Bonjour!
I'm searching for a home in Toulouse and would like to know, what is it's like to live in the quartier Arnaud Bernard?
I'm between two appartments, one is in Arnaud Bernard's rue de la chaîne. The other is in Compans next to the Jardin Japonais.
The appartment in Arnaud Bernard is cheaper and, in my view, slightly better, but i've read concerning things about the quartier.
Merci!
Ten years ago, it was a messy place to avoid. But now, most of the trouble have moved toward Jeanne d'arc and Arnaud Bernard is mostly calm.
AB is in the middle of a gentrifying process. Nothing compared to five or ten years ago.
Arnaud Bernard is being gentrified rapidly. It's on the sketchier side but definitely changing and nothing like what it was a few years ago. Compans is very calm (too calm for some).
In my experience it's chill. Gentrification in process (for the best and the worst). Very close to the historical center, with the beautiful place Saint Sernin just behind. There is a very cute ''marché des producteurs'' twice a week, and an excellent ''caviste''. If you like the popular vibe, it is, to me, one of the nice places in Toulouse
Rue de la chaîne will be very noisy during the evening and at night in the summer because you have a big bar at the Place des Tiercettes. Le Breughel l'Ancien which is one of the most renowned leftist bar in Toulouse, very famous. A lot of little concert, many events, many Latinos music too.
So if your bedroom is on the street side instead of inside the block, you can have a hard time during sleep time.
Otherwise like other comments said, the place is regular now. Bad reputation from 10-20 years, where it was THE place to find cannabis and illegal cigarettes in the city center.
But it was on the Arnaud Bernard place and just around, rue de la chaîne was already "off zone" (and yeah it's a matter of ~30 meters..)
That is cool! I really like the idea of having a bar around the corner.
The appartment is in the back of the building towards a small closed garden, so I think noise will be ok.
Thanks!
I’ve been living for about two years now between Arnaud Bernard and Compans, close to Madame Bardouche bar. Overall, I find the area fairly chill, although there are quite a few protests from time to time and traffic can get busy during rush hours (around 9 AM and 5 PM), and sirens at night can be a pain without proper windows.
The Arnaud Bernard side still has plenty of weed dealers, while Compans seems to attract more of the consumers 😄. Our car was broken into once in December 2024, but since the parking is gated, I think it would happen more often otherwise. All in all, it’s been a good experience for us but thinking about moving soon, still in the center but more towards Carmes or Francois Verdier, mostly because of the noise and the wind, our apartment is at the 11th floor and it gets quite windy.
I mean yeah there are sketchy people but it's not that bad IMO. Lived there and I loved the accessibility.
It’s a good location for public transport. 10-15 minutes walk to line A metro Capitole. Maybe 5 minutes walk to line B Compans Cafferelli. The bus stop is right in front of the place.
The only downside is that you either hear cars in the street or people who leave the bars and are very.. “enthusiastic” let’s say. It’s not a calm area, but a very convenient location.