Tour de France...Orleans or Troyes?

Troyes is incomparably more interesting than Orleans, in my opinion!
The cathedral in Orleans is slightly better than in Troyes (but still out of my French top 10 I'd say). For the rest, Troyes is far more charming, with amazingly well-preserved 16th century architecture all over.

Can't comment about TDF specifics, I haven't seen it in 20 years.

Given the two choices, I would choose Troyes over Orleans, both of which I spent day trips from Paris last summer.

True, I found Troyes more charming plus it's in an area much more interesting historically with towns such as Bar-le-Duc, Arcis-sur-Aube, Brienne, Chaumont nearby (relatively) and accessible easily by regional train or bus.

Tom, you may have already studied this, but Stage 9, on July 7, will start and end in Troyes. Along the very long loop route, there will be several sections of “White Roads,” with rough, dusty gravel surfaces. That will make things much more difficult for the riders than if they were on smooth pavement, which could be exciting for spectators. It could also make it harder to see or breathe, if the dust getting kicked up is thick enough. Whether it being on a Sunday would make a difference for you, when lots of others will have the day off, might be worth considering. If you don’t have your own wheels, I don’t know if there are any companies offering transportation for spectators, or if you could find any locals (or visiting fans) who’d adopt you for the day, and take you with them as they go find a place to watch. At the top of a climb, riders will be going slower due to fatigue, and a curve or corner could also be a good vantage point (see below).

Monday, July 8 is a day off, for riders to recover from the day and the week before.

On Tuesday, July 9, the riders will depart from Orléans. The very start of the race will be ceremonial, and you could wander around near the Start line, view riders warming up and getting interviewed, see team buses, visit the souvenir tents, and take in the general atmosphere. If you positioned yourself several hundred yards beyond the Start line, you could be there when the advertising Caravan drives by prior to the race, and might score some of the trinkets and goodies that get tossed into the crowd. Then, you’d see the pack of riders go by. The actual racing doesn’t begin until a few miles beyond the Start, so they won’t be going by at breakneck speed.

For anyone reading this who’s not already aware, partly because of the Olympic Games being in Paris this year, the Tour de France will NOT have a stage there. Le Tour has ended in Paris for decades, but is finishing in Nice in 2024. My husband and I will be there! Another thing that will make 2024 different, and very likely much more interesting, is that, instead of the final stage really being just an unchallenged cruise into the city, with a sprint at the very end by the strongest Sprinters, it will be an individual time trial. So, unlike most of the Tours from the past 20 years, where the General Classification winner was really determined the day before the final ride into Paris, and everybody just coasted into Paris for several laps on the Champs-Élysées, the fastest time trialist on the final day could beat riders with better overall times up to that point. The other thing, for better or worse, is that in a time trial, riders start out one at a time, and not in a pack. So you get to see every single rider pass, solo, albeit going 30 or many more miles an hour - zipping by. Occasionally, a rider will pass the rider who got started a minute or more in front of them, but you likely won’t see a bunch of riders jockeying for position at the same time. Position yourself on a corner, and you might see a rider both coming and going around it, and (hopefully not) potentially wipe out on the curve, if the tires don’t hold.

We hope to also catch at least one stage a day or two beforehand, near Nice, and also possibly a mountain stage in the Pyrenees, several days earlier.

Regarding balso’s comment about not having seen the TDF in 20 years, that reminds me of a Frenchman I spoke with in July, two years ago. He was from Chamonix, but had been living in Italy for several years, and was an avid cyclist. I asked if he was following the Tour de France. He said no, because no French rider had won in so long, he’d lost interest. That’s unfortunate.

Cyn! I will be in Nice too! I was so disappointed when I found out that it would be in Nice instead of Paris, but that led our Tour/Olympics trip to be shifted and made longer! So I guess I win in the end....

I am SO intrigued by the possibility of a shakeup on that last day, and very happy that standing on the side of the road for hours will give me chances to see all the riders over the course of a few hours instead of about 1 minute!

To the OP, its good that you have two options for start towns, as that's where a lot of the fanfare happens and you have time to soak it all in. That cobbles stage will be very interesting! There might possibly be a lot of carnage throughout the day!

I am resigning myself to trying to "figure it out" when I get there, but Nice will have many options to take advantage of over two days, not so much for the Troyes or Orleans stages. I know from reading many "how to be a spectator at the Tour" websites that you need to trek out to the spots on the route WAY before the caravan comes through (a few hours before the race) so it might be a spur of the moment thing for you to see if you can find a way out there, but I would be satisfied with seeing the depart and finale in Troyes on an epic stage.

I love Troyes, but if I were making the decision I'd pick Orleans. What a lovely river city. The Loire is crystal clear and beautiful there, good restaurants are plentiful, and it's a great city for walking and exploring. Unfortunately, I can't comment on viewing stations for the Tour in either city.

I can tell you that Versailles is a great place to see the final stage of the Tour, as I had the privilege of viewing it there last summer at the intersection of Av de Sceaux and Av de l'Europe. If you can tweak your schedule to permit, that would be a good choice.

but remember jphbucks, the last stage of the tour this year will be an ITT into Nice, so nowhere near Versailles :)

JPH's comment made me think, Tom, will you already be in those places, or are you planning a special visit to see it? Troyes will give you some excitement at first, then a break of a handful of hours, and then excitement again for you to squeeze any sightseeing in between, but Orleans will give you first excitement and then the rest of the day to not worry about timing. Maybe that will help you decide for your sightseeing purposes?

Many thanks to all of you who have added your comments and intel. I think I’m leaning towards Troyes, although I have a feeling that it may well depend more on where I can get a decent place to stay the night before, as I’m sure many hotels and B&B’s are already full. That being said, does anyone have any recommendations for accommodations in either Troyes or Orleans? I’d be looking for cleanliness, walkability and value.) Thanks for your input! Tom

Logistically, going to Orleans has an advantage too, if you decide to take this option.

From Orleans' train station runs a TER train to Blois, where at its train station departs a bus going to Chambord. I had that in mind this last trip but Orleans proved too interesting so I spent the afternoon hours exploring the centre ville. Chambord had to wait for the next trip out there.

For Troyes, if it fits your budget, Le Champ Des Oiseaux / La Maison Rhodes (two names, essentially the same hotel) is magnificent.

My apologies for my misinformation about the location of the final stage of the 2024 Tour. It may be evident that I'm not a huge bike-racing aficionado, though the pomp and circumstance surrounding the Tour de France makes it quite a spectator event even for those like me.