All direct flights to Toulouse from the UK & Ireland

Flight Summary

Cheap flights to Toulouse are available from London , and several other UK regional cities, especially those which have links with the aerospace industry.

Destination Summary

Welcome to le boomtown: the fourth largest French city, situated on the banks of the Garonne river, Toulouse has seen its population double in the years between 1960 and 2000.

Quick Facts

  • Airport Code: TLS
  • Miles From London: 883

James Says

flights to Toulouse can be divided into two very distinct groups - year-round scheduled services which are geared towards people visiting the city of Toulouse itself, and seasonal charter flights which use Toulouse as a gateway to the Pyrenees ski resorts.

No commentary about finding flights to Toulouse can be complete without mention of the huge aerospace industry in the city, and the specific tendency for certain routes to be heavily dependent on the movement of Airbus employees and associated workers between the main headquarters in Toulouse and UK factories in Bristol and Hawarden near Chester.

The Hawarden factory also has specialist flights to Toulouse, whereas one of the BMI Regional's only international routes from Manchester operates to Toulouse.

During the winter ski season, there are plenty of charter flights to Toulouse from various regional airports.

Connecting flights to Toulouse

Although the obvious places to find flight connections are London and Paris, BMI Regional and Flybe also try and funnel some other Scottish passengers through their bases in Manchester and Birmingham respectively. Although there are extremely frequent shuttle flights between Paris and Toulouse, many of these operate into Orly airport, whereas most flights from the UK to Paris go to Charles de Gaulle. Allow at least an extra hour if transferring between the two airports.

Toulouse by Train?

Unlike Lyon or Marseille, Toulouse does not have a super-fast rail link with Paris - although TGV services do operate into southwest France, most of these routes run on conventional tracks. The journey time on the direct TGV service between Paris and Toulouse is a little over five hours.

Alternative Airports

There are various other alternative airports in southwestern France which are much more geared up to cater for the leisure market. Airports such as Bordeaux, Bergerac and Perpignan have attracted a good mix of budget airlines, whereas Carcassonne, which is just about an hour away using the autoroute, has been a particular focus point for Ryanair. Carcassonne airport is also very close to the city centre, and there are regular train connections to Toulouse - but by the time you have gone to even this hassle, chances are that those slightly more expensive, but direct flights to Toulouse are probably still a better bet.

Mark Says

Toulouse's growth is partly down to the city’s burgeoning ties with biotech and aeronautical companies. Toulouse was considered the safest location for the French aeronautical industry during World War I, being as far removed from the German border as a major city could possibly get.

The industry flourished in its new home and, nowadays, the city plays host to such aviation giants as Airbus. Still, this is far from a sheeny corporate outpost. Toulouse is known as la ville rose, not for nothing: the red brick walls of its buildings mark this destination as one of France’s key seats of learning and development. Indeed, this is the country’s second biggest university town after Paris, with three establishments of higher education including the prestigious University of Toulouse, established during the 14th century. On a somewhat less cerebral note, Toulouse is also home to one of Europe’s most renowned and successful rugby teams. There are plenty of attractions on offer for travellers to the area.

The city’s links with the aeronautical industry manifest themselves most strikingly in the Ariane 5 rocket standing at the entrance to Space City (Cité de l’Espace), a museum devoted to all things heavenly. The Musée des Augustins houses the remains of an Augustine priory, along with Romanesque and medieval sculpture.

Les Abattoirs, on the other hand, lives up (or, depending on personal taste, down) to its name, engaging with the grisly, often visceral business of modern and contemporary art. Yet Toulouse is finally dominated by the building which stands at its heart: the Capitole, its city hall, dating from the 18th century. The Place de Capitole surrounding it provides a vast meeting-place for locals and tourists alike.

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