Watching the Tour de France in person:
essential tips for following the Tour de France 2025!

1. How do you decide which stages of the Tour de France to watch in person?

My usual starting point is to look at the route map and the location of the stages.  I look for a number of stages that are close to a central location in order to avoid too much travel.

From there I look for well known places and try and plan a cycle route for us taking in “icons” and as much of each stage as we can get away with (before getting booted off the course – more on that below!).

We’ve watched everything from a Grand Depart to flat sprint stages and stages in the high mountains too – but these days we tend to miss out long flat stages as there’s not a lot of action. The peloton comes past at a rate of knots so you don’t get to see a great deal.

Most week-long trips would allow you to fit in each type of stage, though our favourites are the mountains. You can get close to the action, test yourself out with the riding and get enough time to see the riders pass slowly enough to pick individual favourites out. The publicity caravan also passes slowly enough to give more chance of being able to pick up some Tour souvenirs (AKA “Tour tat”)!

Ben’s top tip

One of my top tips is to think about the riders’ rest days. For example, last year I did a bit of research in the Roadbook (more info below) and found the various hotels the teams were allocated. I decided Mr Cavendish and team Di Data would benefit from our company the following day.  We got up early and went by the team hotel to check things out.  After a chat with the mechanics, who were busy working on the bikes, we discovered the guys would be setting off around 10:00am on a “spin”.  After some breakfast we made our way back to the hotel car park and joined the team for a ride round Lake Annecy – spectacular!  We also saw Movistar and AG2R out with groups of fans too. This was one of my favourite days ever on a bike!

A note of warning: if you do this, use your common sense. Give the riders room to do what they are there to do – ride.  Don’t get in their group or too close as they don’t want you to be responsible for a crash. Don’t be too pushy and pester them for selfies and autographs. When the moment looks right, then ask, preferably either at the start or end, not whilst they are taking a nature break (as someone did when we were there…)!

Chris Froome in the ITT just leaving Bourg Saint Andeol (Tour de France 2016)

 

[Update] 2025 Tour de France tips

The 112th Tour runs between 5 and 27 July. It starts with a flat loop in Lille, sweeps anticlockwise through Normandy, the Pyrenees and the Alps, and finishes on the Champs-Élysées after 3,338 km that include six summit finishes such as Mont Ventoux and Courchevel’s Col de la Loze.

1. Pick a hub. It’s always a good idea to pick an area of the Tour to focus on rather than chasing every stage. Base yourself near one “hub” and you’ll spend less time driving and more time roadside. Here are four easy “hubs” for 2025

• Northern opener (Stages 1-4) – Lille → Rouen, all within a short hop of Calais.
• Normandy & Brittany coast (Stages 5-8) – Caen ITT and Saint-Malo hill-top finish.
• Pyrenees triple-header (Stages 12-14) – Hautacam, the Peyragudes mountain TT, then Luchon-Superbagnères straight after the first rest day.
• Alpine finale (Stages 16, 18-19) – Ventoux, Courchevel and La Plagne in four days.

2. Choose stages where the race slows down or doubles back. In the list above, the mountain finishes, both time trials, and the coastal Stage 3 to Dunkirk (cross-wind risk!) let you see the peloton for longer or even twice in one day.

3. Plan with live tools, not guesswork. Open the interactive map on letour.fr when you’re plotting accommodation and ride-outs.

4. Spend at least one morning at a stage start. Riders sign-on, chat and pose for photos far longer here than on the climbs, so it’s the best spot for autographs and selfies.

5. Make the most of rest-day towns. Teams base themselves in Toulouse on 15 July and Montpellier on 21 July. These are perfect chances to spin past the buses and watch mechanics at work.

2. What’s the best way of getting to the Tour from the UK?

Travelling across the Channel to France can be fairly cheap especially on the more unpopular timed crossings. Mid-week crossings are usually cheapest.  However, be warned: the ferry companies often seem to raise the prices when the Tour is on as they know more people will want to cross. Book early!

UK cars must carry Crit’Air stickers, a breathalyser kit, warning triangle and hi-viz vests on French roads.

Ben’s top tips

I use https://www.aferry.com/ to book crossings as soon as the dates/routes/plan becomes clear.

For planning your trip across France, ViaMichelin gives cost options and alternative routes for specific vehicles.

[Update] 2025 Tour de France tips

1. Accessing northern France:

• Eurostar is the quickest route to the Grand Départ: London St Pancras to Lille Europe takes 1 hr 22 minutes.
• LeShuttle or ferry? LeShuttle carries cars Folkestone to Calais in 35 minutes with up to four departures an hour, while ferries sail Dover–Calais in about 1 h 30 minutes and up to 30 sailings a day.
• Day trip? Calais to Lille is only about 110 km (under 90 minutes by car), so stages 1 to 4 are genuine day-trip territory from the UK.

2. Getting to the Pyrenees: You can hop from the northern opener to the Pyrenees by rail: the fastest Lille to  Toulouse TGV covers the journey in about 6 h 30 min, and boxed bikes travel for roughly €30.

3. Driving? Order a Crit’Air sticker (around €5) before entering low-emission zones (many urban areas like Lille, Toulouse and Montpellier have them); fines for non-compliance start at €68.

4. No extra border checks this summer: the EU Entry/Exit biometric system will not start until October 2025, so 2024-style passport control still applies.

5. Taking bikes (should be) easy: Eurostar accepts folding bikes as hand luggage and boxed bikes with a 90-minute check-in, while ferries and LeShuttle let you roll straight on without boxing.

3. How do you find out detailed information on each Tour de France stage?

I always download the “Official Roadbook” (the one issued to the teams) that becomes available on the Velorooms website.

The Roadbook shows profiles, timings, road closures, team hotels – the lot!  It’s a fantastic resource.

Ben’s top tip

I usually print off the pages for the week we’re doing and take the relevant pages each day so I can refer back to them regarding locations and times etc.

[Update] 2025 Tour de France tips

1. Download the free Tour de France by ŠKODA app for 2025 and open its Race Center to get interactive stage maps, live GPS rider dots, elevation profiles you can cache offline and push-alerts on road closures.

2. Ten days before Stage 1 the official Roadbook PDF drops in the Tour de France Club members’ area, while a printed Official Race Guide appears (and sells out fast) at UK outlets such as WHSmith and online stockists.

3. For clear at-a-glance profiles and climb breakdowns, head to the daily stage pages on ProCyclingStats, which also mark feed zones and intermediate sprints.

4. If you want 3-D views or GPX files to load onto a head unit for your own rides, VeloViewer lets you export the official course (free demo, £10 for full access).

5. Check the host-town spectator guides for parking and closure details. For example, Lille’s Grand Départ traffic bulletin lists the streets closed from 2–5 July and the park-and-ride sites available that weekend. You can download the Lille guide here.

6. Save PDFs, GPX files and route maps to your phone or tablet – this is handier on the roadside and instantly updated if the organisers tweak timings overnight.

4. How do you decide where to stay?

Once I’ve decided how long we’ve got and what area we want to focus on, I try to find a few possible locations spread over a few days of the Tour being in the particular area.

I use Google maps try and make sure the location to park the motorhome and base ourselves in is central to the routes we’re going to watch.  I use www.searchforsites.co.uk which is a specific motorhome parking app to search for recommended parking spots for the motorhome. However, during the Tour, I’ve found most towns and villages are very relaxed about parking presumably as they know you’re not going to be there too long.

I’ve previously parked in sports centres, supermarket and railway station car parks with no problems at all. I’ve been welcomed into strangers’ houses and even joined a village street party (at their request) to celebrate the Tour passing through that day. It was great – we were fed and plied with beer/wine!

Of course, if you’re not in a motorhome it’ll still be a similar process: you’ll be looking for accommodation that’s central to the stages you want to watch.

Example: in 2018, we drove from Calais down to Annecy for the Tour’s rest day there (more on rest days above!). From there, a central point somewhere near Annecy around Albertville and Bourg St Maurice worked well, giving us opportunities to ride out to each day’s route, take in a climb or two and catch a start and a finish whilst not needing to move the motorhome between stages. It meant we could enjoy cycling each day, usually taking in as much of the route as we could, and avoid too much travelling.

Ben’s top tip

Don’t do what I did in my first year spectating the Tour de France. Due to bad motorhome positioning, we ended up travelling each night until after midnight trying to catch the next day’s stage.  After watching the stage, we had to cycle back, wash, change, load the bikes and travel hundreds of miles plus try and eat somewhere along the way! It wasn’t much fun!

[Update] 2025 Tour de France tips

1. Check our tips for booking accommodation below.

2. Hub and spoke trips. If you don’t have a motorhome and would rather stay in one place, you could base yourself in one place and drive or take the train elsewhere. For example from Toulouse (Rest Day 1) or Montpellier (Rest Day 2) you could use high-speed trains or hire cars for day trips to Pyrenean and Ventoux stages.

Amiens in northern France, awaiting the arrival of the Tour

 

5. How do you find accommodation and bike hire for your Tour de France spectator tour?

If you’re not in a motorhome, be aware that hotels and guest houses will get booked up very quickly once the route details are released by the organisers around October of the preceding year. This is particularly the case in the mountains and especially where the area you want to go is where the Etape du Tour is also being held.

In terms of bike hire, we’ve always taken our own bikes, but I’ve had friends who tried to hire bikes at Mt Ventoux over a Tour de France weekend and found they were sold out until the day after (when there were plenty available!). Admittedly, this was an extremely busy location, but I think most places get booked up quickly when the Tour is in town. Again, book early!

[Update] 2025 Tour de France tips

1. Book early – really early. Hotels near headline climbs and cross-Channel ferries or Eurotunnel slots disappear within weeks of the route reveal, leaving 50 km detours or 3 a.m. sailings for late planners. Likewise, book campsites early if you want to pitch near headline climbs. For example, Le Garrigon (Vaucluse) is 35 km from the Mont Ventoux summit finish and usually sells out by April.

2. City hotels tend to fill first. Lille, Rouen and Caen are the stage-start towns in the opening week and saw prices jump once the route was announced, so lock in rooms as early as possible.

3. Gîtes and cycling-friendly B&Bs are fantastic options in the mountains. Properties around Hautacam and Peyragudes let you ride famous climbs from the door and avoid parking scrums on race day.

4. Wild camping on the route is tolerated only above the last village; arrive two nights before and check local bans and places camping is permitted. Prefectures usually publish downloadable closure maps each June.

5. Motorhomes remain a classic option, but plan to park in aires that lie below the road-closure barriers, then ride or walk up; many mountain passes shut to traffic from dawn on race day.

6. How do you get to the Tour de France route on the day?

My advice is to cycle to the route and along as much of it as possible in order to scout out the best place to watch from (more on this below).

I’ve found advertised Tour de France road closures are usually not too strict for cycling to your chosen viewpoint as they are meant for motor vehicles. That said, there are some very over-enthusiastic gendarmes that won’t let you past their posts once the “fermée” or “route barée” time kicks in.  They usually shout “pied” (walk) which we do until out of sight before hopping back on and continuing (if safe to do so) for as far as we can… Obviously we stay vigilant and if we hear any sirens, traffic or the caravan is near we dismount and get out of the way immediately.

[Update] 2025 Tour de France tips

1. Check the local road-closure notices the night before: most valley roads shut to cars two to four hours before the publicity caravan, while mountain access roads such as the D100 to Hautacam and the D974 to Mont Ventoux close the evening before once parking areas are full.

2. For the Lille Grand Départ, consider leaving the car in a park-and-ride (over 5,000 spaces) and switch to the reinforced metro running every 1–2 minutes until 01:30; tram and bus frequencies are boosted too.

3. Bikes usually get waved past the “route barrée” signs an hour or two after cars are stopped, but be ready to dismount if a gendarme shouts “pied” and keep well clear when sirens announce race vehicles.

4. City finishes (Rouen, Caen, Montpellier) are easiest by regional train; SNCF publishes special Tour timetables with extra late-night services and on-board bike spaces that can be booked in advance.

5. Download offline maps and the stage PDF to your phone. Mobile data often vanishes on climbs, and you’ll want the caravan and peloton ETAs at hand.

6. Pack a lightweight layer, lights and a power bank: temperatures drop sharply on late-afternoon descents, and roads can stay busy well after sunset.

7. Travelling with non-cyclists? Official fan zones in start and finish towns open about four hours before the riders arrive, with big screens, toilets, food stalls and secure bike parking. These make an easy option if walking far isn’t on the cards.

The summit of the HC Col du Pre with Mont Blanc behind

7. Do you have any tips for picking your spot to spectate the stage?

Places on iconic climbs such as Mt Ventoux, Alpe d’Huez etc get filled up very quickly, especially near the finish line.

We generally aim to ride as much of the climb/route as possible early on whilst looking for good viewpoints, bars, cafés or any vantage points (rocky outcrops or overlooking gardens etc) that would be good as the peloton passes.

It’s then fairly easy to drop back down to our chosen spot on that day’s route once we’ve completed as much of the route as we can. The beauty of having the bikes is that if our chosen spot turns out not to be good enough then we can move on to another option.

Ben’s top tips

Check the Roadbook. For example, the “feed zone” offers a different experience of the Tour and a chance to chat with soigneurs and watch them interact with their teams. Feed zones also have areas where bidons are to be thrown away by the riders. Sometimes they’re not that busy meaning there’s plenty of bidons to go around.  The soigneurs sometimes have “spare” bidons and musettes that the riders didn’t or couldn’t take whilst in the zone.  Often, they’re not interested in carting them about or won’t get another chance to pass them to their riders, so will hand them out once the peloton has passed.

Another thing to look out for is if the route does a loop and this will allow you to see the peloton in action more than once. For example you watch from point A then as they cycle more of the loop you can use the Roadbook to check the times and cycle to point B to catch them again.

Also look out for large car parks at a depart/arrivee village.  These are often used to stock up the caravan with goodies and provide a great opportunity to blag some swag.

Avoid the crowds.

If a stage finishes on top of a mountain there is sometimes no access for the team coaches/trucks who are left at the foot of the climbs. The riders have to make their own way back down to the coaches by cycle – blowing their whistles so the crowds part – and it’s quite easy to wait a while and join them as they make their way back down.  We’ve ridden down off Planche des Belles Filles chatting with various stars – very memorable!

[Update] 2025 Tour de France tips

1. Iconic summit finishes like Mont Ventoux, Hautacam and Col de la Loze fill up fastest: roads usually close the evening before, so ride or hike up a day early and camp or stay a few kilometres below the top.

2. Hairpin corners and natural amphitheatres give longer sight-lines than straight sections; on Ventoux, for instance, the bend just above Chalet Reynard lets you watch each rider for almost two minutes. Avoid inside bends on fast descents.

3. Feed zones are underrated gems: check their kilometre markers in the Roadbook, chat to soigneurs, and you might head home with bidons and musettes once the peloton has passed.

4. Exploit circuit or out-and-back stretches to see the race twice: Stage 3 around Dunkirk and the Caen time trial both loop past the same roads, so you can cheer, relocate, and catch the action again.

5. Fan-zone big screens in finish towns are perfect for groups who want toilets, food stalls and commentary while stronger riders head farther up the road.

6. When team buses are parked in the valley, hang around the descent after a summit finish: riders whistle to clear a path and often pause for selfies and autographs on their way down.

7. For crosswind drama, pick exposed farmland or coastal causeways rather than built-up areas; you’ll feel the gusts and watch the peloton split into echelons in real time.

8. Carry a small FM radio or stream the live audio feed in the official app; roadside commentary warns you when the caravan or breakaway is about to appear.

9. If you’re driving to and parking on a mountain climb, park facing downhill – it makes a fast exit easier once the roads reopen and avoids three-point turns in post-stage traffic.

Spectators at sector 15 of Stage 9, Tour de France 2018

8. What time should you get in position to watch the Tour come through?

This depends on how busy the location is. For example, Alpe d’Huez fills up from first thing in the morning, whilst lesser known stages are easy to get a spot on up to about an hour before the peloton comes through.

Occasionally we have been blocked by gendarmes and have been made to stay exactly where they say, but even then we’ve managed to move around a bit and found a better spot.

[Update] 2025 Tour de France tips

1. Summit-finish roads such as Mont Ventoux, Hautacam and Courchevel usually close to all traffic the evening before; if you want a barrier-side place near the top, ride or hike up a day early and camp or sleep in your vehicle.

2. If you’re riding up a climb on race morning, start early: cyclists are usually waved past “route barrée” signs until around 90 minutes before the leaders arrive, after which gendarmes ask everyone to dismount and stay put.

3. On regular flat and transition stages, aim to reach your chosen spot about two hours before the publicity caravan. This gives plenty of time to settle, collect freebies and still shuffle along the route if the first viewpoint feels too crowded.

4. Fan zones in finish towns open roughly four hours before the expected stage finish, so rolling in mid-morning secures bike parking, food stalls and big-screen coverage without a scrum.

9. What should you take with you each day?

This depends on the length of your ride and what’s on route.

Use Google Earth to do a bit of research beforehand and decide on supplies for your day.

There is normally a village of some sorts near to viewpoints where supplies can be bought, as well as local entrepreneurs that set up pop-up snack bars. However obviously they cannot be totally relied upon, so we also usually take some extra sandwiches and a few cans of pop/water in a rucksack which is replaced with Tour stuff (see below) as the day progresses.

Ben’s top tip

Make sure to take a bag or rucksack to put all your “Tour tat” in! They they throw loads out as the caravan passes through and everybody loves a madeleine or an LCL branded cap, right?!

[Update] 2025 Tour de France tips

Here are some ideas if you’re riding to the start – if you’re driving or going by train some of these ideas still apply but you’;l have more flexibility with what you can bring and buy on the way:

1. Two full bidons – remote climbs often have no taps, and roadside queues for drinks can be long.

2. High-energy food for a six-hour day: think sandwiches, bananas and a handful of bars or gels so you are not hostage to pop-up stalls.

3. Lightweight waterproof and windproof layers (jacket or gilet, arm warmers, thin gloves); mountain weather has been known to flip from 30 °C sun to hail in minutes.

4. Sun defence kit: factor-50 sunscreen, sunglasses and a cap or Buff. The July sun bites even on overcast days.

5. Charged phone pre-loaded with the Tour de France app, offline maps and a 10 000 mAh power bank; patchy reception and filming soon empty batteries.

6. A few €10 notes and coins. Rural bars and snack stands may not take cards, and phone terminals struggle once crowds arrive.

7. Tiny FM radio or earphones to stream Radio Tour so you hear caravan and peloton ETAs as they update.

8. Repair kit – multi-tool, spare tube, mini-pump and quick-link, plus a café-stop cable lock.

9. Fold-up sit-mat or small towel for comfort on grass, rocks or hot tarmac while you wait.

10. Drawstring bag or musette to stash the freebies (“tour tat”) thrown from the publicity caravan and any layers you peel off later.

A small collection of “tour tat”! 

10. Do you have any tips for how to be a good Tour de France spectator and make the most of your day?!

We’ve all seen the videos and pictures of spectators causing crashes whilst watching the Tour. The following “rules” should help make sure you don’t get caught up in disaster.

• Don’t swing on or lean too far over the barriers. Riders passing close can get caught up in disaster this way. One fan’s cardboard placard brought down half the peloton in 2021 (source).
• Don’t leave it until the last minute to step back from your “brilliant” vantage point directly in front of an approaching rider.  Someone may be stood directly behind you; next thing you’re all on the tarmac. Not the best way to get your face on TV!
• Be careful of camera straps, rucksacks and bags that may get caught, tripping you (and maybe the yellow jersey) up.
• Take all your litter home, including gel wrappers, or find a convenient bin/bag to place them in.
• Smoke bombs and flares… Really. Just don’t even think about it.

On a more positive note, I’d also suggest not spending too much time focusing (get it?!) on your pictures/videos. The peloton passes quickly in most places and if you’re concentrating on getting images then you’ll miss them. There’s always chance for a few snaps, just try not to miss the main event!

Once the peloton, and more specifically the “broom wagon”, has gone through there will be a car with a flashing headboard telling you the road is re-opened. At this point you’re free to cycle away. Beware that the roads can be very busy and there are plenty trying to imitate the descending skills of their heroes, though usually nowhere near as good!

[Update] 2025 Tour de France tips

1. Keep dogs on leads, children close and elbows in: a split-second swerve at 70 km/h can end a rider’s Tour and earn spectators hefty fines under the “reckless interference” clauses the UCI and ASO now enforce.

2. Respect the places you’re standing on – no climbing graves, garden walls or fragile fencing for a better view.

3. Leave no trace: pocket litter, use the race’s recycle zones and town-centre sorting bins, and remember that riders themselves face fines for dropping bottles outside designated areas.

4. Choose low-impact travel – train, bike or shuttle – whenever possible; transport is the biggest slice of the Tour’s emissions, so every car left at home helps the event hit its reduction targets.

Team cars and soigneurs, St Jean de Sixt

 

11. Any final thoughts?

What about the rest of France?!

Don’t forget that the Tour will only take in certain climbs in certain areas that you may be in too.

For example, it’s a shame to be on the doorstep of the Ballon d’Alsace and only go up Planche des Belles Filles. So do some research in the area you plan to visit and maybe even take a day off from the Tour to tick off some bucket list adventures.

Epic Road Rides gives great information (the France cycling guides are all here) and suggestions on various routes in your chosen area.

Other practicalities

• Take out comprehensive travel insurance that covers riding mountain roads, roadside spectating and emergency medical repatriation; check the small print for “amateur cycling” and for equipment theft outside locked rooms.
• UK visitors can face roaming charges again: buy an EU data bundle or pick up a local SIM, and download stage maps for offline use before you leave Wi-Fi.
• Always keep a little cash on hand – rural cafés, snack vans and village markets along the route often run on coins, not cards, and contactless limits vary.
• A simple “bonjour” and “merci” go a long way with gendarmes, volunteers and locals; polite French greetings usually earn better directions and quieter roadside spots.
• Leave no trace: pack out litter, respect fenced pasture, and obey the gendarmes’ tape lines. Fines for littering or stepping onto the course can reach €135 and fragile mountain meadows recover slowly.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this short guide and that it helps you avoid some of our early mistakes.  If you would like any further information, then please just ask in the comments below.  Safe travels and enjoy your trip!

 

Big thanks to Ben for all his Tour de France tips! There are some really useful pointers in here on how to watch the Tour de France in person –  we hope you use them to have a fantastic trip!

Looking for more Tour de France inspired articles, don’t miss the best Tour de France climbs and this article on the historic Nice 2024 stages. 

Have you planned a DIY Tour de France spectators tour?

Have you got some tips for watching the Tour de France in person?

Any questions?

Let us know in the comments below!

And finally, if you want to go on a supported tour to watch the Tour de France, where all the planning is done for you, read this article.

Ben Davies is an Epic Road Rides reader who also runs Velomoho He got in touch to tell us about his Cinglés du Ventoux trip and his frequent trips to watch the Tour de France (check out the separate article on that here).