Toulouse (ish) and the Cité de l’espace

I have been staring at the screen for the pats 10 minutes trying to decide what should be the title of this post  🙄

So, back to my backpacking trip last year, after I left from Andorra I went to Toulouse, but I basically slept there for two nights, I didn’t actually spent any time in the city.

So I’m not quite sure I should use the title Toulouse 🤷🏻‍♀️. But let’s stick to it for now… I’m not getting any answers from this monologue.

I left from Andorra La Vella by bus. Well, technically it was a mini-bus and there was only a few passengers which made the trip very comfy and I was able to enjoy the amazing view through the Pyrenees.

During my research on where to go, I wanted to stay in Toulouse for three reasons: it was the middle (ish) of the way between Andorra and Marseille, it was close enough to Carcassonne that I could go on day trip and…

The Cité de l’Espace 🤩 🚀

The Cité de l’espace is a scientific discovery centre focused on space things. It was opened in June 1997 and is located on the eastern outskirts of Toulouse. And, being the geek I am, I HAD TO GO THERE!

My schedule was a bit tight, tho. At Automattic we have some flexibility regarding our schedule (how flexible your schedule can be will depend on your position). So I usually work from 6 am to 2 pm, because that leaves me with the rest of the day to do whatever I need to do, from groceries when no one is at the supermarket to a walk in the neighbourhood when the sun is still out during the winter.

And this is particularly useful when I am travelling, because I don’t necessarily need to take vacation days to travel, I can do it while I’m working as well and I have most part of my day to enjoy the places I’m visiting.

So, I got to Toulouse on a Tuesday night, went straight to the Airbnb, woke up the next day, worked from the bedroom, which is what I usually do (I only work from Cafes if I really have to) and took the bus to the Cité de l’Espace.

The place is fairly big and it’s was created in a way you can visit all the areas without going too crazy, although it does not look that way when you see the map:

Looks confusing but I swear it makes sense

From there you can visit their Planetarium which much like the one in the Museum of Natural History in NY, has a 180º screen where they project images of the space. The thing you don’t get there is Neil Degrasse Tyson’s voice narrating the movie.

They also have a quiz, which is very fun (I got all answers right LOL) and you have a keypad on the arm of your chair which you can use to select the answer.

It’s not allowed to take pictures of the movie, so… no pictures… I hope you enjoy this almost distorted image of the keypad because that’s all you will get 🤪

There’s a scaled version of the Solar System where you can see all the planets (no, Pluto is not there, not a planet anymore, just GET OVER IT) on a scale of size and distance

And I just found out I only have a picture of Jupiter because it is the best planet but I got the whole tours on my stories on Instagram

They also have a full-scale models of the Ariane 5 rocket (55 metres), Mir, and Soyuz modules

The ideal time to spend there is around 5 hours and they close at 6pm, so keep that in mind when you are planning the visit. It is a really interesting experience for adults and kids. I wish I had more time to spend there but this was definitively worth trying.

The tickets (which you can buy here) for one day starts at ‎‎€16.00 for an adult and the park is open from 10am to 6pm.

I would continue this post talking about my next day, when I went to Carcassonne but I think it deserves a post on its own, so, maybe next week 😉

4 responses to “Toulouse (ish) and the Cité de l’espace”

  1. Eu devia deixar um comentário bem terraplanista ou conspiratorio pra atrair essa turma pro teu blog, mas não vou fazer isso não, ta? 😂😂😂
    Vou só dizer que o lugar parece massa, as fotos tão lindas, e Saturno claramente é o melhor planeta, então procure repensar suas prioridades. Hahahaha 😘

    1. HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Nope!

  2. […] one of the reasons why I went to Toulouse was because it was close enough I could take a train, spend the day in carcassonne and come back […]

  3. Que legal! Não sabia que eles tinham The Cité de l’Espace. A França tem também La Cité des Insectes, e fica pertinho de Toulouse. Quase ia mas tive uns imprevistos e não rolou. Pelo visto eles gostam dessa coisa de “Cité”. Hahahaha…
    E incrível que eles criam essas coisas em locais que nem são tão turísticos, pensando na França como um todo.
    Muito maneiro!

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