Tour de France 2027: A Guide to the British Grand Départ
The 2027 Tour de France starts in Edinburgh, not France. Here's what's confirmed about the UK stages, the Femmes route, and how it turns into a French trip.
Photo by Howard Bouchevereau on Unsplash
Written · Last updated
Quick scan
The 2027 Tour de France starts outside France for the first time in over a decade: the Grand Départ is in Edinburgh on Friday, 2 July 2027, with Stage 1 running 184km south from Edinburgh to Carlisle through the Scottish Borders, followed by stages through England and Wales before Stage 3 finishes in Cardiff (ESPN, "Men's, women's Tour de France opening stages in Britain in '27", retrieved 2026-08-02; BikeRadar, "2027 Tour de France: Great Britain Grand Départ", retrieved 2026-08-02; Edinburgh.gov.uk, "Edinburgh to host Tour de France Grand Départ 2027", retrieved 2026-08-02). The race then crosses into France for Stage 4 onward, though the specific French city hosting that stage hadn't been announced as of this writing; the Tour de France Femmes runs a separate route starting in Leeds on 30 July 2027 (ESPN, retrieved 2026-08-02; letourgb.com, retrieved 2026-08-02).
- Grand Départ: Edinburgh, Friday 2 July 2027, first time the Tour has started in Scotland
- Stage 1: Edinburgh to Carlisle, 184km through the Scottish Borders
- Stage 3 finishes in Cardiff, Wales, before the race crosses into France for Stage 4
- The exact French city for Stage 4 was not yet announced at time of writing; check the official Tour de France route page closer to the date
- Tour de France Femmes 2027 starts separately, in Leeds, on 30 July 2027
- This is the first Tour de France since 1994 to include stages in Great Britain
For anyone planning a France-based trip around the 2027 Tour de France, the most important thing to understand is that the race doesn't start in France at all. The opening days are entirely a UK story, and the France-focused part of any spectator's trip starts once the peloton crosses the Channel.
What's confirmed about the UK stages so far?
The 2027 Grand Départ starts in Edinburgh on Friday, 2 July, with Stage 1 covering 184km south to Carlisle through the Scottish Borders, passing through towns including Galashiels, Selkirk, and Hawick in the Tweed Valley, over the Côte de Melrose climb, and finishing outside Carlisle Castle (ESPN, "Men's, women's Tour de France opening stages in Britain in '27", retrieved 2026-08-02; letourgb.com, "Stage 1", retrieved 2026-08-02). From there, the race continues through England and into Wales, with Stage 3 finishing in Cardiff, before crossing into continental Europe for Stage 4. This marks the Tour's first visit to Great Britain since 1994, when it briefly crossed the Channel to take in Brighton and Portsmouth; the race's only previous UK stage before that was a single circuit in Plymouth in 1974.
The France leg of this route isn't confirmed yet
As of this writing, the specific French city hosting Stage 4 (the race's return to continental soil) hadn't been officially announced. Full 2027 route detail, including the French stages, is expected to land later in 2026. Check the official Tour de France route page before finalizing any France-based viewing plans tied to this edition.
Does the Tour de France Femmes run the same route?
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift runs its own separate route in 2027, starting in Leeds on 30 July 2027 (letourgb.com, retrieved 2026-08-02). Like the men's race, this is a UK-hosted Grand Départ for a race that, in most other years, starts and stays in France. Anyone specifically following the women's race should treat its France-crossing schedule as a separate question from the men's, since the two races don't share a route or timeline.
How does a France-based trip work around a UK-starting Tour?
For visitors based in France, or planning a France-centric trip, the sensible approach is to treat the UK stages as background and plan the visit around the France-based stages once they're confirmed. If you're coming from the UK side and want to follow the race as it crosses the Channel, Eurostar London to Paris is the practical way to get from the UK to France quickly once the British leg concludes, without needing to fly.
Once the France-based stages are confirmed and public, How to Watch a Tour de France Stage covers the actual mechanics of roadside viewing: timing the caravan, understanding mountain-stage versus flat-stage road closures, and finding a good spot, all of which apply regardless of which French towns end up hosting Stage 4 onward. For how this edition fits alongside France's other major sporting events, see Watching Sport in France.
Don't book France accommodation around this edition too early
With the France-based route still unconfirmed, booking accommodation near a guessed stage town is a real risk. Wait for the official route announcement, expected later in 2026, before committing to specific France-based dates and locations for this edition.
Frequently asked questions
No. The 2027 Grand Départ is in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 2 July 2027, the first time the race has started there. The route continues through England and Wales, finishing Stage 3 in Cardiff, before crossing into France for Stage 4.
The race crosses into continental Europe for Stage 4, after finishing the UK stages in Cardiff. The specific French city hosting that stage hadn't been announced as of this writing.
The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift starts in Leeds on 30 July 2027, on a separate route from the men's race.
Yes, twice: a single circuit stage in Plymouth in 1974, and stages in Brighton and Portsmouth in 1994. The 2027 edition is the first full Grand Départ hosted in Scotland.
Sources
- ESPN, "Men's, women's Tour de France opening stages in Britain in '27", retrieved 2026-08-02
- BikeRadar, "2027 Tour de France: Great Britain Grand Départ", retrieved 2026-08-02
- Edinburgh.gov.uk, "Edinburgh to host Tour de France Grand Départ 2027", retrieved 2026-08-02
- letourgb.com, "Grand Départ GB 2027", retrieved 2026-08-02
- letourgb.com, "Stage 1", retrieved 2026-08-02
Before you go
Planning your trip?
We recommend booking through our partner sites for the best rates and to support this guide.
Related Guides
Watching Sport in France: Tickets & Timing Guide
How to attend France's biggest sporting events, Roland-Garros, the Tour de France, Le Mans, and Route du Rhum, with tickets, timing, and getting there sorted.
How to Watch a Tour de France Stage in Person
How to watch the Tour de France roadside: mountain versus flat stage timing, the publicity caravan, road closures, and getting there without a ticket.
London to Paris on Eurostar: What Differs From a CDG Flight
Eurostar from London to Paris is more than a flight swap. How station flow, luggage, border checks, and Gare du Nord arrival actually work.