In a nutshell: Regarded as France's rugby capital, the “Pink City” has much to offer.

Don't miss: Place du Capitole, Marché Victor Hugo, Cité de l'Espace

In some senses, Toulouse is among the best known of the cities that will help to stage the 2023 World Cup. It sells itself, not without reasonable cause, as France's rugby capital. And it will be familiar to those who take an interest in club rugby, not least thanks to the exploits of its main side, Stade Toulousain – the perennial contenders who were French champions in 2019 and have been crowned European champions three times this century.

But in other senses – including its profile as a travel destination – Toulouse is a bit more of an unknown quantity. True, it is France's fourth biggest city, but there is an argument that, tucked away in the far south-west of the country, it is a little under-appreciated by tourists. Unlike some of its Gallic counterparts, it does not lie on the coast, and the Pyrénées which rear up immediately to the south of it can seem to hide it in their shadow.

Content supplied by the Telegraph’s travel expert Chris Leadbetter