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Victor Hugo Market Tour
Victor Hugo Market Tour in Toulouse
Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and flavors of “the belly of Toulouse” – the Marché Victor Hugo.
Spend a morning learning the skills and secrets of French market shopping with a passionate local food expert. Embark on an unforgettable culinary journey, exploring Toulouse’s finest and freshest produce.
This Victor Hugo Market food tour is an experience not to be missed, blending a hands-on lesson in French market shopping with a chance to sample the exquisite tastes of one of France’s great food regions!
Details of Your Victor Hugo Market Tour
- Cost per person: 98 € for adults and children over 12
- When: select Tuesday – Sunday mornings at 10:00 am (see booking schedule for exact dates)
- Duration: approx. 3.5 hours – allow extra time on weekends (Please note that there is no seating at the market, so be prepared to be on your feet the entire time.)
- Group size: maximum 8 people, minimum 2 people
- Includes: Guided small group walking food tour of the Marché Victor Hugo, Toulouse’s largest covered market, with food and wine samples
- Book with confidence! We offer free changes or cancellations up to 24 hours before the start of our small group tours.
Want to continue your Toulouse foodie journey beyond the historic Victor Hugo Market? Discover our other delicious Toulouse Walking Tours.
If you have any questions, please get in touch.
What our guests are saying
Tour Highlights
Learn about the history of the Marché Victor Hugo and other Toulouse markets and how they evolved to meet the needs of the city.
Explore the various types of baked goods you’ll find in a boulangerie (pain, viennoiserie, patisserie) and the infamous “chocolatine” vs “pain au chocolate” debate - are you #teamchocolatine?
See, hear, feel, and taste the difference between a top-quality baguette, baked by an award-winning boulanger, and an industrially-produced, mass-market one. Know how to spot the best baguettes so you never have to settle for bad bread!
Sample some of the extraordinary duck products and charcuterie that Southwest France is famous for and become familiar with the range of meat products available at the market.
Visit one of the best fromageries in Toulouse and learn to navigate a cheese counter - the various types of cheese, what to ask for, and strategies for assembling a cheese plate.
Taste unique grape varieties that are only grown near Toulouse and discover the wine regions of SW France - virtually unknown outside of this country! You'll also get a crash course in cheese and wine pairing.
At the end of the tour, enjoy a sweet treat as you soak up the ambiance of Toulouse’s most vibrant food hub and appreciate the hard work and expertise of the many vendors and artisans.
After the tour, you’ll receive an email with a list of everything that you tried, including names of the locations visited, and any other resources mentioned to allow you to continue your exploration.
Tour details
Tours operate rain or shine. Most of the tour is spent within the Marché Victor Hugo, which does not offer seating. Please be prepared to stand or walk for the entire tour. If you find standing for long periods physically challenging, you may consider bringing a small collapsible stool. The Marché Victor Hugo is also wheelchair-accessible, though we may visit one or two businesses outside the market that are not.
Meeting location
We’ll meet very close to the Marché Victor Hugo (nearest metro stops: Jean-Jaurès and Capitole). Exact location and detailed directions will be emailed along with your order confirmation.
Meet Your Guides
The Taster-in-Chief
Jessica
Jessica is a former cheesemonger, certified French Wine Scholar, and blueberry girl forever. Having grown up on a farm, Jessica is obsessed with the concept of “terroir” (a taste of place). She founded Taste of Toulouse in 2018 to help other English-speakers fall in love with her adopted hometown like she has – through the food, wine, and the passionate local businesses that she met along the way. Read more about her journey here. When she’s not on tour Jessica can be found trying new restaurants around the city or cuddling at home with her cats, Cheddar and Camembert.
The Hostess with the Mostest
Jenn
We call Jenn the “hostess with the mostest” because her favorite past times are hosting dinner parties and perfecting baked goods recipes that she distributes to lucky tasters. If it was a real job, she would be a sel-mellier, because she is obsessed with salt of all different types and is known to carry some around in her handbag for emergencies. Her other loves include exploring all over France, eating oysters, and drinking sparkling wine. She is currently working towards her French Wine Scholar certification in the Spring of 2024 – wish her “bon courage!”
The Writer-Chef
Ally
Ally trained at UK’s renowned Leith’s School of Food and Wine and previously worked as a pastry chef and chef de cuisine. When she’s not wow-ing guests on tour with her expertise, sly sense of humor, and ability to put everyone at ease, Ally is a food writer, photographer, and cookbook editor. You can find out more about what she’s up to on her blog Nigella Eats Everything or subscribe to her Substack newsletter “From France, With Love” for recipes, restaurant reviews, and tales from the tour guide trenches.
Good to Know
What's included
All food and drink samples provided on the tour. Our guests never walk away hungry for lunch! However, if you find that you usually eat more than the average person, you might consider eating a light meal before and/or after the tour.
Please note that the above descriptions are subject to change based on seasonal availability and the changing market scene in Toulouse.
What's not included
Additional food and drink that you wish to purchase yourself.
In order to keep the tour moving, we don’t encourage shopping during the tour – especially if the group is larger. However, after the tour you will receive an email with a list of all of the businesses that we visited and everything that we tasted, as well as any personalized recommendations that you asked for, to allow you to return and continue your food explorations.
What to wear or bring
Most of the time is spent indoors, but please dress appropriately (and bring an umbrella if necessary), as we begin the tour outside. Comfortable shoes and clothing are recommended, as the whole tour is spent standing or walking. To reduce environmental waste, I don’t distribute plastic water bottles, so if you would like water during the tour, please bring a reusable water bottle with you.
Dietary restrictions/food allergies
We are happy to accommodate the follow diets with advance notice:
- Vegetarians
- Pescatarians
- No pork
- Gluten-free (Those with Celiac disease are advised to contact us in advance to discuss the risks and how we can keep you safe)
- Pregnant women (no raw milk cheese, cured meats, or alcohol)
- Non-alcoholic (includes children under the age of 18)
Any of the above dietary requirements MUST be noted when booking to allow time to make arrangements for substitutions – some of which must be purchased outside the market. We ask that those with dietary restrictions book tours at least 24 hours in advance! Unfortunately, due to the selection of products available at the market, this tour is unable to accommodate vegans (if you are interested in arranging a private vegan-focused food tour in Toulouse, contact us!). If you have any questions regarding dietary accommodations or would like to see if we can accommodate other restrictions or food allergies (we often can – please ask!), email me directly at [email protected] before booking.
COVID Health & Safety
Cancellations/refunds
Please review your order and the tour details carefully before booking. Tickets are refundable or exchangeable until 48 hours prior to the start time of the tour. We are happy to give you a refund, reschedule your reservation for another date (pending availability), convert your reservation to a voucher, or reassign your tickets to another person with at least 48 hours notice. Any changes MUST be communicated in writing to [email protected].
Alternate tour dates/times
Tickets for the small groups tours go on sale 4 months in advance to allow time to confirm upcoming availability.
Interested in taking the Marché Victor Hugo tour on a different day and/or time? Contact us for additional availability and pricing. We’re very often able to add additional dates according to interest. However, the Marché Victor Hugo is closed on Mondays. Tours on weekends are possible, though please note that the market is less busy on weekdays, which makes for a more relaxed environment for the tours.
Bookings for 1 person
Unfortunately, due to the dramatically higher cost of providing a solo tour, we require a minimum of 2 people to run a tour. If you are trying to purchase a single ticket without success, we most likely don’t yet have any other reservations for that tour date. If that is the case, you can do the following:
- Purchase 2 tickets to ensure that the tour runs. During the booking process, you’ll be asked for participant names. Write “single booking” in the space for the 2nd participant. If we receive more bookings for that date, we’ll automatically refund you for the second ticket.
- Wait until closer to the date of the tour to see if we get other reservations before booking your ticket. If there are no bookings for a specific tour date, we close the bookings 18 hours in advance.
- Contact us with your date of interest and we’ll let you know if anyone else has expressed interest in that date or if there may be alternative dates on either side that you could join.
