Living in Saint-Aubin-Dupuy, Toulouse
Colocation Living in Saint-Aubin-Dupuy, Toulouse - chambre à louer entre particuliers, sans agence - Toulouse
The Sunday morning market, the neighborhood bars and the canal a stone's throw away: the Toulouse that lives by its sense of community.
Saint-Aubin is the neighborhood east of the hyper-centre, gathered around its brick church and the marché Saint-Aubin, the most spectacular Sunday market in the city. It is part of the municipal sector Les Chalets-Bayard-Belfort, Saint-Aubin, Dupuy and has a cosmopolitan, working-class soul that has stayed authentic: neighborhood bars, small shops, people who know each other. The canal du Midi runs along the eastern edge and Place Dupuy marks the boundary towards François Verdier and the avenues. This is trendy Toulouse, but without the pose, on a pedestrian scale.
Who lives here
Young workers, creatives, students and a long-standing neighborhood population: a mix that gives Saint-Aubin its bohemian, lively reputation. Rooms and small apartments are often rented out here, and the sense of community is strong. An informal, sociable atmosphere.
What it's like during the day
The highlight is Sunday morning: the marché Saint-Aubin (roughly 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.) takes over the square and the streets around the church with producers, fruit and vegetables, cheeses, second-hand books, craft stalls and street food. It is a social ritual more than a shopping trip. On other days the neighborhood is quiet and community-minded, with cafés to stop at and the canal for a stroll.
What it's like in the evening
Saint-Aubin is one of the liveliest areas in the evening east of the centre: bars, bistros and fashionable spots animate the streets around the church and towards Place Dupuy. No nightclubs, but plenty of places to have a drink and dine in a young, relaxed atmosphere. Jean Jaurès, the heart of Toulouse nightlife, is a few minutes' walk away.
Getting around
A very convenient location. The nearest metro stops are François Verdier (line B) and Jean Jaurès (the hub where lines A and B cross), about ten minutes' walk away. Slightly to the east, beyond the canal, is Jolimont on line A. Toulouse-Matabiau station is very close from the northern part of the neighborhood, around the Saint-Aubin church (a few minutes' walk), while from Place Dupuy, at the southern end, it takes a dozen minutes - very handy in any case for TER and long-distance trains. The Capitole is reachable on foot in about twenty minutes, or by metro with one change. Local buses, VélôToulouse and the cycle paths along the canal du Midi complete the links.
Eating and shopping
Here shopping is a pleasure: beyond the Sunday market, there are bakeries, small grocers, producers' shops and mini-markets for the everyday. Dining is varied and easygoing - bistros, cuisines from around the world, creative addresses - concentrated around the church and towards Place Dupuy and Jean Jaurès.
When NOT to pick it
Being central and trendy, it can be noisy in the evening and at weekends: if you're after absolute quiet, the streets around the bars aren't for you. On Sundays the market brings crowds, impossible parking and a comings-and-goings from dawn: wonderful to live around, awkward if you want to sleep in late with your windows on the square. Free rooms go fast. Towards the avenues and Place Dupuy you feel the traffic.
Saint-Aubin is the right pick for anyone who wants an authentic, lively, sociable neighborhood, with the market on your doorstep, lively evenings and the station a few steps away: perfect for young people, students and train commuters who love living on foot.