The 2026 Tour de France will start with a Grand Depart in Barcelona. It will be the 113th edition of the grand tour. It will run July 4 to July 26, 2026.
- Finding accommodation for the Tour de France
- Finding bike hire for the Tour de France
- Tour de France road closure information
- Advice for watching the TDF in person
- Advice for watching the TDF in Paris
- Beginner's guide to the Tour de France
- Riding Etape du Tour
- Race Guide and Official Program
The 2026 Tour de France will start in Barcelona, the capital of the Catalonia region of Spain, on July 4, 2026.
It will be the third time the Tour de France has started over the border in Spain following the Bilbao Grand Depart as recently as 2023 and a San Sebastian start back in 1992 (the year Spain also hosted the Summer Olympics in Barcelona).
It's not the first time Barcelona, the Catalan capital, has hosted stages, though. The Tour previously held regular stages there in 1957, 1965 and 2009, and many of the roads used in 2026 will be familiar to fans of the Vuelta a España and the Volta a Catalunya races.
Here's what else we know so far about the 113th edition of the great race.
It covers 3333km. It has 10 new stage towns. It has 8 mountain stages. It features a mammoth 54.450m of total vertical gain.
Stage 1 Grand Depart – Saturday, July 4: Barcelona, 19.7km team time trial
For the first time in a while, stage one of the Tour de France will be a team time trial. Who gets the first yellow jersey? The first rider in the fastest team. A system already used for the Paris-Nice race will be used to work out the rest of the individual classification. The stage starts near the beach Barcelona and do a lap of the seafront. Gaudi's Sagrada Família will be showcased before the teams take on two climbs up to the city's Montjuïc Olympic Stadium.
Stage 2 – Sunday, July 5: Tarragona to Barcelona, 182km
Tarragona is famous for its history – it's home to an archaeological site listed by UNESCO. The route will no doubt showcase that as it follows the coastal road back towards Barcelona. Sitges – known as the Spanish equivalent to Saint-Tropez – is on the route, along with beautiful panoramic sea views that will no doubt be a feature of the TV coverage. The flat roads then give way to hilly and challenging section from the Begues climb. The stage finished with an ascent to Montjuïc Castle (1.6km, including a 600m section that goes up to 13%). That will be climbed not once but three times before the riders cross the line in the same spot as the stage one time trial.
Stage 3 – Monday, July 6: Granollers to Les Angles ski resort, 196km
Granollers – on the outskirts of Barcelona – is famous for Spanish handball and it's also home to the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit that hosts Formula 1. The stage will start in the Porxada, a 16th-century market hall, before the race looks to the north and the French border.
Stage 4 – Tuesday, July 7: Carcassonne to Foix, 182km
Stage 5 – Wednesday, July 8: Lannemezan to Pau, 158km
Stage 6 – Thursday, July 9: Pau to Gavarnie-Gèdre, 186 km
Col d'Aspin and Col du Tourmalet both feature here before arriving at the magnificent setting of the Cirque de Gavarnie.
Stage 7 – Friday, July 10 – Hagetmau to Bordeaux, 175km
Royal sprint in sight in front of Place des Quinconces after crossing the Landes forest.
Stage 8 – Saturday, July 11: Périgueux to Bergerac, 182km
Stage 9 – Sunday, July 12: Malemort to Ussel, 185km
Rest day: Monday, July 13 in the Cantal
Stage 10 – Tuesday, July 14: Aurillac to Le Lioran, 167km
Stage 11 – Wednesday, July 15: Vichy to Nevers, 161km
Stage 12 – Thursday, July 16: Nevers Magny-Cours to Chalon-sur-Saône, 181km
Stage 13 – Friday, July 17: Dole to Belfort, 205km
Stage 14 – Saturday, July 18: Mulhouse to Le Markstein Fellering, 155km
Grand Ballon, Col du Page, Ballon d'Alsace and the Col du Haag are all here today.
Stage 15 – Sunday, July 19: Champagnole to Plateau de Solaison, 184km
Hello to the Alps via the Haute-Savoie with two steep climbs to kick things off Le Salève (4.7km, 11.2%) and Plateau de Solaison (11.3km, 9.1%).
Rest day: Monday, July 20 in the Haute-Savoie
Stage 16 – Tuesday, July 21: Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains individual time trial, 26km
Stage 17 – Wednesday, July 22 – Chambery to Voiron, 175km
Stage 18 – Thursday, July 23: Coiron to Orcières-Merlette 185km
This could be a day for any strong climbers who get in the breakaway.
Stage 19 – Friday, July 24: Gap to Alpe d'Huez, 128km
An unusually short stage for such a brutal part of the world. All eyes will be on the famous 21 bends of the Alpe d'Huez.
Stage 20 – Saturday, July 25: Le Bourg d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez, 171km
A shocking, awful, brutal day for mere mortals. Some 5600m of elevation gain today, including over Croix de Fer, the Galibier and then to Col de Sarenne before ending on the Alpe d'Huez for a second time.
Stage 21 – Sunday, July 26: Thoiry to Paris Champs-Elysées, 130km
The peloton will ride the slopes of Rue Lepic three times and then ride another 15km from Sacré-Cœur to the traditional finish on the Champs-Elysée.
Tour de France Race Guide
Watch this page for full information.
Bike hire for watching the Tour de France
A reminder that if you need bike hire during the Tour de France you should book early. It ALWAYS sells out and it can be very hard to find quality carbon road bikes closer to the time. More info here
