Mercure Toulouse Centre Compans hotel
Boulevard Lascrosses - 8
Esplanade Compans Caffarelli
31000 Toulouse, FRANCE
Directions
Last minute update: Line A of metro is closed from 16th July due
to work, see here.
If you are
arriving at the railway station please look at the Tisseo site site for alternatives.
The conference will be held at the Mercury Hotel, Compans Cafferelli, conveniently located in downtown Toulouse. The hotel is very close to metro line B stop Compans Cafferelli, and also on the shuttle bus route from the airport. Toulouse has an extensive public transport network with two automated underground lines (there are no drivers in the Toulouse metro), trams and buses. Matabiau railway station has extensive rail links to European cities, notably Montpellier, the site if ICPS 2018. Train times and train tickets can be purchased in advance on the SNCF website.
From
Blagnac Airport
Blagnac via Shuttle Bus
Toulouse has Blagnac international airport from which Concord first flew on the 2nd March 1969. In addition to the usual traditional airlines there are also a number of low cost companies flying from Toulouse which keeps ticket prices for many European destinations low provide you book early enough. There is a regular (every ~20 minutes from 5am until 10 pm) shuttle bus service to down town Toulouse. The shuttle bus starts from outside the airport (orange “Navette” sign on the bus stop) and stops directly outside the conference hotel. Details are available on Tisseo site here. Journey time depends on traffic but is typically around 20 minutes. You can buy tickets from automatic ticket dispensers or the driver of the bus (cash only, 8€ for a single ticket). Do not forget to “cancel” (composte) your ticket using the machine on the bus next to, or behind the driver.
Blagnac via Tram + metro
Alternatively, a slightly cheaper but slower route is to take the tram from the airport to “Palais de Justice” and then switch to the underground (metro) ligne B “Palais de Justice” to Compans Cafferelli (direction Borderouge). See the Tisseo site for details. Fairs are available here. The more expensive airport shuttle tariff applies only to the shuttle bus. There is no machine to “cancel” (composte) your ticket on the tram. YOU HAVE TO DO IT AT THE TRAM STOP BEFORE BOARDING. You can use the same ticket for the tram and the metro. You need to “cancel” (composte) you ticket every time you change metro/tram/bus.
Blagnac via Taxi
Taxi stand outside airport. Fares depend on traffic but should be around 40-50€. Use this means of transportation only for convenience or if your invited talk starts in under half an hour. In Toulouse, there are special bus lanes for buses (and taxis) but on the highway part of the journey everybody is allowed to enjoy the same traffic jam. Although traffic is generally light in July, Airbus employees still have to get to work and Blagnac can be congested at rush hour.
From Matabiau railway station
Metro/Feet/Taxi
Last minute update: Line A of metro is closed from 16th July due
to work, see here.
If you are
arriving at the railway station please look at the Tisseo site site for alternatives.
Take the metro line A to Jean-Jaures (direction Basso Cambo) where you should change to metro line B to travel to Compans Cafferalli (direction Borderouge). See the Tisseo site for details. Walking is also possible – approximately 1.6km via Rue de Bayard – Boulevard de Strasbourg/d’Arcole. Not recommended on a hot day. There is also a taxi stand outside the station.
Travelling to Toulouse by car
For those closer to Toulouse, travelling by car is also possible. Toulouse has direct motorway (autoroute) links to Bordeaux, Biarritz, and Narbonne/Montpellier/Barcelona. However, in the holiday season traffic can be heavy (absolutely avoid travelling on Saturday if possible). Once in Toulouse, there is a public underground car park at Compans Cafferelli( QPark – 23€ per day) and the hotel Mercure has its own private underground car park. You also have to pay to park your car on the street which is not recommended especially if you have plates from outside Toulouse. Street parking places are also hard to find even in July.