Match Preview
The Tour de France 2027 Grand Départ takes place in Edinburgh on 2 July 2027, launching one of the most eagerly anticipated editions of the world’s greatest cycling race as it returns to the United Kingdom for the first time since the spectacular 2014 Yorkshire start. The tri-nation Grand Départ will see the race begin in Scotland before travelling south through England and Wales, creating one of the most dramatic and scenically spectacular openings in the modern Tour’s history. Edinburgh’s iconic streets and surrounding landscape provide a world-class backdrop for the ceremonial and competitive opening of the race, with massive crowds expected to line the route alongside global television audiences of hundreds of millions. For London cycling fans the Grand Départ in Edinburgh is accessible by air in 90 minutes from multiple London airports or by train in under five hours on the East Coast Main Line, while the subsequent stages rolling south through England offer multiple opportunities to see the race closer to home as it heads toward the Welsh stages and onward to France. The atmosphere along a Tour de France Grand Départ route is unlike any other sporting experience — crowds eight-deep on the roadside, the breakaway flying past in seconds, the peloton sweeping through minutes later — and the UK stages of 2027 promise to be among the most memorable in the event’s modern era. A once-in-a-generation chance for British fans to witness the Tour de France on home roads.
