Come Alone · English
You just moved to Toulouse. This page walks you through the first month: paperwork in order with official links, and places to practise French and meet people.
If you have a long-stay visa that serves as a residence permit (VLS-TS), validate it online within 3 months of arriving in France and pay the tax that comes on top of the visa fee. If your visa says “carte de séjour à solliciter dans les 2 mois suivant l'arrivée”, you have to apply for your residence permit at the préfecture within those 2 months: in Toulouse that is the Préfecture de la Haute-Garonne, 1 place Saint-Étienne.
Validate the VLS-TS (service-public R52684) · Long-stay visa (service-public F16162) · Préfecture de la Haute-Garonne (service-public directory)
To get a carte Vitale you need a social security number. The Assurance Maladie issues the card for free: order it from your ameli account and it arrives in about 2 weeks. If anyone asks you for money for it, it is a scam.
The Pastel card is the personal, named transport card of the Tisséo network: you load your passes and tickets onto it, and you need it for any reduced fare. Order it on the e-shop together with your ticket, or get it at a Tisséo agency. If you work, your employer covers 50 to 100% of your pass (prime transport), so ask about it.
Entry to Toulouse's libraries is free and open to everyone; a yearly membership lets you borrow. Bring an ID document. For adults it costs €17 (€8 if you are 18 to 27), but it is free in several cases, for example over 65, if you do not pay income tax, or if you have applied for asylum: the full list is on the page.
Toulouse's libraries run Bavardages: free French conversation workshops led by librarians, in a friendly, no-judgement setting, whatever your level. This season it is the first Friday of the month, 10:00 to 12:00, at the Médiathèque des Pradettes; dates are on the page.
Volunteering is a free, unpaid commitment: an hour, a weekend or a longer mission, you choose. On JeVeuxAider.gouv.fr, the public volunteering platform, enter your postcode and when you are free to find a mission near you and meet people.
Rules change: always confirm on the official page before you go.
Free or low-cost places, open to everyone, where you can chat, practise a language and make friends. Check each page for upcoming dates.
Free French conversation workshops led by librarians, no judgement, whatever your level or nationality. First Friday of the month, 10:00 to 12:00, at the Médiathèque des Pradettes.
Language-learning methods, including for learning French, and books in their original language. Regular reading clubs and themed Sundays to talk about books, some read in English or Spanish. Free entry.
The public volunteering platform run by the Réserve Civique: missions with associations, near you or remotely. An easy way to meet people while being useful.
Toulouse Métropole's participation platform: public consultations, meetings and ideas for your neighbourhood. A way to have your say and meet your neighbours.
For international researchers and their families: help with paperwork (visa, residence permit, préfecture appointments), housing and daily life in Toulouse.
A Saturday-morning repair café session run by Toulouse's Café Bricol' network at Le Hangar near Arènes metro. In the repair-café spirit, people fix everyday objects together, and tinkering side by side is one of the easiest ways to strike up a conversation.
A Sunday-afternoon walk led by Parcours d'architecture along the canal around Port Saint-Sauveur, looking at bridges, banks, gardens and the buildings that shaped this part of Toulouse. It is free with online registration, and walking in a small group gives plenty of chances to chat.
An open evening to discover the traditional Occitan bal: musicians play, dancers dance, and everyone learns from each other. Entry is free and folk dances rotate partners, so you never stay a wallflower for long.
Le Bijou's open stage invites amateur and experienced musicians to play one or two songs each; sign up on the list from 30 minutes before. A piano, guitar and cajón are usually available, and the bistro crowd is friendly. No price is shown on the listing.
A convivial session where musicians learn tunes by ear and improvise on Occitan repertoire — bring any instrument, whatever it is. Entry is free. Trad sessions welcome newcomers and listeners alike, so it is an easy way to meet people on a Friday night.
A playful one-hour music quiz held once a month in the small auditorium of the music department at Toulouse's main media library. Guessing songs alongside a room of strangers breaks the ice quickly. The listing does not mention a fee.
Cantadas are convivial evenings for sharing and discovering traditional Occitan songs, sung together over a drink. Entry is free. Group singing needs no introduction, so it is an easy way to meet people on your own.
On the first Sunday of the month the Musée des Augustins, set in a former medieval convent, opens free from ten to six. The programme includes a drop-in art workshop, guides available to talk about the works throughout the day, and a 2:30 pm themed tour on still lifes and genre scenes. Talking with the mediators and other visitors in the cloister is an easy way to start the year.
Muséum botanist Boris Presseq leads a walk from the Centre culturel Saint-Cyprien to the Muséum, explaining the history and survival strategies of the trees lining Toulouse's streets. It is linked to a photo exhibition on the Białowieża forest, which is presented at the start and finish. The group is limited to 20 people, and the organisers suggest bringing a camera.
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Come Alone → Meet & Mint
Choose something this week from the list on this page — easy to join on your own.
See who's going. If the event isn't in the app yet, tap “+” to add it and gather a group.
Write in the event chat and agree where to meet before you arrive.
Walk in already knowing a name or two — a good start in a new city.
The app · Meet & Mint
Meet & Mint is our app: come-alone events and people to go with. It is not a government service. Many of the events on this page are also in the app.
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