Tour de France 2027: the British Grand Départ route and dates

Last updated: 30 July 2026

Both the 2027 Tour de France and the 2027 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift start in Britain. The men's race opens with three stages from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 July 2027, and the women's race opens with three more from Friday 30 July to Sunday 1 August. The official host committee for the British Grand Départ, which runs the event with British Cycling, states that this is the first time both races have begun in the same country outside France. All six routes are confirmed and published; nothing beyond them has been.

The six British stages in full

Dates, host towns and distances below come from the host committee route pages and from ASO, the race organiser.

When were the 2027 British routes announced?

On 15 January 2026, by Tour director Christian Prudhomme and Tour de France Femmes director Marion Rousse. The announcement was marked by lighting all ten host locations in yellow on the same evening, and it was reported that day by The British Continental and by UK Sport. Before that date the British bid had been reported but not settled, which is why older articles still describe the routes as unknown.

Which towns and cities are hosting?

Ten in total, across Scotland, England and Wales: Edinburgh, Carlisle, Keswick, Liverpool, Welshpool, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and London. Manchester appears twice, as the finish of the women's opening stage on Deansgate and as the start of the following day's stage, which makes it the only host location on the list two days running.

The men's route, 2 to 4 July 2027

Stage 1 runs 184km from Edinburgh to Carlisle with a single categorised climb, the Côte de Melrose in the Eildon Hills, and about 2,000 metres of climbing. Stage 2 covers 223km from Keswick to Liverpool through the Lake District National Park and along Morecambe Bay, finishing on The Strand, with five categorised climbs and roughly 2,800 metres of climbing. Stage 3 is the toughest: 223km from Welshpool to Cardiff with eight categorised climbs, including the Côte de Rhigos and a late ascent at Caerphilly, and around 3,000 metres of climbing. All three elevation figures come from BikeRadar.

Worth stating plainly, because a widely circulated summary got it wrong: the men's British Grand Départ is three stages, not five. There is no Carlisle to Keswick stage and no Liverpool to Welshpool stage. BikeRadar, The British Continental and the host committee's own route page all agree on three. Fuller detail on the two hardest days is in our stage guides to Keswick to Liverpool and Welshpool to Cardiff.

The women's route, 30 July to 1 August 2027

Stage 1 starts on The Headrow in central Leeds and runs 87.5km to a Deansgate finish in Manchester. Stage 2 leaves Manchester for 154.4km to Sheffield across the Peak District, close to 3,000 metres of climbing, finishing on Attercliffe Common, with Cyclist naming Snake Pass and Winnats Pass on the route. Stage 3 is a team time trial of about 18km on a central London circuit finishing on The Mall, ridden in seven-rider teams and confirmed by ASO as the first team time trial in the race's history. The women's weekend has its own guide: Leeds to The Mall.

Is 2027 the fourth time the Tour has visited Britain?

It is the third time the race has started here, which is the distinction that matters. London hosted the Grand Départ in 2007 and Yorkshire hosted it in 2014. Tour stages also came to Plymouth in 1974 and to Brighton and Portsmouth in 1994, but those were ordinary stages in the middle of a race that began in France. A Grand Départ is the race’s official start, and 2027 is Britain’s third.

What did the last British Grand Départ generate?

The 2014 Yorkshire Grand Départ was evaluated formally afterwards. The official evaluation, produced by eventIMPACTS and led by Leeds City Council with UK Sport, Welcome to Yorkshire, Transport for London and TdFHUB2014 Ltd, put economic impact at approximately £102 million for Yorkshire and more than £128 million across all host areas.

Crowd numbers are a different story and are best left alone. Published spectator estimates for 2014 vary widely depending on which body did the counting and how, so any single figure repeated as fact is picking a side in a disagreement. The economic figures come with a named methodology; the crowd figures do not.

What has not been confirmed yet?

Everything after the British stages. The rest of the men's 2027 route has not been announced, and while several outlets expect it around the end of October 2026 in line with ASO's usual timetable, the organisers have not confirmed a date. The detailed London team time trial circuit has also not been published; British Cycling said in April 2026 that it would follow later in the year.

Road closures, fan zone locations and stage timings are also outstanding across all ten host towns and cities. Those normally arrive from local authorities in the weeks before the race.

How to follow it

All six British stages will be shown live and free-to-air on Channel 5, alongside nightly 7pm highlights fronted by Rebecca Charlton, under a three-year agreement with TNT Sports announced on 17 June 2026. Standing at the roadside is free and needs no ticket. Our guide to watching the 2027 race in Britain covers the broadcast detail and what a roadside day actually looks like.

Race background, jersey competitions and how a Grand Départ weekend runs are collected on our Tour de France hospitality hub, alongside the men's British Grand Départ and the women's British Grand Départ.