Our partner: La cité de l’espace
In this series of articles we present you one by one our partners. Here we talk about one of our main partners: La Cité de l’Espace. This cultural center from Toulouse makes young and old dream and will teach you everything you always wanted to know about the space world.
A little history
The Cité de l’Espace belongs to the SEMECCEL, the operating company that also manages the Pioneer Flight in Toulouse. It was created on the initiative of the city of Toulouse with the help of many public and private partners. The center was inaugurated in 1997 and has welcomed over 5 million visitors since then. In fact, each year more than 300,000 visitors come to visit the park. In order to adapt to the ever-changing world of space, the park regularly adds installations, changes the animations, the temporary exhibitions…
What’s in the park?
The Cité de l’Espace is a large center of 4 hectares where you can admire many life-size replicas such as the Ariane 5 rocket, the MIR station (predecessor of the ISS) or the lunar module in which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon.
The city is also 4 000 m² of exhibitions, 2 planetariums (one for children and one for adults), an IMAX room, an observation dome and recently a Mars field with its animated rovers. You can also attend animations that allow you to understand the scientific curiosities of space exploration. Finally, during your visit, don’t hesitate to ask the animators you see in the park: they will certainly be able to answer your question.
Events at the Cité
In addition to the center which is accessible all year round, additional events are organized. For example, in the summer you can visit the park at night during the nocturnes and thus meet astronomers, or even watch a projection on the rocket and even attend a fireworks display. There are also events like the night of the stars or researchers or conferences organized regularly. But also events outside the walls which are supported by the city. Keep yourself informed on their website or on their instagram account to not miss anything!
Visit
To visit the whole center, it is highly recommended to devote a whole day to it so as not to run between the different animations.
Little tip: There are several ways to eat on site but there are also picnic rooms to eat at a lower cost.
The Cité de l’Espace is located:
Avenue Jean Gonord
BP 25855 31506
Toulouse cedex 5
The entrance costs between 15,50 euros and 25,50 euros depending on the age and the season (The prices are available here :
Our entry prices – Practical information – Cité de l’Espace (en.cite-espace.com)
Several hotels are located near the park for visitors coming from far away.
Find La Cité de l’Espace on:
Their website : https://en.cite-espace.com/
Instagram : @citeespace
