The Grand Départ is set. The full route is not. Here is how I would plan your trip right now.
The 2027 Tour de France starts in Scotland, finishes in Paris and reveals its full route on Thursday, October 22. If you are waiting for that day to start planning, you are already behind. The hotels near the best stages do not wait for you. They sell out the day the route drops.
I am going to show you what we already know, how I would get you there and where I would put you before a single mountain stage is confirmed.
I do not research the Tour. I live it.
Before I tell you how to plan this trip, you should know why I am the person to plan it.
I have stood roadside at the Tour de France. I have ridden the roads the peloton races on, including the Galibier, Ventoux, the Tourmalet, Hautacam, Annecy, La Madeleine and Col de la Loze. In 2025 I rode all 21 stages. I planned my own Tour trip from scratch, which took more than 40 hours, and I had to move fast the moment the route was final.
That experience is built into every trip I plan. I know that roads close hours before the riders arrive. I know a mountain finish can mean leaving at 3am to get parking. I know why I would rather stand at the start line to catch the caravan than fight the crowd at the finish. I know where the nearest bike shop is in case something snaps on day one.
A booking site cannot tell you which side of the barricade you will be standing on. I can.
What we know today
The route reveal is Thursday, October 22 at 11am in Paris (5am Eastern), streamed live on the official Tour de France website. Until then, here is what is confirmed.
First Grand Départ in Scotland. It is also the first to cover three nations: Scotland, England and Wales in just three days.
Wednesday, June 30: team presentation in Edinburgh.
Stage 1, Friday, July 2: Edinburgh to Carlisle, 184 km. Flat and built for the sprinters.
Stage 2, Saturday, July 3: Keswick to Liverpool, 223 km. It runs through the Lake District National Park and includes five categorised climbs.
Stage 3, Sunday, July 4: Welshpool to Cardiff, 223 km. A string of Welsh climbs and a finish over Caerphilly Mountain.
Tuesday, July 6: racing resumes in France.
Sunday, July 25: the finish in Paris.
Everything after the Welsh stage is rumor. Cherbourg is being tipped for the start of stage 4. In the mountains, the chatter points to the Col du Granon, the Col de la Loze and Alpine resorts like Courchevel, Tignes and La Plagne. There is even talk of the Alps coming before the Pyrenees and a detour into Italy. None of it is confirmed, so I would not book a single stage-specific hotel on a rumor. But we can plan the shape of the trip today.
Step 1: Get to the Grand Départ
Edinburgh has nonstop service from a handful of US hubs, including New York JFK, Boston, Newark, Washington Dulles, Atlanta, Chicago and Philadelphia. From JFK and Boston you are looking at roughly 6.5 to 7 hours in the air, with options on Delta, American, JetBlue and United depending on the city.
From Edinburgh, Carlisle is a direct train of about 1 hour 15 minutes. On race day that matters. A car near a finish town is a liability and a train drops you in the middle of the action.
Here is my honest advice on the British leg: three stages in three nations in three days is a logistics puzzle. Most people should pick two and see them well instead of chasing all three and seeing none properly. Stage 1 gives you Edinburgh and a sprint finish. Stage 2 starts in the Lake District. Stage 3 is the hardest day of the three and the one the climbing fans will want. I will build around the one you care about most.
One more note. The UK drives on the left. For this part of the trip I usually lean on trains.
Step 2: Cross into northwest France
After Cardiff, the race has to cross the Channel. That points to the first French stages sitting in the northwest. If you want to be in range, there are two clean ways to get there.
Fly into Paris, then take the train toward Lille. Direct high-speed trains run from the Charles de Gaulle airport station to Lille in as little as 55 minutes. Most take 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.
Fly into England, then take Eurostar. London St Pancras to Lille Europe takes about 1 hour 22 minutes, with fares starting around £39 one way. If you are already in Britain for the Grand Départ, this is the natural bridge into France.
If the route lands in Normandy, Paris becomes the better launch point. If it hugs the north, Lille is a smart base. This is exactly why I will not lock you into a city until the route is out.
Step 3: Pick your mountain gateway
The Tour will have big days in the mountains. Because of that, a few cities put you in range of the action before the route is announced: Paris, Nice, Lyon, Grenoble and Toulouse. Here is how each one works from North America, and what I would do with it.
Paris (CDG)
Paris is the workhorse. It has nonstop flights from the biggest list of US cities, including New York, Newark, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Dallas and San Francisco. New nonstops are coming for 2027 too: Austin on Delta from March 27, Seattle on Alaska from May 25 and Denver on United from May 27. Paris is also where the Tour ends on July 25, which makes it a perfect last stop.
Nice (NCE)
Nice has a nonstop from Atlanta (about 10.5 hours) and American is adding New York JFK to Nice from May 6, 2027. It is my favorite place to start a Tour trip. You land on the coast, adjust to the time change on a beach and ride Monaco and the Col d'Eze before the racing starts. It is also your gateway to the southern Alps.
Lyon (LYS)
Lyon has no nonstop from the US. The one North American nonstop comes from Montreal, at about 8 hours 15 minutes. From the US, I would route you through Paris, where Air France runs roughly 5 to 6 flights a day to Lyon in about 1 hour 15 minutes. Lyon puts you at the doorstep of the Alps.
Grenoble
Grenoble has no transatlantic service, so you fly into Lyon and drive the roughly 48 miles. It is still the base I chose for my own trip. Grenoble sits in the middle of an enormous number of mountains. That central spot is worth the early mornings, and there will be early mornings. The plan for one of my mountain days was a 90 minute drive and a departure by 3am at the latest to secure parking.
Toulouse (TLS)
If the route turns toward the Pyrenees, Toulouse is the gateway. United is launching a daily nonstop from Washington Dulles to Toulouse on April 26, 2027, which is a big deal. Before that, there was no easy way in. If you miss that flight, Paris to Toulouse runs 9 to 14 flights a day at about 1 hour 20 minutes.
My rule for flights
Use an open-jaw ticket. Fly into one city and out of another, so you never double back. On my own trip I flew into Nice and out of Paris. One note: airlines are still loading summer 2027 schedules and routes change, so I confirm every flight when we build your trip.
Step 4: Optimize your hotels by city
Hotels are where trips like this are won or lost. Near a stage, the good rooms go the moment the route is public. In every city I look at three ways to book and choose the best one.
My Fora partnership. I am a Fora partner, which gets you VIP treatment at hotels around the world: upgrades when available, hotel credits and extras like breakfast and late checkout.
Your hotel status. If you hold Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors status, I plan around it. I hold Marriott Gold and Hilton Gold myself, and I use them to choose hotels where the points and perks stack up.
Your credit card programs. Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts and Chase's The Edit both offer a daily breakfast for two, a $100 property credit and a room upgrade when available. Amex also guarantees a 4pm late checkout. Chase's late checkout is not guaranteed, and its statement credit requires a two-night stay.
None of these always wins. On a recent comparison, my Fora perks beat Amex in Florence and Amex won in Paris. That is why I compare every city and book the winner instead of defaulting to one program. Perks and eligible hotels change, so I verify them before I book.
Step 5: Get your driving ready
Following the Tour means a car, and a car means paperwork. If you are leaving from the United States, get an International Driving Permit before you go.
Where: AAA is one of two organizations authorized by the US State Department to issue them. It costs $20.
How long it takes: online applications take about 5 business days plus mailing. You can also go to a AAA branch and often leave with it the same day.
When: a permit cannot be issued more than 6 months before the start date. For a July 2027 trip, apply between January and June.
What it is: an IDP translates your license into 10 languages and is valid for one year. It does not replace your US license, so you carry both.
Many rental counters in France will not ask for it. A police officer or an insurance claim after an accident might. It takes five minutes and costs $20, so I tell every client to get one.
Two more things. Most rental cars in France are manual, so book an automatic early if you need one. And race day driving is its own skill. Roads close in a rolling enclosure hours before the lead rider arrives. On my own trip the plan for Col de la Loze was to start driving up the mountain and stop when we had good parking, with a 3am departure as the backstop. That is the level of detail I build into your driving routes.
Do not forget the downtime
The Tour is a grind, even as a spectator. Trips built only around race days burn people out. I build in the other half.
Nice: a beach day with chairs booked through the hotel, a morning ride through Monaco with a coffee stop on the Col d'Eze and a wander through the food market at Cours Saleya.
Grenoble: a cable car ride up to the Fort de la Bastille, with a stop at the Chartreuse Monastery on the drive in.
Paris: champagne at the Eiffel Tower at night, the Musée de l'Orangerie and a walk through Montmartre before the final stage.
The Lake District: if you are in Britain for stage 2, build in time around Keswick.
If you ride, I will help you design your own route, including one that matches a previous Tour stage, and I will find bike support from a local dealer who knows your bike brand. On my own trip I located a Cervélo dealer in Nice before I needed one. That is the difference between a mechanical and a ruined day.
Your timeline
Now through October 21: Decide whether you want to watch, ride or both. Pick your dates, check your passports and get a rough budget together.
October 22: The route is revealed. Send me the stages you want to see.
Late October and November: This is when we book. Hotels near the stages go first, then flights and rental cars.
Winter: We refine the schedule, add downtime activities and sort the bike logistics.
Spring: We finalize driving routes, race day timing and your International Driving Permit.
July: You go.
Let me do the planning
As the route gets announced, I will work with you to refine your trip. I will build your driving routes, get you to the stages you want to see and add the downtime that makes the whole trip worth it, like a day at the beach. I do not charge a planning fee. My partners compensate me, so you get an expert in your corner at no extra cost.
Planning a trip like this took me over 40 hours. I will take the second job so you get the trip. The Tour is coming to Edinburgh. The time to start planning is now.
Reach out and let's talk. Submit a booking request, email [email protected] or DM me on social, or submit the below form.
I do not research this. I live this.
