Paris and Tour de France

Walking through the city in the morning, with the scent of fresh croissants in the air, we are suddenly greeted by the Eiffel Tower, standing majestically before us as we turn down a random street. Today it is a symbol of the city, but when the iron tower was built for the 1889 World’s Fair, it was initially met with outrage from the locals.

The River Seine can be crossed by numerous bridges, and at the same time, you can also visit the island of Île de la Cité. Here stands the newly restored Notre-Dame Cathedral, known worldwide as the setting of Disney’s film The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.

The greatest artists, such as Picasso, Van Gogh, and Monet, were drawn to the hill of Montmartre in Paris in search of inspiration, where they lived modestly near the Sacré-Cœur Basilica but created magnificent works of art. Some of these works can be seen in the world’s largest museum, the Louvre, home to masterpieces including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

Alternatively, you can descend into Paris’s underground and explore the catacombs, which hold the remains of over six million people. When visiting Paris, it is also worth taking a trip 20 kilometres outside the city to see the magnificent Palace of Versailles, once home to several French royal families.

But once a year, the city literally comes to a halt as the Tour de France caravan arrives in Paris, led by the cyclist in the yellow jersey. The cyclists make several laps around the city, giving the world a chance to see all of Paris’s beauty. The stage finishes on the famous Champs-Élysées, and the winners of all the jerseys are then crowned beneath the Arc de Triomphe.

The Tour de France is one of the year’s most important sporting events, so it’s no surprise that over three weeks more than 12 million people come to see it. For this reason, the Tour de France is a source of national pride, though last year, for the first time since 1905, the race didn’t finish in Paris, ending instead in Nice because of the Olympic Games. This year, the race returned to its usual route through Paris, but with the added challenge of a cobbled climb up Montmartre.

The Champs-Élysées have become especially meaningful to Slovenians as well. Thanks to the victories of the Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogačar, our national anthem Zdravljica was played there for the fourth time this year.

This year, the Champs-Élysées celebrated the 50th anniversary of hosting the Tour de France finale. The avenue is just under two kilometres long, running from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe.

Spectators began gathering at Montmartre, the Champs-Élysées, and other iconic spots around Paris early in the morning to secure the best views of the stage. Traffic in the city stopped early in the morning, many metro stations were closed all day, and access to the Champs-Élysées was only possible at one point, near Place Charles de Gaulle.

The cyclists began the 132-kilometre stage in Mantes-la-Ville, about 50 kilometres outside Paris. While waiting for the cyclists, we were entertained for two hours by a parade of sponsor vehicles handing out practical gifts.

The cyclists entered Paris, passing the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre before reaching the Champs-Élysées. They then continued with laps around the city centre, passing the fans on the Champs-Élysées six times and tackling the climb up Montmartre three times. That short, one-kilometre climb reshuffled the contenders for the stage victory and stopped the usual sprint showdown at the finish.

Instead, it was none other than Slovenian Tadej Pogačar who attacked, aiming for his fifth stage win of the year, but he was beaten by the stronger Belgian Wout van Aert, who rode solo onto the Champs-Élysées on the seventh lap that day to claim the prestigious stage victory. Matej Mohorič finished third, followed by Tadej Pogačar, who thus became the youngest rider in history to win four yellow jerseys.

Since Tadej Pogačar’s debut in the Tour de France, Slovenia has won the most yellow jerseys of any country in the past six years, and thanks also to Primož Roglič and Matej Mohorič, ranks second in the number of stage wins.

If the successes of these cycling stars have inspired you to cheer for them in France over the past few years, I can confirm that the race will finish on the Champs-Élysées again in 2026. The route, dates, and host cities for the next Tour de France will be announced this autumn, and if you are planning a trip to Paris to watch the race, I would recommend booking early.