Photo spot in Toulouse
The Pont Neuf and the Garonne banks
Brick arches pierced by round flood openings, a wide river and the whole pink skyline behind — the frame that earns the city its nickname.
About The Pont Neuf and the Garonne banks
Get directionsDespite the name, the Pont Neuf is the oldest bridge in Toulouse: begun in 1544, finished almost a century later, and built with unequal arches and round openings above the piers so that flood water could pass through instead of taking the bridge with it. It has survived every flood since.
The picture is usually made from the bank rather than the deck. From the quays on the Saint-Cyprien side, or from the Pont Saint-Pierre upstream, the arches, the dome of the old Hôtel-Dieu and the tower of the Jacobins line up over the water. Down at river level there are stone steps, gravel banks and a lot of room to work.
Come in the last hour of daylight. Toulouse is a brick city and brick only shows its real colour in low sun; the same view at noon is pale and lifeless. A hundred metres from the north end of the bridge, the Renaissance courtyard of the Hôtel d'Assézat is worth a look, though it belongs to a private foundation with its own hours.
Best time to shoot
The last hour of daylight, from the bank rather than the bridge
Tips
The riverside steps are slippery after rain and the Garonne runs high in spring. The courtyard of the Hôtel d'Assézat keeps museum hours and rules of its own, so check them first.
Other spots in Toulouse
Place du Capitole
A hundred and twenty metres of pink-and-white façade on one side, arcades on the other, and a bronze Occitan cross set into the paving between them.
Basilique Saint-Sernin
The largest Romanesque church still standing in Europe, with a five-tier octagonal bell tower rising straight out of the brick.
The Canal du Midi at Port Saint-Sauveur
Three hundred years of still green water, plane trees leaning over both banks and barges moored end to end in the middle of the city.
Ready to book?
Our concierge team will hand-pick 2-3 photographers who know The Pont Neuf and the Garonne banks — free of charge.