1 Place Du Capitole The large square in front of the Capitole, the city hall, is the heart of Toulouse. Here farmers sell organic tomatoes, and women who never seem to eat lunch sit at the many outdoor cafes drinking espressos and smoking. The Capitole building itself has been built, rebuilt, renovated and restored too many times to detail since the 12th century. Its facade, of eight rose-marble columns, was started in the mid-1700s. Toulouse's best artists, including Henri Martin, contributed to the spectacularly ornate interior. And commemorating the Capitole's less celebrated heritage is a plaque in the central courtyard where the Duke de Montmorency was beheaded in 1632 for opposing Cardinal de Richelieu, 17th-century prime minister and villain of the Alexandre Dumas novel, The Three Musketeers. 2 Victor Hugo Market This is Toulouse's high temple of food and wine, where truckers order their first beer at 8.30am after delivering their cargo from the surrounding countryside. Cheese-lovers should visit Betty, a fromager-affineur, where the brave can choose from a range of powerful aged cheeses. Some are wickedly expensive - 5.45 euros (about HK$47) for a piece the size of an apricot - but unforgettable. Stop for lunch at the first-floor market kitchen, Les Restaurants de Victor Hugo, which prides itself on its range of regional dishes. Closed Mondays. Alternatively, try The Pink Fish outside the market (opposite the north parking entrance), which serves only salmon. Food specialists pack the surrounding streets. Shop at Ducs De Gascogne on the Rue de Rampart V for foie gras from Gascogne, Soledad Traiteur (21 Place Victor Hugo) for everything from olives to geranium syrup, Busquets (21 Place Victor Hugo, tel: [33] 05 61 21 46 22) for wine, honey and Agen prunes, Le Fournil de Victor Hugo for bread, and Maison Samaran (18 Place Victor Hugo, tel: 05 61 21 26 91) for more foie gras. 3 Hotel d'Assezat 'Pastel baron' Pierre Assezat made his pile from his monopoly of indigo, the blue dye, in the 16th century. And with his fortune, he built a palace in 1555: a three-level affair with a salon for every mood, a majestic staircase and a courtyard based on one at the Louvre. The palace is reputed to be the finest in Toulouse. The Hotel d'Assezat now belongs to the Fondation Bemberg, which uses parts of the building to house its treasures. The sour-faced guards do nothing to spoil the wow-factor of rooms filled with Chinese porcelain, tapestries, chandeliers, sculptures and a collection of paintings that range from the Renaissance to the 20th century, including works by Henri Fantin-Latour, Matisse, Degas, Modigliani, Toulouse-Lautrec, Gauguin, Cezanne and Picasso (Place d'Assezat, 31000, tel: 05 61 12 06 89). 4 Place Saint Georges People-watching has been a favourite activity in this square for centuries, although it used to be more ghoulish than it is today. In the 17th and 18th centuries, public executions were held here as mass entertainment. Among the last victims was Jean Calas, a Protestant accused of having hanged his own son to prevent his conversion to Catholicism, who was burned in public in 1765. He was later found to be innocent. Now, children play on an old-fashioned carousel and shop at a crop of childrens' clothes and shoe stores, the fashionable drop-in at Jean Paul Gaultier (8 Place Saint Georges, tel: 05 61 21 76 27) and foodies call at Oliviers & Co (16 Place St Georges, tel: 05 34 44 90 99, www.oliviers-co.com ), where the olive has been elevated to an art form, before sampling the city's best fruit tart at Lautre Salon de The. 5 Aerospatiale Toulouse is the home of Airbus, Europe's answer to Boeing, and a mecca for plane spotters. You can tour Airbus France's aircraft assembly line near Blagnac airport (bookings essential, tel: 05 61 18 06 01), or learn about the space race at the Cite de l'Espace. Opened in 1997, this adventure park has a planetarium, a model of the Ariane 5 rocket launcher, the Terr@dome, which traces Earth's history back 10 billion years, and delivers more information than you need about satellite-positioning and propulsion systems. Advance bookings are recommended during peak seasons (European Space Park, Avenue Jean Gonord, tel: 05 62 71 64 80, www.cite-espace.com/english . Entrance: 12 euros for adults). 6 Saoya Craftsmanship and artistry are revered in France, and one of Toulouse's best examples is the jeweller Saoya, which produces garden-inspired accessories, such as tiny rosebuds hung from satin ribbons by delicate brass clasps. More elaborate designs use flowers, crystals and spangles in ways nature has yet to think of. Necklaces cost from 27 euros (17 Rue d'Alsace Lorraine, 31000, Toulouse. Tel: 05 61 12 46 51). 7 Place St Sernin The Sunday flea market at the Place St Sernin is the mother of the city's many markets. There you'll find everything from bicycles to buttons and bows. There are ballet tutus, furniture, African artefacts, books, second-hand furniture, flowers and, of course, food. The market bustles in the shade of the Romanesque Basilica St Sernin, which was consecrated in 1070. Featuring an octagonal bell tower, it is said to be one of the biggest and most beautiful in southern Europe. 8 Cassoulet This Languedoc dish is a rich, hearty stew of various meats, beans, aromatic vegetables and herbs, traditionally simmered for three days and topped with a fine golden crust. It should be tried at least once, but where? Given the country's culinary passions, which includes star billing for chefs, local opinions on the best restaurants can be fiercely held. One option is the Cafe Beaux-Arts (1 Quai de La Daurade, tel: 05 61 21 12 12), which combines good food with a superb location on the banks of the Garonne overlooking the Pont Neuf. Cassoulet is on the specials'menu for 18 euros. At the much smaller La Cave au Cassoulet (54 Rue Payrolieres, tel: 05 61 13 60 30), meals average 30 euros a head. More upmarket is the Jardin de L'Opera (1 Place du Capitole, 31000, Toulouse, tel: 05 61 23 07 76), where chef Dominique Toulousy reigns supreme. Expect to pay more than 80 euros a head. 9 Museums It is said that Toulouse's museums are a window to its soul. Nowhere is this more evident than at the Musee des Augustins: Musee des Beaux-Arts (21 Rue de Metz, tel: 05 61 22 21 82). Located in a former Augustinian monastery, it houses religious art as well as an architectural map of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. The curators aren't big on translation, so bring your own guidebook. The Museum of Modern Art - Les Abattoirs (76 Allees Charles de Fitte, tel: 05 62 48 58 00), housed in a 19th-century former slaughterhouse on the left bank of the Garonne, is best known for Picasso's July 14 theatrical backdrop, The Remains Of The Minotaur In Harlequin Costume. For sheer quirkiness, look up as you pass the National Theatre (Theatre de la Cite, 1 Rue Pierre Baudis, tel: 05 34 45 05 05) to spot the life-size wire-sculpture figure sitting on the roof. Museum opening times can be erratic: visit www.mairie-toulouse.fr for details. 10 Chocolatier Michele Belin describes himself as a 'l'artisan chocolatier'. Among the specialities at his Rue de Taur shop are orange sticks covered in dark chocolate, fruit 'pate', violet liqueur-filled chocolates, chocolate-covered peanuts and nougat. But don't bother visiting his shop in August: he takes the entire month off.