Everything you need to know to enjoy (and not suffer) the Tour de France

We explain everything you need to know to enjoy the Tour de France that will cross Catalonia: from mobility impacts to activities organized by the cycling race.

Where does the Tour pass and on which days?

The race begins in Barcelona on Saturday, July 4th at 5:05 PM with a team time trial. The start is at the waterfront and ends in Montjuïc, taking a route through the city's iconic sites.

The second stage is on July 5th: it starts from Tarragona and arrives in Barcelona on a route that lasts 178 km and passes through municipalities like Torredembarra, Sitges, or el Garraf.

The third stage, on Monday, July 6th, starts from Granollers and passes through Centelles, Vic, and Ripoll until reaching the Pyrenees.

Disruptions in Barcelona

On July 2nd, the first road closures will begin with the presentation of the teams, but mobility will only be affected around the Sagrada Família:

Traffic disruptions will begin during the night of the 1st on Gaudí Avenue, but the definitive traffic closures will be from 2:00 PM onwards. Reopening will be progressive from 9:30 PM onwards.

Saturday the 4th, start of the race

Regarding the day the race begins, the city will see some of its main road axes affected:

The disruptions will begin around 12:00 PM, with the total closure of the circuit at 1:30 PM, and there will be restrictions on access by private vehicle to areas closest to the route. This affects road axes such as Litoral Avenue, streets such as Bac de Roda, Llull, and Josep Pla, in Sant Martí, and structural roads in L'Eixample such as Guipúscoa Rambla, Passeig de Gràcia, and streets like Aragó, Mallorca, or Lepant. The route will continue towards Tarragona, Plaça d'Espanya, and Reina Maria Cristina until reaching Montjuïc. Normalcy will be gradually restored from 8:30 PM onwards.

On July 5th, fewer neighborhoods are affected, and everything is centered on Montjuïc: restrictions also begin at midday, and traffic will be restored from 6:00 PM onwards.

Will we be able to move around the city?

The answer is yes: a network of pedestrian crossings will be enabled to cross the race route. In addition, it is recommended to use the metro on July 2, 4, and 5: the usual service will be increased by up to 40%.

Buses, on the other hand, will be more affected and some lines will not provide service on the 4th and 5th.

Which other municipalities does it pass through?

In total, it passes through 63 Catalan municipalities, which implies significant impacts on the road network. This is the complete route:

• If you want to investigate the graph in more detail, open the high-resolution version in another tab.

Will there be special activities during the Tour?

In addition to going to see the cycling race, Barcelona has prepared a series of activities. Programming for the little ones, concerts, theater, and popular culture for all audiences under the name La Festa del Tour, which will fill the city with things to do.

Where can I follow all the race news?

At the newspaper ARA we have prepared live coverage to explain, day by day, the news of the Tour de France. You can access it at this link.