For anyone who has been in Paris during the finish of the Tour de France, does this create even more crowds than usual during the days before &/or after the race? We (family of 4 - 2 kids 13 yo) will be traveling to Paris & Amsterdam July 16-26. b/c we are using FF miles we will be flying in & out of Paris. The original plan was 5N Paris, train to AMS for 4N then back to Paris, staying at airport for last night. Then I checked the Tour de France & saw that it was finishing in Paris on 7/22 and thought as long as we're there, it would be a great exp to see. So, I was thinking to arrive in Paris, train directly to AMS (long day, but then we lose 1 less day to tvl) for 4N, then train back to Paris for 6N. I realize that 7/22 will be crazy busy, but I'm wondering about the days before/after. Any experiences you can share would be appreciated. Thank you!
Posted by
Boston
380 posts
Hi, Joann Contact customgetaway.com. They are the USA official Tour de France tour group. They would certainly be able to answer your questions. We've booked a tour with them. My husband will be riding the TdF route in Burgundy, 7/6-10. Have you ever been to a professional bike race? The last day in Paris is a circuit around the Champs Elysees. The pelton goes by really fast in a mass. It's a blur. I personally find it better to watch in on TV if you are actually interested in the race. The finish is going to be a massive sprint. However, if you just want to absorb the atmosphere and energy, then watch in person. There are tickets for seats in the grandstands along the Champs Elysees.
Have fun.
Posted by
Macungie, PA, USA
463 posts
greetings! i was in paris on the last day of tour de france in 2010. (don't ask anyone here how i felt about paris. it won't end well!) on that particular day, i didn't experience any exceptional crowds (in fact, i found it to be one of the least crowded days! again, don't ask me if i liked paris in july!) we spent two weeks there and honestly i barely noticed that the race was going on. just stay away from the champs elysees on that day. i even know what we did that day: we took a cruise on the seine and then had a late lunch in a little cafe on place dauphine on ile de la cite. so when i say 'stay away from champs elysees' i mean the actual road. we could see the crowds from the river, but we were still not impacted by them in any way. additionally, we did amsterdam as an overnight trip; we left paris on a monday morning and returned on a tuesday night. it is a pleasant train ride from paris, and we wished we'd planned more time in amsterdam (loved it there). yes, it will be a long day if you do the flight and the train all in one day, but given the jet lag you're sure to encounter, i'd take a 3 hour nap on the way.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Joann, I have been in Paris a couple of times when TDF was there,, frankly, you won't notice unless you are near the route or crossing the route,, once I didn't even realize it was on till I saw replays on tv that night,, I was in a museum. I never notice a difference in crowds as I never obsess much about crowds,, I expect lines etc and never let it phase me.
Posted by
OP
Massachusetts, USA
375 posts
Thank you both so much. I'm leaning toward training straight Amsterdam and coming back to Paris. That way we will have 6 straight nights and 5 full days in Paris. Now I just need to find a train that works for our arrival time at CDG. I don't usually worry too much about crowds either, but I wasn't sure how something I thought might be a big draw to the city might affect things. Apparently not much -- Thank you for relieving my worries!