The Cité de l’espace (Space City) is a scientific discovery centre in France focused on spaceflight. It was opened in June 1997 and is located on the eastern outskirts of Toulouse in Haute-Garonne department (Occitania, France).
One can visit full-scale models of the Ariane 5 rocket (55 metres or 180 feet), Mir, and Soyuz modules. The original planetarium has 140 seats and presents shows throughout the day.
Cité de l’espace also has numerous exhibits, often interactive; for example, a mock-up of a control room near the model of Ariane 5, allows visitors to prepare the launching of a rocket, help with its flight and then place a satellite in orbit.
Terr@dome (a terrestrial half-sphere 25 metres or 82 feet in diameter) presents the history of space from the Big-bang to the Solar System.
A building named Astralia, which opened in 2005, includes: a 280-seat planetarium, called the Stellarium, equipped with a hemispherical screen 600 square metres (6,458 sq ft) in area; a 300-seat IMAX cinema, which shows the film Hubble 3D (previously Space Station 3D, a 3D film made on board the International Space Station); and conference rooms.
Address: Av. Jean Gonord, 31500 Toulouse, France
Coordinates: 43°35’11.4″N 1°29’34.5″E
Working Hours:
Friday 10 AM–5 PM
Saturday 10 AM–6 PM
Sunday 10 AM–6 PM
Monday Closed
Tuesday 10 AM–5 PM
Wednesday 10 AM–5 PM
Thursday 10 AM–5 PM
Phone: +33 5 67 22 23 24
Opened: June 27, 1997
Founded: 1997
Area: 4 ha
How to get to?
From Paris: 6 hr 53 min (681 km) via A20
From Andorra: 2 hr 35 min (180 km) via N20
From Barcelona: 3 hr 53 min (391 km) via AP-7 and A61
From Madrid: 7 hr 58 min (808 km) via A-1 and A64
See here Pyrenees travel guide
See here France travel guide
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