Harry’s Free Tour
Real stories, extraordinary history and a proper introduction to the Pink City — with Harry.
Highlighted days are the usual 10:00 departures (in English). Confirm actual dates and spaces in the booking form.
History is better when it’s a story
So, you understand English, you like the free-tour idea, and you’re in Toulouse — probably on holiday. Then you must be looking for me. 😉
I’ve lived in Toulouse for more than twenty years and spent a great deal of that time researching its history, originally for a historical novel. I don’t just recite dates and names. I tell the true stories behind the city: the people, disasters, arguments, triumphs and occasionally gloriously ridiculous episodes that made Toulouse what it is.
I’ll also point you towards good places to eat and drink, and things worth doing while you’re in town.
Places we’ll discover
- Place du Capitole
- Rue Saint-Rome
- Hôtel d’Assézat
- Pont Neuf and the Garonne
- La Daurade
- Couvent des Jacobins
- Rue du Taur
- Basilique Saint-Sernin
Stories along the way
- Medieval Toulouse and the Capitouls
- The Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade
- The Inquisition
- Troubadours and Occitan culture
- The Canal du Midi
- The French Revolution in Toulouse
- The great flood of 1875
- And a few surprises, if time permits
Where to meet Harry
Place Saint-Sernin, where Rue Saint-Bernard meets the square, opposite the café Les Délices de Saturnin.
I’ll be wearing a hat and Hawaiian shirt. Look for me on the basilica grounds, across the street from the café. If you’re looking at the entrance doors of the basilica, you’re on the wrong side!
📍 Show meeting point on Google MapsHow the free tour works
Booking costs nothing. At the end of the tour, you decide what the experience was worth and tip your guide in cash. There is no fixed ticket price.
Tours depend on sufficient bookings and may be cancelled the evening before if too few people have reserved. The booking form will show currently available dates. Please cancel if your plans change.
Ready to explore Toulouse?
Come for the monuments. Stay for the stories.