France
Is This Trip For Me?
On our 2023 Tour de France Grand Depart and Pyrenees Tour you will witness the spectacular start of the race for yellow in the Basque Country and Pyrenees. The Grand Départ of the 110th edition of the Tour de France will take place in Bilbao. The race will start with two days in the cycling mecca of the Basque Country in Northern Spain before a Basque start and moving into France on stage 3. Following on from the Grand Depart where we will stay in Bilbao and San Sebastian, we move to the French Pyrenees. Here you will get to experience the race in a different way. Seeing the riders take on the first high mountains of this year’s Tour de France. You get to be part of the crowds you would normally envy.
This is a small group tour with a high staff to client ratio. You will be looked after by a team of 4 bike guides, mechanics and drivers. We use small tour vehicles for the best stage access. Bikes can be carried fully assembled on our vehicles. We offer daily, guided group rides and spectators are also catered for each day.
Our tour starts on Thursday so we can enjoy the team presentation. Our hotels are located in great locations for all 3 Basque stages, and you will see all of them live. Experience the passion of cycling from the Basque people and the amazing culinary delights and landscape the region has to offer.
Tour Highlights
Tour Highlights
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Spread your payments: Our payment plan is an interest-free payment method where you will have the opportunity to spread payment for your booking.
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Special guest Phil Liggett: Meet 'the Voice of Cycling' Phil Liggett as he joins us for dinner in Bilbao
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Cultural and Culinary experiences: Guided walking tour with local guide in Bilbao. Visit the Guggenheim museum. Enjoy the famous Basque Cuisine with 'Pintxos' tours with local guides in both Bilbao and San Sebastian.
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Premium 4* accommodation: In Bilbao, San Sebastian and Lourdes with breakfast and dinner included daily
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Live race viewing: Witness the excitement of the team presentation and 5 stages LIVE!
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Spectator and rider friendly: Explore the incredible bike friendly Basque region and indulge in its amazing cuisine then move onto the Mountains and experience all the excitement while the riders tackle the famous Pyrenees.
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Ride the Col du Tourmalet: On day 9, before watching the tour tackle this climb you will be able to ride it yourself. We also ride Cauterets, Soulour/ Aubisque as well as beautiful routes in the Basque Country.
| Avg Daily Distance | Avg Daily Elevation | Difficulty |
|---|
What's Included
Accommodation
4* Hotels in Bilbao, San Sebastian and Lourdes
Included Meals
Daily Breakfast and Dinner as listed
Transfer
Return airport transfers
Included Meals
1 x Group dinner with special guest speaker
Guided Rides
Daily ride options from experienced local guides
Mechanic
Mechanic and vehicle support
Walking Tour
Local cultural and culinary experiences
Additional Extras
Bike Rental
From £255. Orbea or Argon 18 Carbon road bikes with Shimano 105 or Ultegra and 11/30 or 11/32 cassette
Tour de France - Grand Depart and Pyrenees 2023 Cycling Holiday
The Basque Country is Spain’s Cycling Mecca. The riders of the 2023 Tour de France will be surrounded by the fervour of Basque fans who always turn up to support the international peloton.
In 2022, the Vuelta a Espana also visited the Basque Country. Bilbao reasserted its prominent role in this edition by hosting both a stage departure and a finish-line. It was the third time that the Biscay capital fired the starting gun for a stage with a high-altitude finale, following the one in 1977 that ended in Urkiola and the one in 2019, with a finale at Los Machucos. Bilbao is the largest city in the Basque Country. The Tour will also visit Vitoria-Gasteiz which is the administrative capital of the Basque Country and Donostia-San Sebastián which is the best-known tourist destination.
Lourdes is well known as a Pilgrimage site where millions of Catholics travel every year. It’s believed in 1858 the Virgin Mary appeared to a local woman. In July 2023, fans from a range of nationalities and the world’s greatest cyclists will make the pilgrimage to the Pyrenees. They will take on climbs such as the Col du Tourmalet which made its debut in the Tour de France in 1910. Since then, it has seen riders ascend through crowds of fans in an attempt to put their name in Tour de France history books.
Itinerary
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Day 1 - Thursday 29 June : Bilbao - Arrival Day & Team Presentations
Hotel: Mercure Bilbao (half board basis)
Meals: Dinner at Hotel
Daily Highlights:
- Transfer from Bilbao Airport to Hotel
- Guided walking tour of Bilbao
- Watch the Team Presentations in Bilbao LIVE
Today’s Ride: Bike fitting at hotel
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Arrive in Bilbao, transfer to the hotel, meet and greet in the afternoon at the hotel. From the hotel, we will depart on foot as a group for a walking tour of Bilbao’s Old Town followed by watching the Team Presentations live.
For the walking tour you will meet with a top local guide who will take you on a two hour tour of the Old Quarter. The narrow streets of Bilbao’s Old Town or Casco Viejo give off an age-old atmosphere. This historical corner, which keeps intact its buildings from the beginning of the century, rebuilt after the 1983 floods, is one of the most alive and dearly loved areas of a city which is full of contrasts.
Day 2 - Friday 30 June : Bilbao
Hotel: Mercure Bilbao (half board basis)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner at Hotel
Daily Highlights:
- AM – Ride the final section of stage 1
- Group dinner with special guest speaker Phil Liggett
- PM – Half day tour (Bike tour & Guggenheim Museum)
Today’s Ride: Ride some of Stage 1 race route including the final section. Approximately 30- 40km
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Following breakfast, we will depart the hotel by bike to ride sections of Stage 1. This will be a great chance to get familiar with your bike and roll out the legs.
In the afternoon we will enjoy a guided city bike tour and Guggenheim Museum visit.
Today we are lucky enough to enjoy the company of Phil Liggett as our special guest for dinner.
Day 3 - Saturday 1 July : Stage 1 - Bilbao - Bilbao
Hotel: Mercure Bilbao (half board basis)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner at Hotel
Daily Highlights:
- Watch Stage 1 live including Start and Finish
- Bilbao Pintxos tour – 2 hours (includes 6 Pintxos + 2 drinks in total, in 2 different bars + guide service)
Today’s Ride Option: There are some beautiful coastal roads to enjoy so why not join us on a morning ride covering 60/70Km and 1000m of climbing. You will be back in time to watch the stage finish in Bilbao.
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Today the 2023 Tour de France will commence with the stage starting and finishing in Bilbao. We’ll enjoy a leisurely morning before we regroup at the hotel and walk to the start area. Once the race has departed, we will walk to the finish line area.
After the race, we will join our local guide for a unique walking Bilbao Pintxos tour. Your expert guide will take you to some of Bilbao’s finest establishments and introduce you to the unique art of miniature haute cuisine.
Day 4 - Sunday 2 July : Stage 2 - Tolosa to San Sebastian
| Distance | Elevation | Difficulty | |
|---|---|---|---|
 Front Group |
78 | 1343 |
3/5
Rolling terrain with the occasional climb.
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Hotel: Mercure Igueldo San Sebastián (half board basis)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner at Hotel
Daily Highlights:
- Ride the final section of today’s Stage 2
- Watch Stage 2 live, finish area in San Sebastian
Today’s Ride: 80km | 1300m Climbing
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We depart Bilbao early by tour vehicle and head to Tolosa. The riding group will quickly prepare and head off by bike to ride the final section of today’s stage 2. This will take us through Irun and the final climb of the day before we descend into San Sebastian.
Non-riders will have a chance to explore the town of Tolosa before being transferred by tour vehicle to San Sebastian.
Once we arrive in San Sebastian, we will watch the finish of the race live.
Day 5 - Monday 3 July : San Sebastian - Stage 3
| Distance | Elevation | Difficulty | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Bunch |
70km | 1100 |
3/5
Rolling terrain with the occasional climb.
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Hotel: Mercure Igueldo San Sebastián (half board basis)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner at Hotel
Daily Highlights:
- Ride a section of today’s Stage 3
- Watch Stage 3 live
- San Sebastian Pintxos tour – 2 hours (includes 6 Pintxos + 2 drinks in total, in 2 different bars + guide service)
Today’s Ride: 70km | 1100m Climbing
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We depart the hotel by bike to ride today’s stage in the reverse direction. Along the way we will see local towns set up for the race to come through later in the day. We will stop at the coastal town of Zarautz to watch the race pass through. Once the riders and support vehicles have passed, we hop back on the bikes and make our way back to San Sebastian via an inland route.
Once we arrive back at the hotel you’ll have time to refresh before our San Sebastian Pintxos tour. You will enjoy traditional products of Basque cuisine in the Old Quarter followed by a group dinner.
Day 6 - Tuesday 4 July : Transfer to Lourdes | Ride to Cauterets
| Distance | Elevation | Difficulty | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Bunch |
70km | 1,100m |
2/5
Flat to rolling day with max one main climb.
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Hotel: Gallia Grand Hotel Lourdes (half board basis)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner at Hotel
Daily Highlights:
- Transfer to Lourdes
- First ride in the Pyrenees
Today’s Ride: Guided ride from Lourdes to finish of Stage 6
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Today we leave San Sebastian, and we will make our way to Lourdes where we will stay the next 3 nights at hotel Gallia on half board basis. The transfer takes about 3 hours so we will get to Lourdes before lunch. Once there we will check into the hotel and this afternoon, we will offer a guided bike ride in the local area. We will ride to Cauterets and Cambasque (which the tour finishes on in Stage 6 during 2023 in two day’s time). This climb starts at the other end of the bike path from Lourdes so it is perfect for an afternoon ride option.
Day 7 - Wednesday 5 July : Stage 5 - Pau - Laruns
| Distance | Elevation | Difficulty | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Bunch |
60km | 1,500m |
3/5
Rolling terrain with the occasional climb.
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Hotel: Gallia Grand Hotel Lourdes (half board basis)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner at Hotel
Daily Highlights:
- Watch Stage 5 live
- Guided ride
Today’s Ride: We will depart from the hotel where our route will take us to the base of the Col du Soulor. From here you will tackle the classic Soulor / Aubisque double. We then ride the magical balcony road that joins both of these epic Tour de France climbs before descending down into Laruns to see Stage 5 finish live!
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The first mountain stage will begin in Pau before heading out to the Pyrenees. The stage covers 165km and the riders will take on two mountains before the finish in Laruns. Tadej Pogacar has previously dominated stages starting in Pau, but will this year see a new winner, or will he take glory once more?
Day 8 - Thursday 6 July : Stage 6 - Tarbes - Cauterets - Cambasque
| Distance | Elevation | Difficulty | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Bunch |
102km | 1996m |
4/5
Plenty of climbing but suitable for most regular riders.
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Hotel: Gallia Grand Hotel Lourdes (half board basis)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner at Hotel
Daily Highlights:
- Watch Stage 6 live
Today’s Ride: 102km | 1996m Climbing
You will ride up the world famous Tourmalet to a viewing spot near the summit. Here we will join the local passionate crowds to watch the excitement unfold as the riders come past.
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These are the stages that cycling fans around the world look forward to. Soak up the excitement as the peloton takes on the gruelling, relentless ascents of the Pyrenees. Up in the mountains the teams will be put to the test in a bid for glory. Rolling out of Tarbes the riders will cover 145km, starting with the Col d’Aspin followed by the Col du Tourmalet and finishing up the Cauterets-Cambasque. It’s going to be an exciting stage!
Day 9 - Friday 7 July : Departure Day
Hotel: Gallia Grand Hotel Lourdes
Meals: Breakfast
Departure to Toulouse Airport
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Accommodation
Mercure Bilbao Jardines De Albia
Located in Bilbao’s main business district, this contemporary hotel and spa is a short walk from the Guggenheim Museum, Convention Centre and the old town. It also has a permanent modern art exhibition. The hotel has a spa with a wide range of treatments available, for an extra charge. The elegant rooms at the Jardines de Albia feature modern décor with bright tones. Each one has a private bathroom.
Mercure San Sebastián Monte Igueldo
This property is 6 minutes walk from the beach. The Mercure Monte Igueldo has a picturesque setting on Mount Igueldo, offering impressive views of San Sebastian Bay. This hotel features an outdoor pool open during the summer season. The Mercure Monte has attractive, classic décor and its spacious rooms offer views of either the Bay of Biscay, or of San Sebastian city. Each room has satellite TV and a minibar. Some rooms have a private balcony. El Torreón Restaurant serves a selection of gourmet cuisine and traditional Basque dishes. Guests can enjoy a drink or light meal in the bar or coffee shop. The Igueldo is located next to San Sebastian’s old lighthouse and from here you can take a cable car to Playa de la Concha Beach. The city centre is just 1.8 km from the hotel.
Grand Hotel Gallia Lourdes
Tour de France Trip
During your stay in Lourdes, opt for the charming hotel Gallia & London. Located in the heart of the city, opposite the sanctuary, this 19th century hotel is an emblematic place in Lourdes with its elegant period decoration. In our charming hotel, you will find: A wooded park A spa Lounge terrace and bar 2 restaurants Secure car park 6 meeting rooms Home bike: secure premises, repair point, washing point, menus adapted for cyclists During your stay in our charming hotel, you will have the chance to dine in our gastronomic restaurant" The good times ". In addition to the exceptional dishes, you will be captivated by the place, with its sumptuous period decoration and its sublime chandeliers. Our other restaurant “La Chapelle et parc” offers you a delicious buffet of varied and gourmet dishes.
Airport Transfers
Bilbao’s airport (BIO) is located 12 km north of the city centre. As the largest airport in the Basque Country, it is the easiest way to arrive not only to Bilbao, but to the whole region. Departure from Toulouse
Dates & Book Now
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