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"Do you sell Tour de France Paris Grandstand Seats?" This is one of the most common questions clients ask about our 2011 Tour de France trips. "Yes we do," is the answer and many of our trips include grandstand seating. But there is an interesting history to VIP access and Tour de France grandstand seats. But first, here are your options:
1. Rive Gauche
This means "left bank" in French. If you were walking up the Champs Elysees (going from the Place de la Concorde uphill towards the Arc de Triomphe), this Paris finish grandstand would be located on your left next to the metro stop at Place Clemenceau. Located just beyond the finish line, it provides an excellent view of the race course. Tour organizers also include a lunch and open bar. The advantage of "Rive Gauche" seats is they provide more intimate round tables and open access rather than stadium-like grandstand seats. The problem is this particular stand sells out almost every year. For more info about Paris grandstand seats during the Tour de France, please visit our website: http://www.tdf-tours.com/.
2. Grand Palais
The Grand Palace seats are also on the Champs Elysees's left bank. In fact, this section is adjacent to the Rive Gauche detailed above. Unlike the Rive Gauche Paris finish setup, however, these are stadium-like seats going from street level up approximately 10 rows. The Grand Palace has excellent views of race course but it's a bit difficult to see the finish line so you won't likely be able to see the podium. The Tour de France is held in July so you should bring a hat because it can get very hot. There is also a lot of jostling to get seats.
3. Tribune Elysee
If the Grand Palais is a bit like coach, the Tribune Elysee is business class. There are 3 separate "Tribune" sections in this Tour de France grandstand. Lovely TDF hostesses greet you at the stands, you have assigned seats, and drinks are offered throughout the race. When thinking about this VIP grandstand, Frank McCourt's description in Angela's Ashes of sitting in the upper level of the Limerick theatre comes to mind. As McCourt wrote, he could sit with "...a better class of people." That's the tribune Elysee. The flipside of this genteel experience is having to look presentable in the July heat and holding back from yelling, "Wooooooooo!" when your favorite rider blasts by.
4. Triomphe
This Paris finish grandstand is adjacent to the Grand Palais and offers the same type of stadium seating but you get cocktails and hors d'oeuvres before the peleton arrives. I like this particular Tour de France grandstand because it is right near the corner where the Place de la Concorde meets the Champs Elysees. Riders have to slow slightly to get around the corner giving you better photo ops. The people using this stand are often fun and unpretentious. For more info, please visit our website: http://www.tdf-tours.com/.
The Tour de France is owned and operated by the Amaury Sport Association or ASO. As Lance Armstrong grew in popularity from 2002-2005, the Tour started attracting American tourists and eventually North American travel companies. Unfortunately for the ASO, the Tour wasn't making anything from this new revenue stream. So they came up with a rather unique strategy - threats. Starting in 2005, a Paris law firm representing the ASO sent demand letters to all tour companies using the term "Tour de France" or any images of the same for commercial purposes.
Having scared the living bejesus out of the smaller mom-and-pop tour companies, the ASO then licensed a number of "official" tour companies. These were mostly small operators with some prior affiliation to the Tour de France or its sister events (like the Paris marathon for example). All of a sudden, having your picture taken on the podium before a finish (which anyone can do by the way) became VIP access and with it a hefty pricetag. Although we are not an "official" tour operator, we offer most of the things our sister companies often boast about like grandstand seats.
Spyns 2011 Tour de France clients can brave Alpe d'Huez on our various cycling tours. They'll also see the stage finish there on July 22, 2011. We specialize in Tour de France packages for both riders, non-riders, and mixed tours. Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/ http://www.spyns.com/ or call 1.888.825.4720.
