How do I... Tour de France? (2023 edition)
December 18, 2022 9:21 AM Subscribe
After years of waffling around (and, you know, the pandemic), I'm getting ready to cross off a big bucket list item: I want to rent a camper van and follow part of the Tour de France this summer!
I'm a huge cycling fan and I've been itching to finally get off the couch to see a Grand Tour in real time – especially with the opening stages in Basque Country next year.
Assuming the coronavirus doesn't evolve to wreck havoc on civilization again in the next few months, what are some things I should factor in my planning?
A couple of key details/parameters:
-Ideally, I'd hop around through at least the first 10 stages, starting in Bilbao to the first rest day in Clermont-Ferrand; I'm planning to take most of July off from work to give myself maximum flexibility
-I've never been anywhere in Europe; I speak Spanish, but not French (though I'm willing to do some crash course learning in the months ahead)
-I can drive stick shift and not afraid of windy/sketchy roads; would love to park along certain sections to chill and watch the peloton zip by
-My budget is fairly flexible but not grandiose; ideally I'd sleep in the van for most if not all of the days, because I can sleep anywhere
I'm also a fan of loose itineraries and spontaneity, so I expect to do a lot of figuring things out as I go along!
I'm a huge cycling fan and I've been itching to finally get off the couch to see a Grand Tour in real time – especially with the opening stages in Basque Country next year.
Assuming the coronavirus doesn't evolve to wreck havoc on civilization again in the next few months, what are some things I should factor in my planning?
A couple of key details/parameters:
-Ideally, I'd hop around through at least the first 10 stages, starting in Bilbao to the first rest day in Clermont-Ferrand; I'm planning to take most of July off from work to give myself maximum flexibility
-I've never been anywhere in Europe; I speak Spanish, but not French (though I'm willing to do some crash course learning in the months ahead)
-I can drive stick shift and not afraid of windy/sketchy roads; would love to park along certain sections to chill and watch the peloton zip by
-My budget is fairly flexible but not grandiose; ideally I'd sleep in the van for most if not all of the days, because I can sleep anywhere
I'm also a fan of loose itineraries and spontaneity, so I expect to do a lot of figuring things out as I go along!
Well, first stop would be to get an International Driving Permit. Your driver's license from your country of origin (I'm guessing USA, because everyone else specifies ...) is not valid in Spain, France, et al.
Read about the legality of sleeping in your vehicle in the countries you will be visiting. I believe that in Spain you can park and sleep in your van, but you must not put anything outside of the vehicle (such as chairs or a table), as that is considered camping, not parking, and is prohibited. Likewise, you cannot park overnight in nature reserves and the like. I'm not familiar with the rules in France.
posted by Mournful Bagel Song at 11:06 AM on December 18, 2022
Read about the legality of sleeping in your vehicle in the countries you will be visiting. I believe that in Spain you can park and sleep in your van, but you must not put anything outside of the vehicle (such as chairs or a table), as that is considered camping, not parking, and is prohibited. Likewise, you cannot park overnight in nature reserves and the like. I'm not familiar with the rules in France.
posted by Mournful Bagel Song at 11:06 AM on December 18, 2022
For Spain, I recommend "Spain Motorhome Stopovers: Trailers Park Maps" (Michelin)
For France, "Michelin France Camping Car and Van Atlas". It has marked on it all the "Aire de Camping" in France.
The benefit as well of these Michelin maps is they mark roads in "areas of outstanding natural beauty" with a green line.
posted by jacobean at 12:27 PM on December 18, 2022
For France, "Michelin France Camping Car and Van Atlas". It has marked on it all the "Aire de Camping" in France.
The benefit as well of these Michelin maps is they mark roads in "areas of outstanding natural beauty" with a green line.
posted by jacobean at 12:27 PM on December 18, 2022
The traffic in and out of mountain stages is very heavy. It’s difficult to move from one mountain stage to the next without hours in a traffic jam. I would strongly recommend figuring out which stages have adjacent finishes and starts and then making that your home base. People show up well in advance of race day to camp. It’s been a while but it’s really helpful to be super flexible and to have the things you need for a very long wait on the side of the road with no bathrooms anywhere. I did a lot of riding the times I’ve gone to tour stages. A tour company may may this much much easier for you.
posted by chuke at 7:02 PM on December 18, 2022
posted by chuke at 7:02 PM on December 18, 2022
I'm considering this myself and had a cycling enthusiast co-worker warn me against the more rural mountain stages for the reasons listed above. I'm leaning towards just picking one of the larger cities on the route and hopefully get there ahead of the crowds.
Well, first stop would be to get an International Driving Permit. Your driver's license from your country of origin (I'm guessing USA, because everyone else specifies ...) is not valid in Spain, France, et al.
Not true, US licenses (assuming OP is American, which they very well could not be) are valid for a year in France with no additional documentation. This is also the case for many other EU countries. An IDP isn't a bad idea as it provides a translation of your license but it is by no means a necessity.
posted by photo guy at 10:51 PM on December 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
Well, first stop would be to get an International Driving Permit. Your driver's license from your country of origin (I'm guessing USA, because everyone else specifies ...) is not valid in Spain, France, et al.
Not true, US licenses (assuming OP is American, which they very well could not be) are valid for a year in France with no additional documentation. This is also the case for many other EU countries. An IDP isn't a bad idea as it provides a translation of your license but it is by no means a necessity.
posted by photo guy at 10:51 PM on December 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by entropone at 10:32 AM on December 18, 2022