metro line B: the Carmes, Palais de Justice and François Verdier stops are all right next to the neighborhood (Carmes is about 7 minutes' walk from the Jardin des Plantes). From here the Capitole is around ten minutes on foot, and metro line B takes you to Jean Jaurès (interchange with metro A) in no time. At Palais de Justice there is also the terminus of tram T1. Local buses, VélôToulouse and plenty of walkable streets complete the picture. Toulouse-Matabiau station is reachable by metro with one change.
Eating and shopping
For daily shopping there are corner shops, bakeries and small neighborhood supermarkets; for a real market, the Carmes (with its famous covered hall) are a stone's throw away. Dining is concentrated towards Carmes and Saint-Michel: bistros, traditional South-West addresses and a few more refined tables.
When NOT to pick it
If you want nightlife on your doorstep and venues open late, Busca will feel too sleepy in the evening. It is a much sought-after area and free rooms are scarce: it takes patience and quick reactions. Towards the large allées and the through avenues you feel the traffic. Finally, if you need metro line A daily, it doesn't run here: you'll have to change at Jean Jaurès.
Busca is the right pick for anyone who wants greenery in front of the house, quiet in the evening and the centre on foot: ideal for quiet students, workers and anyone who puts quality of life ahead of nightlife.