Rue Sainte-Catherine is often described as the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe at 1.2 kilometres. It runs north-south through the centre of the old town, lined with a mix of international chains, local shops, and the odd historic arcade. The architecture along its length is 18th-century and consistent — the commercial activity at ground level gives way, if you look up, to beautiful facades.
The street is perpetually busy and somewhat relentless as a shopping experience, but walking its length gives a good sense of the city's density. The side streets leading off it toward the Garonne or toward the Saint-Pierre quarter are more interesting than the main drag: Place du Parlement, Cours d'Alsace-et-Lorraine, the narrow lanes of the Saint-Pierre neighbourhood.