Toulouse's magnificent main square is the city's literal and metaphorical heart, where Toulousains turn out en masse on sunny evenings to sip a coffee or an early aperitif at a pavement cafe. On the eastern side is the 128m-long facade of the Capitole , the city hall, built in the 1750s. Inside is the Théâtre du Capitole , one of France's most prestigious opera venues, and the over-the-top, late-19th-century Salle des Illustres (Hall of the Illustrious).
To the south of the square is the city's Vieux Quartier (Old Quarter), a tangle of lanes and leafy squares brimming with cafes, shops and eateries.
