I’ve been to seven Tours de France as a fan – here are my tips if you’re going to spectate for the first time

I keep telling people that this year is going to be my first men’s Tour de France. Which is kind of true – it will be my first time covering the race on the ground as a journalist, making a late debut five years into the job – but it’s not really my first Tour. In fact, I’ve been to the Tour in some capacity for seven different summers, from a holiday as a child to following the entire thing one year, and lots of mini trips in between.

Along the way, I’ve been a fan at the roadside for almost 40 different stages, from starts to sprint finishes, to the tops of mountains, and everything in between. I love going to races for work, but I really love watching as a fan and all the fun it brings. It’s a privilege and a pleasure.

This is one I cannot stress enough. Planning is essential, as is time. Give yourself more time than you’ll need, and get there early. It’s not always easy to find exact details on road closures, and maps apps aren’t always up to date, so there’s a good chance that whatever route and spot you plan in advance (which you definitely should do), you may have to change tack or drive a long way round to get there. Running into a road block is not the end of the world, but you don’t want to do it when the peloton is five minutes away (I’ve done that, and missed a whole stage), so give yourself time for detours or long walks, or to revert to Plan B entirely.

There’s no magic trick to picking a spot, or working out how to get there: just check out the route and contrast on a normal map, look for a spot that looks good, and find a back road (if you’re driving) where you can park and walk up to the route. It’s a little easier if you’re going by bike – more on that below. If you’re going up to a mountaintop finish and want a good spot, you really need to dedicate all day to it – spots at the finish line in particular will fill up before the stage even starts, and it’s similar for bunch sprint finishes in cities.

You can absolutely do the Tour de France by car, even if can mean some long walks from where you’ve parked to the route, but the best way – especially anywhere more remote – is to hop on a bike. This may not be easy if you’re flying over to France for the trip, but it’s worth considering and seeing if you can hire a bike. The roads on the route close to traffic early, but will often be open to bikes later, so you can cycle up key climbs and get a great spot without having to do any backroad parking. It’s also just super fun to be able to say you rode part of the Tour route or an iconic climb.

Some love it, some hate it, but wherever you fall, the Tour de France publicity caravan is a quintessential part of the Tour experience. I’m not joking when I say probably a good half of the people that come out to watch are more excited about the caravan and freebies they throw it out. The Haribo, Cochonou and St Michel vehicles are the hot tickets as they throw out actual edible treats. Be warned, though, people get competitive, and the caravan throwers will aim for kids. Don’t be fighting kids or old people for a sample of washing up liquid, and if you get more than one of something, the nice thing is to share with a young neighbour.

Whether you’re going up a mountain, or securing a spot at a sprint finish, there’s never a guarantee that you’ll be able to grab some lunch, so always take something to eat – a sandwich for lunch and some snacks and Haribo are key. It will be a long day out and you don’t want to bonk. If you want to look really local and nonchalant, make a ham and cheese baguette and take it in the packaging that you bought the baguette in. You’ll blend in, trust me. (Vegans: you know the drill, it’s baguette and a tub of hummus time).

Okay, so you’ve got there early, the caravan has passed, you’ve eaten your lunch, and there’s still an hour and a half until the race arrives…. What now? Be warned that, on a mountain or somewhere remote, it’s very likely that you won’t have any internet connection, doomscrolling isn’t going to help you here. Hopefully, you’re making the trip with some good friends or family, so you can entertain each other – silly games and quizzes are always popular with my family, as are making up football-style chants about riders. If you ask nicely in the comments, I’ll tell you some of our cycling-based games to plan. Or, if you’re that way inclined, take a book! My sister once sat on the Carrefour de l’Arbre and read ‘Les Miserables’ as we waited for Paris-Roubaix to arrive, and honestly, all power to her.

The Tour de France can feature a whole host of weather conditions, not just over the three weeks but even in one singular day. I remember one day at the top of a mountain in Andorra where I went from getting sunburnt by the rays, to bruised legs from the most violent hail storm I’ve ever seen, all in the space of a couple of hours. I’d advise preparing well for the warmth (including hats, sun cream and plenty of water!) but also be wary of rain, and colder temperatures if you’re gaining altitude – even if it’s scorching in the valley.

Wherever you’re watching, you may be waiting there a while, so why not make friends with your roadside neighbours? As well as potential caravan freebie allies, you’re always bound to uncover some fun bit of information from a fellow spectator. If you speak to any older man, there’s practically a 90% chance that he’ll tell you about when he actually rode the Tour, or how Romain Grégoire is his cousin’s daughter or something. It’s also handy when your roaming is rubbish but their French 5G is good enough to get updates on the race. Plus, it’s just nice to meet new people – especially in a sport like cycling, where there’s no team tribalism.

Now, I definitely shouldn’t tell you to disobey parking laws, but I can tell you that on a Tour de France stage day, everyone pretty much throws caution to the wind and sticks their car wherever. I’m not saying you should be totally reckless, but if you see a load of cars pulled up on kerb, or even on a roundabout as I’ve seen many times before, don’t worry that you’re going to be the only one to get a ticket. If others are doing it, you can pull up behind them and you’ll be okay.

One of the best things about cycling as a sport is how close you can get to the athletes – they’re literally centimetres away from you – but this can also be a danger, as you’re a small margin from making actual contact with riders as they pass. So be aware of your surroundings, make sure you can step back if you have to, and try not to turn so you can’t see riders coming. It’s also polite to be aware of the people around you, and not block each other’s views. Plus, keep phones and cameras out of the way, which leads me to my next point…

Watch the race with your eyes, not your phone camera! Saying this makes me feel a bit like people complaining about the number of phones at a concert, but there are lots of reasons why you’re better off ditching the devices when the riders come past. Firstly, it’s safer, as you’ll know exactly how close they are and won’t be sticking your arms out. Secondly, unless you’re a really good photographer, your photos may well be terrible (see my example below). And thirdly, are you ever going to watch those videos back? Probably not, but if you take it all in properly, you’ll remember it forever. Take a snap for Instagram and memories, and then put your phone away and take in how close you are to the biggest race in the world.

If you’re lucky enough to be seeing a few different stages of the Tour, I’d recommend mixing up what you do: maybe a start one day, a finish another, and a climb another. I’ve done every kind of spot over the years. From huge climbs and sprint finishes, to spots in the middle of nowhere and lowkey starts, and a few time trials too, and I couldn’t tell you which is my favourite, they really do all have their benefits. Sprint finishes are exciting, but it’s a long wait and over in a second. You don’t get to see racing at a start, but you can get up close with the riders. Mountains are great, but take some planning and effort. So if you’re going to a few stages, try something different each day, to really get a feel for the race, and what kind of thing you like.

Finally, if you want to really soak up the Tour and what it means in France, my top tip would be to head not to a finish or a mountain, but to a tiny village or town that the Tour is passing through. You may think it’s an uneventful spot, but to these towns, it’s a big deal that the race is passing through, and – especially on weekends – you’ll find street parties, barbecues, makeshift bars, and screens to watch the race on. Everyone turns out for the festivity of the Tour, and the locals usually reckon the more the merrier. It may not be the spot to see the most tactical moment of the race, but a day soaking up just how special the Tour is in France really gives you something you won’t get on TV, and a special memory to last forever.