You’re reading about a past BikeStyle Tours trip to the Tour de France. You can also view photos from this trip, see preliminary details of our 2008 trips, and register to receive full details of the 2008 Tour de France when they are released.
The biggest annual sporting event in the world, the Tour de France, will start in London this July, coming to the UK capital for the first time in its 100 year history. The Grand Départ, the start of the Tour, will come to London and Kent over three days during the weekend 6-8 July 2007. See the official website on The Grand Depart in London.
Grand Depart in London
Dates: 6-8 July 2007
Where: London
Cost: USD* $1406 (double) or USD* $1191 (single)
Bikestyle Tours is offering a 4 night Self Guided Package to see this great event begin in London.
The Hotel is directly linked to the Opening Ceremony, the Prologue and the First Stage by an 18 minute train journey to Charing Cross Station.
The hotel is an AA rated 4 star, located in the heart of historic Greenwich right next to the railway and DLR station, just 12 minutes from Canary Wharf and five minutes walk from the National Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory. The hotel has a restaurant, bar, WiFi wireless Internet access and on site private indoor parking. Greenwich has a rich and varied cultural heritage. Possibly best known today as the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), Greenwich is also home to the National Maritime Museum.
Greenwich is also located on the course for the first stage so if you don’t feel like leaving the hotel, then why not watch it come by!
Price for 4 nights accommodation:
Twin or Double Room (for 2 people): USD* $1406
Single Room (for 1 person): USD* $1191
These rates are inclusive of VAT and Full English Breakfast.
Suggested Itinerary:
Thursday 5 July 2007 Arrival in London.
Take an Open Top Bus Tour of London and visit the National Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory near your hotel in Greenwich (not included in price).
Friday 6 July 2007 Opening Ceremony - Trafalgar Square
The opening ceremony will light up Trafalgar Square with a spectacular celebration of Tour de France arrivals in London.
It will be a free public celebration of the Tour de France’s arrival in London in Trafalgar Square.
Trafalgar Square commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and lies in the heart of the capital. It is packed full of architecture, monuments and statues. Designed by Sir Charles Barry, building started in 1840 and was completed five years later. Nelson’s Column dominates the square, 170 foot high with Nelson’s 17-foot statue on top! The column is surrounded by fountains and four large lions. These were designed by Edwin Landseer and are believed to have been made from the recycled metal of the French fleet!
Today, the square has undergone major redevelopment and is at the heart of London’s cultural scene. Home to the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, Admiralty Arch and a stones throw away from the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, the square also hosts a summer season of events, a changing exhibit on the fourth plinth and regular celebratory events.
Saturday 7 July 2007 Prologue Time Trial: London
The Tour de France opens with an individual race around the streets of central London, with London’s world famous landmarks providing a stunning and inspiring backdrop.
See our London VIP Prologue Package Details.
The start of this epic event begins with the Prologue route on Whitehall, in front of Trafalgar Square, where the riders will race past Downing Street towards Big Ben on a 7.9 km course. Turning at the Houses of Parliament, the route goes along Victoria Street, past Westminster Abbey and in front of Buckingham Palace. After the Palace the riders will pass through the middle of Wellington Arch, before looping through London‘s most famous park, Hyde Park. Finally the riders will pass back around Hyde Park Corner and along Constitution Hill, before ending on The Mall with Buckingham Palace as a backdrop.
Sunday 8 July 2007 Stage 1: London to Canterbury
The first stage of the Tour de France will take riders on a journey from London to Canterbury through some of Kent’s most spectacular scenery.
The Stage 1 route then commences starting on The Mall, runs through Admiralty Arch and then proceeds alongside the Thames down to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. The riders will cross The Thames before riding past the London Eye and looping back to take in St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London. The riders will pass over Tower Bridge, through Bermondsey and Deptford to Greenwich where they will cross the Greenwich Meridian Line, where all time zones are measured from. The route then passes through Woolwich, Abbey Wood and Erith, before leaving London for Dartford in Kent.
The route then goes through Gravesend and on to Medway, dominated by Rochester Castle and Cathedral. Passing on through Maidstone the route will take the riders to Tonbridge and then on to Royal Tunbridge Wells. The route winds through the beautiful Kent countryside, through the picturesque village of Tenterden and past Ashford to a potentially nail biting finish in Canterbury.
Monday 9 July 2007 Depart London.
Maybe you’re heading to Paris to join our Burgundy and Alpes trip that starts on Tuesday 10 July 2007 and goes to Thursday 19 July 2007.
