Tour De France 2025: Grand Départ Nord De France Experience

A region of France that has been subjected to several serious world events - the two world wars of the 20th century and where young men from around the world fought for their countries. It is hard to imagine now - a calm green countryside dotted with pretty villages and towns that previously bore the brunt of so many battles.

The Tour de France Presentations and Stage 1 will take place in Lille in French Flanders, the capital of the Hauts-de-France region. Previously strategically important for hundreds of years, the city has been reinvigorated by the arrival of the Eurostar and TGV lines in the 1990s, linking Paris, London and Brussels. It's a city full of Low Countries styled buildings plus the magnificent Citadel of Lille built in the late 1660s and worth visiting.

Flat is an appropriate description of the region, given it was once part of the Low Countries - rivers, streams, endless fields of crops and yet the designers of the Tour have managed to find a route over several hills. The race route also takes into account the famed cobblestones of Hauts-de-France, Roubaix is nearby; and two of the stage finishes are on the coast - Bourgogne-su-Mer and the legendary Dunkirk.

The Grand Tours Project Grand Depart Experience provides two Stage finish line crossngs, podiums and VIP Zone access as well as entrance to the VIP Start Villa on Stage 2; carefully crafted routes along sections of the actual race route as well as nearby; a Roubaix Experience day; and multiple opportunities of free time to explore Lille, taste beers, find the historic sites of Hauts-de-France and Dunkirk. Add in our exceptional guides and team support, comfortable hotels and delicious French and Flanders cuisine and you have a perfect Tour de France experience.