Musee Des Augustins

The Musee des Augustins in Toulouse, the pink-brick city on the Garonne in southwestern France, is the city's fine-arts museum, housed in a former Augustinian convent a short walk from the Capitole. It is also, right now, a museum in transition. After more than six years of works, it partially reopened in December 2025 with redesigned spaces and a new entrance, and the next milestone is close: the museum's own site announces that the Gothic halls, the sacristy, the Notre-Dame de Pitie hall and the chapter house, reopen to the public on 3 October 2026 from 10:00. Before that, there is a full temporary closure from 21 September to 2 October 2026 for works in the great cloister. This guide lays out the verified dates, the prices, what each reopening phase contains, and how to plan a visit around it, whether you come for the sculpture, the painting, or the cloister itself.

If you are building a full city itinerary, the museum sits at the center of everything: the Toulouse Travel Guide homepage covers the city's headline sights, and the Augustins pairs naturally with the Capitole and the Basilica of Saint-Sernin, both within easy reach on foot.

When Does The Musee Des Augustins Reopen In Toulouse?

The Musee des Augustins in Toulouse is fully closed from 21 September to 2 October 2026 for great-cloister works, and its Gothic halls, the sacristy, the Notre-Dame de Pitie hall and the chapter house, reopen on 3 October 2026 from 10:00. The museum had already partially reopened in December 2025 after more than six years of works.

The museum's own announcements, published on augustins.toulouse.fr and relayed by Toulouse Metropole, give the sequence clearly. The partial reopening in December 2025 brought redesigned spaces and a new entrance. The Gothic halls are the next piece, returning on 3 October 2026 with new scenography. The full restoration of the great cloister completes in spring 2027.

That means the answer to "is it open" depends entirely on your travel dates. Arrive between 21 September and 2 October 2026 and the doors are shut. Arrive from 3 October 2026 and you get the partial museum plus the Gothic halls, which is a materially better visit than what was available through summer 2026.

The timeline below is drawn from the museum's own pages and Toulouse Metropole's announcements.

One practical note for October 2026 travelers: the reopening of the Gothic halls coincides with the launch of a new exhibition, per the museum's announcements, so the first weeks after 3 October are the moment the building is at its most complete in more than six years.

How Much Does The Musee Des Augustins Cost, And Is It Worth The Pass Tourisme?

The Toulouse tourist office's Pass Tourisme page lists the Musee des Augustins normal rate at EUR 5, and the museum is free with the Pass. The Pass Tourisme itself costs EUR 26 for stays of one to three days, pays off from the third activity, and includes a free guided tour from the tourist office; adding EUR 10 buys ten public-transport trips.

The math matters here. At EUR 5, the Augustins is one of the cheaper entries on the Pass Tourisme's list, alongside the Couvent des Jacobins at EUR 5. The expensive entries are the Fondation Bemberg at EUR 12, the Museum at EUR 12 and Les Abattoirs at EUR 12. Cite de l'espace, at a normal rate of EUR 29, is discounted rather than free with the Pass.

So a museum-heavy visit breaks even fast: two EUR 12 museums plus the Augustins already clears the EUR 26 price, before counting the free guided tour. A visit built around the Augustins alone does not justify the Pass, but the Augustins rarely stands alone, because the Jacobins, the Bemberg and the Abattoirs are all in the same central radius.

For the full breakdown of the pass, including the transport add-on, see the dedicated Pass Tourisme guide. For the Jacobins, note one rule the city's own page states for that site alone: the Couvent des Jacobins is free on the first Sunday of the month, except when a temporary exhibition is on. That rule is stated for the Jacobins only, so do not assume it applies to the Augustins.

What Do You Actually See Inside The Musee Des Augustins?

From 3 October 2026, the visit covers the partially reopened museum plus the Gothic halls: the sacristy, the Notre-Dame de Pitie hall and the chapter house, all presented with new scenography. The great cloister's full restoration completes in spring 2027.

The Augustins is, first, a building. The convent setting is the reason visitors add it to a Toulouse itinerary: cloisters, Gothic halls and a church under one roof, in the heart of the city. The renovation, more than six years of works, redesigned the exhibition spaces and built a new entrance, so the December 2025 reopening was not a return to the old layout but a new museum in an old shell.

To explore the convent and its Gothic halls at your own pace, book a self-guided audio tour here.

The collection is the city's fine-arts holding: painting and sculpture, with the medieval sculpture of the region as the traditional core. The museum's announcements around the Gothic-halls reopening promise new scenography in those rooms, which historically carried part of the sculpture display. What is certain from the verified sources is the sequence of spaces and dates, not room-by-room contents, so check the museum's own site for the current hang before a visit aimed at a specific work.

The practical consequence of the phasing: a visit in late 2026 is a partial building with its best Gothic rooms newly back, while a visit in 2027 or later adds the cloister. If the cloister is the reason you are going, spring 2027 is the earliest date the restoration completes.

How Do You Get To The Musee Des Augustins?

The Musee des Augustins sits in central Toulouse, close to the Capitole, and the Tisseo network serves the city center with a single trip at EUR 1.90, a day pass at EUR 7.20 and a 3-day pass at EUR 14.30, per the official Tisseo e-boutique catalogue. There is no 2-day pass, and a single bought last-minute on board costs EUR 2.50.

The museum's central position is its main access advantage. The verified facts for getting around Toulouse are the Tisseo fares: single EUR 1.90, on-board single EUR 2.50, ten trips EUR 16.00, day pass EUR 7.20, 3-day pass EUR 14.30. If you are arriving from the airport, the Tisseo airport single, covering the network plus the Navette aeroport, is EUR 9.50.

One warning that matters for airport arrivals: the tram T2 to the airport has been closed since 5 June 2023 and stays closed until the end of 2026 because of the Line C metro works. The Navette aeroport runs one departure every 15 minutes and takes 20 to 40 minutes to the center. Never plan a trip around the airport tram.

For the full transport picture, including the metro, tram and the Line C timeline, read getting around Toulouse. The Line C metro, 27 km and 21 stations from Colomiers to Labege, opens at the end of 2028, so it is not part of any current visit.

Once you are in the center, the museum is a walkable stop. If you prefer a structured introduction to the streets around it,

The CTA above points to Aeroscopia, and the pairing is deliberate: the Aeroscopia aircraft museum is the city's other headline indoor attraction with a verified all-year schedule, adult admission at EUR 16, open daily 9:30 to 18:00 with last entry at 17:00, and closed only on 25 December, 1 January and 7 May 2026. You can also Check availability for the admission ticket directly.

Which Other Museums Should You Pair With The Augustins?

The closest verified pairings are the Couvent des Jacobins at EUR 5, the Fondation Bemberg at EUR 12, Les Abattoirs at EUR 12 and the Museum at EUR 12, all free with the Pass Tourisme. The Musee Saint-Raymond, the archaeology museum, closed on 3 November 2025 for renovation and modernisation works and reopened on 3 April 2026.

Toulouse's museum density is the real argument for the Pass Tourisme, and the Augustins is the natural anchor of a museum day. Plan around the four confirmed sites instead.

The pairing that works best depends on taste. For old-master painting, the Fondation Bemberg is the complement to the Augustins. For contemporary art, Les Abattoirs. For the city's other great religious interior, the Jacobins, whose church roof restoration is under way with the site staying open to visitors, per the city's page.

Smaller museums round out the list for a longer stay: the Musee Paul Dupuy, the Musee Georges Labit and the Musee du Vieux Toulouse all cover niche collections, and the full landscape is covered in the Toulouse museums guide.

What Is The Best Time Of Year To Visit?

Meteo-France's 1991-2020 normals for Toulouse-Blagnac show the wettest month is May, at 73.6 mm of rain, not a winter month, with April at 65.2 mm and June at 64.2 mm close behind, while July is the sunniest at 258.6 hours with only 40.1 mm of rain. February is the driest month at 37.2 mm.

This surprises visitors who assume southern French cities are wet in winter and dry in summer. Toulouse's rain peaks in late spring, and the tap turns off in July. For a museum-centered trip the pattern matters less than for an outdoor itinerary, but the Augustins pairs well with garden and riverside stops, and those want dry days.

The annual picture: mean daily maximum 18.8C, mean daily minimum 9.6C, 627 mm of rain over 95.8 rain days, and 2,075.1 hours of sun. The records, from 1947 to June 2025, are a high of 42.4C on 23 August 2023 and a low of -19.2C on 15 February 1956. July and August each average around 11 days a year above 30C, so midsummer visits are hot ones.

For the full month-by-month breakdown, see the best time to visit Toulouse guide. October, the month the Gothic halls reopen, averages 15.3C and 54.3 mm of rain, which is a comfortable window for a museum-led city break.

Can You Combine The Augustins With A Food Or Walking Tour?

Yes, and the pairing is efficient: the museum sits in the central restaurant district, and the site's tour roster includes a guided food tour with tastings, a chef-led food and history walk, and a small-group tasting tour at the Victor Hugo market, alongside guided walking tours of the must-see sights. Product prices and ratings render from the listings themselves.

The museum's neighborhood is one of Toulouse's eating hearts. The Victor Hugo market is the city's covered market landmark, and the Toulouse food guide covers the regional dishes to look for, from cassoulet to the local sausage. A morning in the museum followed by a market or food-tour afternoon is the standard shape of a good day here.

For a structured version of that day,

How Does The Augustins Fit Into A One, Two Or Three Day Trip?

The Musee des Augustins earns a half-day slot in any Toulouse itinerary of one day or more, and its central position makes it the flexible stop between the Capitole, the Jacobins and the Garonne. The site's itineraries cover one day, two days and three days in the city, each pairing the central monuments with the riverside and the aerospace attractions further out.

The logic is geographic. The Augustins, the Capitole and the Jacobins form a tight central cluster. The Garonne riverside and the Pont Neuf extend the same walk west. The aerospace sights, Cite de l'espace and Aeroscopia, sit further out and want a half-day each, with Cite de l'espace tickets from EUR 22.50 per its homepage and a normal adult rate of EUR 29 per the tourist office.

The ready-made plans live at one day in Toulouse, 2 days in Toulouse and 3 days in Toulouse. If rain forces everything indoors, the rainy day in Toulouse guide leans on exactly the museum cluster this page covers.

What Should You Know Before Booking Around The 2026 Closure?

Book nothing for the window from 21 September to 2 October 2026: the museum is fully closed for cloister works. From 3 October 2026 the Gothic halls reopen from 10:00, the tourist office lists admission at EUR 5, and the EUR 26 Pass Tourisme includes it, and the pass pays off from the third paid activity, so it only makes sense if the Augustins is one of several paid stops on your plan.

Three practical points close the planning picture. First, the closure window is short and specific, so a trip that shifts by two weeks in either direction avoids it entirely. Second, the reopening is phased, so a 2026 visit is a partial building; travelers whose heart is set on the full convent should look at spring 2027 or later, when the great cloister restoration completes. Third, the Augustins at EUR 5 is cheap enough that the decision is not the ticket but the timing.

For the city's other big indoor attractions, the verified alternatives during the closure window are Aeroscopia, open daily 9:30 to 18:00 with adult admission at EUR 16, and the Halle de la Machine, whose entry ticket is listed in EUR on the operator's own listing. The Halle de la Machine and the L'Envol des Pionniers complete the aerospace-and-machines cluster for a day the Augustins cannot fill.

Common Questions About The Musee Des Augustins In Toulouse

The Musee des Augustins is Toulouse's fine-arts museum at its most transitional moment: partially open now, closed for two weeks from 21 September 2026, and materially better from 3 October 2026 when the Gothic halls return. Time the visit around those dates and the EUR 5 entry is one of the better values in the city center.