Toulouse

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Toulouse is a city in southwest France.

Several motorways meet at Toulouse so it's a great place to change routes if your driver is no longer going the same way as you. Toulouse's bypass is complicated, so try to change vehicles at a péage when entering the motorway. If you change at the exit péage before entering the Toulouse bypass a lot of passing traffic won't be going the same way as you.

Hitchhiking out

<map lat='43.6186793498257' lng='1.429595947265625' zoom='10' view='0' float='right'/>

North towards Bordeaux, Agen, Limoges, Paris E 9 E 72 A62

Option #1: to get directly to the toll (péage) starting the highway A62. From the metro station "La Vache" (Metro line 2), take the bus 60, get off at "Lapins", walk ahead (on Avenue de Front) for about 30 meters and take the first left (Chemin des Lapins) until you see some pedestrian bridge (currenly closed). From there you can jump across a small barrier, get in something that looks like a small abandonned field and walk along ahead for about 50 meters. You'll see a one-way bridge to what will become the péage after about 200 meters. You want to walk along that portion, staying as much as possible on the right side of the safety barrier (not very dangerous actually, but if the police see you, they won't stop to annoy you). In my opinion (Hertinek, aka Uncle_Franek), this is the ultimate option to hitch north out of Toulouse. I've lived in the area almost all my life, and have experienced many different spots. Today I always use this one.

Option #2 : a smaller peage but maybe easier to reach (I had to get there because there were policemen and higway employees at the main one), from the subway station La Vache, take the bus 69 toward Bruguières, then stop at Pont rouge, you'll need to walk a few hundred meters, cross the bridge and you'll be at Saint Jory's peage, I got a ride to Agen waiting just a few minutes.

Option #3: you can walk to the entrance of the "périphérique" (ring road) at Pont Jumeaux as well (10mns walk from metro Canal du Midi), there are 2 traffic lights there. Easy to go there (plus standing at the péage might be forbidden), nice spot, but took me like 1 hour to get a ride, both times.

UPDATE: The following way (option #4) does NOT work anymore! The door handles have been removed! Please inform other hitchhikers who might be used to use it! >> Option #4: To get to the large péage where all the traffic in this direction must stop, take the metro line B, get off at the stop "La vache" then get the bus 60 or 69 and get off at "Laparrou". Near to this bus stop there is the small dead-end street "Impasse des Horticulteurs", at the end of which you can see the peage behind the tall metal fence and there is a rail gate on the right hand side. Just beside the gate, you will see a net fence has been tramped down. Continue straight to the end of the path and you'll see two red doors, one with ""Autostoppeurs, bonne chance!!" written on. It's actually open ;) In case it's not, go through it and climb to the top of the mound and jump over another net fence, you then can walk down the slope and along the edge lane to the péage directly.

Northeast, towards Albi A68

Take metro line B to stop Borderouge, then change bus 40 or 73 or walk to stop Atlanta. Just walk along the Route d'Albi to the road sign post before the road splits to ramp onto A62 and hitch with a sign. The passing traffic goes to Albi via D888 or A68.

The Péage towards the South-East

First, take metro line B in the direction Ramonville to the very last stop.

Then you can :

  • hitch from the park and ride parking lot, asking people to bring you to the péage or to the first service area, Toulouse-sud, 25 km further.
  • hitch from the roundabout: turn left at the traffic circle just out the metro station. Follow the autoroute/Montpellier or Carcassonne signs to the entrance of the motorway; it's the first exit on the right of the second roundabout.
  • get to the péage on foot: the péage is only 2km further than the roundabout.

Towards Carcassonne, Montpellier, Barcelona (Spain)

Most of the cars are going this way, you should get a ride in a few minutes. Last successfully used July 25th, 2013.

Towards Foix, Andorra

A few kilometers after the péage the motorway splits, with most traffic going on to Montpellier and no way to drop you. Therefore a sign reading direction Foix is essential.
If the driver is not going all the way to Foix or Andorra, he might be able to drop you off at the péage Pamiers, from which one can easily continue on.

Towards Tarbes, Pau, Bayonne on highway A64

There is a toll gate near the small town of Roques, on the highway A64 direction Tarbes/Pau/Bayonne. Take the red Metro to Baso Cambo (last stop) then bus line 50 from Baso Cambo to Roques Acacias (last stop) (buses every 30min at the most, careful not all line 50 buses go to Acacias!)

From the stop, walk in the direction the bus came from, through a small lot, following the sound of the motorway (you can hear it). After a while you have to climb over a small grassy knoll, and you arrive on a route nationale, parallel to the motorway, and from the top of the hump you can see the toll gate in the distance. Walk along the route nationale to your right until you arrive at a roundabout. Go left, over the bridge that crosses the motorway, you're now on the right side, follow the motorway to the toll gate. If no cops are around and you feel lucky you can hitch from the inter-lane spaces (effective but illegal...) or otherwise go to the small service-area just behind (no petrol pumps but people do stop occasionally, and you can always wave a thumb at passing cars).

Other Option: take Bus 46 to Teynier or Bus 64 to Casteret (possibly other buses or metro stop close by also, didn't check) from there walk to the petrol station next to the street Teynier. The petrol station is directly on A620, it works best for Tarbes, but also for Montpellier, Andorra or Spain. (https://www.google.de/maps/@43.5941613,1.3977347,20z)

Towards Auch, N124

There is a spot at the roundabout just in front on the Purpan Hospital (a bunch of public transport stop there).

Public transport

The metro has a system of barriers at the entrance. It's easy to jump over them, but in some of the bigger stations or termini, there is human guard dogs at work to make sure you don't. However it is good to know that tickets are valid during 1 hour after the first punch. That means the trash bins are full of valid tickets ;)

Sleeping

Toulouse has an unfortunate lack of cheap hostels, so if your not couchsurfing then it can be an expensive night. There is nice roof to sleep on near the main train station. Walk along the street that runs in front of the station in the same direction as the traffic for 150 metres, before you come to an intersection and a bridge over the canal. On the corner to your left there is a roof which comes quite low, almost to head height. Its easy to hop on here when pedestrians are few, and then get further up on to the main roof. Totally out of view from the street, and with some nice soft gravel and even a bit of shelter. Not the quiestest spot but it beats 40 euros. (If you feel its too cold to sleep outside, you can also call me +33637819424)

Alternatively, try sleeping in the train station. It officially closes at 1am, that's when the guards kick all the homeless out. After saying that she had a train ticket for the morning, the guards showed mercy on Kimmietaylor28 and let her sleep in a very warm room at the back. The station opens again at 4am, but those three hours of free sleeping were useful.

Free internet

If you don't have a smartphone or this kinda STUFF and still need to access internet, go to the Médiathèque José Cabanis, a very big building very near to Train and Metro Station Marengo. There, just ask at the info desk and they will give you a card with which you can access internet on the computers there for 1,5 hour, for free! You'll just have to wait 15 minutes for the card to become valid, but as there are so much things to read (loads of international press!), you won't get bored at all! (and there is air-conditioning :)) Open everyday except monday.

Other useful info

The city has a 1euro public shower as described here. Practical info : 13, rue du Professeur-Pujos.


trash:Toulouse