Spectator Final Week

Welcome to France! We will be picking up at the TGV train station in Avignon at 14:00/2pm. We won’t waste any time as we’ll head to an UNESCO World Heritage site, Pont du Gard, a Roman Aqueduct located outside of Avignon.

Our 4-star hotel has a great location inside the walled city of Avignon in Provence. The city will be bustling as the annual Festival d’Avignon will be in full swing. The festival is one of the world’s most important contemporary performing arts events.

Tonight we’ll enjoy our welcome dinner in the hotel restaurant. In addition to meeting our fellow travel guests at dinner, we’ll go over the itinerary for our trip. All guests will receive a gift from Custom Getaways.

We will start our day with a tour of the Palace of the Popes. Just steps from our hotel, this important site is where the French Popes lived and ran the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages.

Our VIP venue today is located along the course and serves an excellent 4-course meal for lunch. It also offers snacks, beer, wine, soft drinks, coffee and water. Another nice feature of this venue is that it has TV’s to watch the race. Racers and their entourage will pass in front of us as they head to the Giant of Provence….Mont Ventoux!

The caravan parade will also pass in front of our venue prior to the racers passing. The caravan pumps up the crowds with colorful floats and the tossing of small prizes. Once the race finishes, champagne will be served to toast the stage winner.Each Relais Etape guest will receive a gift from le Tour.

You’ll have many local options to choose from tonight as you’ll be on your own for dinner in the city of Avignon.

After breakfast we will say goodbye to Avignon and transfer to the Alps. We have the opportunity to make an important stop….the Start Village of today’s race. You will have VIP access to the Start Village with coffee, snacks, tour officials and merchandise tents. You will also be able to see the racers interviewed at the sign-in stage before they head on their 161km ride.

Another great feature of the start village is that you will have access to the team bus paddock. You can walk around the team busses and cars before the race begins. However, you need to be careful as the racers will ride around you to get to the sign-in stage and to the starting line…a really cool experience!

Once the racers depart, you’ll have time to grab a quick lunch before we transfer to Vaujany, the backside of Alpe d’Huez. Dinner tonight is a BBQ at the hotel. Not only will the food impress, but also the views!

We will have some free time this morning to enjoy our beautiful hotel and the mountains surrounding it or book a time to soak in the hammam.

Late morning we will board the bus for a short, 5km drive. What an experience it will be to view the race pass near Vaujany. Viewing the race in VIP venues is a unique experience, but it is also fun to be with the crowds as the excitement builds before the race passes.

You’ll have time for lunch and then we’ll meet at the town’s indoor ice rink for a lesson in curling. Who can say they know how to curl and that they learned the sport in the French Alps?

We will enjoy another group dinner tonight as we compare the race status and will toast to our curling team that was closest to the “button”.

Gear up…we’re headed to the finish line of today’s stage!

The group will transfer to the finish area on la Plagne. Today’s stage features five climbs that the racers will tackle. Luckily, our bus won’t have to tackle all five. We will; however, have the opportunity to walk across the finish line on La Plagne.

Once across the finish line, we’ll tour the official podium and have pictures taken individually and as a group.  Today’s stage viewing will be in the Izoard VIP venue, located down the mountain from the finish line. TV’s are located within the Izoard venue where we will watch the racers battle on one of the toughest stages of this year’s Tour. We will watch live as the race passes us on the way to the finish line.

The Izoard venue is a great way to see the race with snacks, beer, wine, soft drinks, coffee, water, TVs and private restrooms. Champagne will be served to toast the stage winner.

After the stage ends, we will transfer to our next hotel in Chambery where you will be able to explore the town and find a place for dinner.

We set our sights on Paris today as we train from Chambery to Paris. The train ride is approximately 3 hours.

Once in Paris, we’ll Metro close to our hotel which is a few blocks off the famous Champs Elysees. You’ll be on your own to sightsee and find a place for dinner.

Good morning. Today is the final stage of the Tour and we will be in the prestigious Rive Gauche venue to watch the action.

The hospitality venues open mid-afternoon.  We will stroll to the VIP venue where we’ll experience a privitized area for Custom Getaways with catered food, open bar, TVs and a private terrace to view the race. Rive Gauche also has private restrooms.

You will have an excellent vantage point from which to view the finish of the Tour de France. You will see the riders pass 16 times on the Champs Élysées. There is also a terrace on the rail for even closer viewing of the race.

After the finish, you will be free to explore the streets of Paris, do some shopping on the Champs Elysees or find a cafe for a bite or a celebratory drink.

Check out of your hotel by noon or extend your stay in the City of Light. You are responsible for your transfer from the hotel.

Custom Getaways hopes you have amazing memories of this unique experience.

Au revoir!