Final Stage of Tour de France in Paris-28th July

We watched it on the Champs Elysees years ago and just found a place to stand and watch. They come by 16 times, you get a good look and can move around if you aren't happy with the first view. And there will be people hawking caps and T-shirts for the perfect souvenir.

Janet, thanks! Do we need to get find a spot super early? Like 7a if first riders expected at 4p?
Also, do shops and restaurants allow restroom usage if we purchase something? Some of the blogs I've read talk about staying in one place to wait for 5 - 7 hours.
Thanks again!

We’ve watched the loops along the Champs-Elysees two times. Both times we just found a place to stand along the fence about 1/2 to 1 hour before the riders were to pass by for the first time. We’ve approached it from the Madeleine Metro. Find a nice spot in the shade in des Jardins de Champs-Eylsees. There are drinks to buy in the area but take water. It can get quite warm and one year a young girl fainted in front of us and we used my bottled water to help rehydrate her.

Our experience has been that some people who show up really early get tired and leave after the first few loops. If you go about one hour before you can be there for the support cars/team procession which is fun to watch.

Have a great time.

Mona, that's fantastic to know, thanks!

We’ve done it twice. We just showed up about an hour ahead of time and staked out a spot. They come by some spots more than once and they are going so fast, it’s a blink and you’ll miss it. You can get there super early for prime spots but I felt like we had decent enough spots.

I watched the end of the race also, on the Champs Elysees in 2012. Didn't get there super early, but found a place to watch fairly easily. It was a fun scene.

I simply am not getting anywhere hours in advance to watch a parade -- we had no trouble seeing although we arrived just before. The cheese cars and beer cars come by first and then the riders. and even on the leisurely Champs they whiz by very very fast. We wandered over to Concord to watch the awards and were probably 100 people back -- there are huge screens though and we could see the awarding at a distance.

Thank you guys so much for the info! I feel much better about being able to watch and enjoy that phenomenal race end now. Grateful for your insights.

I watched the final day from the Rue de Rivoli next to the Tulleries Garden. I was on the South side of the street so I wasn’t looking into the sun. The people on the North side were staring into a bright sun so keep that in mind when you are looking for a site. The last two races, they didn’t allow anyone to stand on the South side. I was surprised how many metro stops did not allow me to exit from the station in the direction I wanted to go. I would recommend you watch some YouTube videos of the race and try and see where the best shady spots are. If it were to rain, the North side of the Rue de Rivoli would be perfect as you could stand under the promenade and remain dry. I have watched the race every year since it has been televised. I think a good place to watch might be from North Side of the Tulleries Gardens. Your kids would have something to do while you watch the race. There are lots of rides and carnival arcades. Hopefully they will have a lot of toilets there as if you leave your spot on the course to find one, you might have trouble getting back to your spot. DON’T DRINK TOO MUCH! Just make sure everyone has firm instructions where to meet if you get separated. It is a mass of humanity all leaving at once when the race is over. It is impossible to get on a Metro next to the area of the race until at least an hour so I would recommend just walking to a restaurant where you can sit down and relax from a day of standing. (Corrected to reflect the correct directs of North and South).

That is fantastic advice...so thoughtful. Thank you so much!

I have also watched the loops along the Champs-Elysees twice. One year, I took the metro to the outskirts and watched the riders pass by and then headed to town to watch the finish. I didn't have a problem finding a spot to watch either time. You don't need to be in the grandstands to see a lot and I thought that it was a really fun time! In my opinion, you don't need to be there more than an hour or so ahead of time. There are crowds but I was actually quite surprised at how manageable it was.

We staked out a spot in the south-west corner of the Tuilleries Gardens. This area is about 8’ above street level which is a plus. From this spot (or the same spot on the other side) you see them come down the lower portion of the Champs Elysées, slown down to first turn to the right, then turn to the left (right in front of you) and continue straight along the river.. From this vantage point you actually get to see each rider for a decent amount of time, they are not a blur.

Another advantage of the TG is there is a public restroom nearby at the western entrance to the park.

We did have to get there about 2 hours early so no one would be standing in front of us, but we are die hard TdF fans so we were happy to be there. It’s a fun, festive atmosphere.

It is in full sun though, so water and sun-block is a must.

I recommend going there the day before and test all the suggestions and see what works best for you. Of course, imagine it packed with people, many people deep.

When we were there, you could not walk from the Tuilleries Gardens /
Place de la Concorde to the Champs Elysées as they block off access at the end of the Champs. We had to decide which area to be in from the get go.

Thank you Sue and Susan! We'll definitely plan to walk the area the day before to get an idea of what may work best for us. Hugely helpful, thanks again!