112th edition of the Tour de France starts in Lille
The 112th edition of the Tour de France starts in Lille. Via Normandy and Brittany, the Tour caravan travels through central France to the Pyrenees and the Alps, finishing in Paris. Have you planned your vacation during this period and will you see the riders passing by your camper? Will you be traveling along the tourist and historical sites of France where the Tour passes? Which program do you find best in terms of depth and information: Vive le vélo (VRT 1) or De Avondetappe (NPO 1)?
Tour de France 2025
- Period: July 5 to July 27, 2025
- Total: 3338,8 km
- 5 uphill finishes
- 2 individual time trials
- 23 teams including team Israel-Premier Tech
- 184 riders
- 13 Dutch riders
- 29 Belgian riders
- During the 21 stages from Lille to Paris, the riders will not cross the national border even once. The last times Tour riders raced exclusively in France were during the coronavirus years of 2020 and 2021.
Tour de France 50 years (1975 – 2025) anniversaries
Block of 2 stamps – 50 years of the arrival of the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées – 50 years of the polka dot jersey and the white jersey. A very successful design! Polka dot jersey: jersey with red dots awarded in the Tour to the leader of the mountain classification (the King of the Mountains); in French: “maillot à pois” (“pea jersey”). “Maillot blanc” translates into Dutch as “white jersey”. In the Tour, “maillot blanc” refers to the jersey of the best young rider (a rider under the age of 26).
Lille
Until recently, you could travel directly from Amsterdam to Lille with the Thalys. Now you travel with the Eurostar / Eurocity Direct with a transfer at Brussels South. Then take the TGV to Lille. Reservations via NS International. The earlier you book, the lower the fare.
Lille, also known as Rijssel, is a city in northern France near the border with Belgium on the river Deule. It is the capital of French Flanders and the Nord department, as well as the Hauts-de-France region. The municipality had 238.695 inhabitants as of January 1, 2022. In 2004, the city was the European Capital of Culture together with Genoa. There are various museums in the city, including the Palais des Beaux-Arts, one of the largest art museums in France. Lille is also the seat of the eponymous Roman Catholic Diocese of Lille, founded in 1913.
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In many houses in Lille, both French and Flemish influences can be recognized. For instance, red and brown brick is often used, something that is much less common in France than in Belgium. There are also many neighborhoods, particularly in greater Lille, where terraced houses are not uncommon. These features, unusual in France, make Lille, in terms of architecture, a transitional city between French building styles and those of Flanders, the Netherlands, and England. Lille boasts a number of buildings and squares worth visiting. The majority of these are located close together in the city center.
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Every year, the Braderie de Lille takes place on the first weekend of September. The Braderie is one of the larger annual French events and is also the largest flea market in Europe. The Braderie de Lille attracts one to two million visitors every year. A great many mussels are eaten on that day. The internationally highly regarded Lille Half Marathon also takes place that same weekend. Lille is easily accessible by Eurostar / TGV. In 2020, Lille was chosen as World Design Capital.
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Amiens
Amiens is a city in northern France, the capital of the Somme department and of the former region of Picardy. The city is located approximately 115 km north of Paris and had 134.780 inhabitants on January 1, 2022, who are called Amiénois. Amiens is one of the medieval Somme cities, along with Ponthieu. The city has many monuments, including its cathedral. Amiens has a university and is an important industrial city (textiles).
The author Jules Verne He spent a large part of his life in Amiens, died there, and is buried there. Jules Verne (Nantes, February 8, 1828 – Amiens, March 24, 1905) was a French author of adventurous travelogues using new technologies, to many parts of the earth and to unknown regions such as the deep sea, the earth's interior, and the moon. Verne is often regarded as the father of science fiction. This is likely due to the fantastical nature of his stories, which, however, were usually inspired by knowledge existing at the time. Verne himself flatly denied that he was a futuristic prophet and stated that the predictive nature was a coincidence. Or, as his publisher Jules Hetzel described the purpose of his books: “Education that amuses, amusement that educates.”
Rouen
Rouen is the capital of the Normandy region and the Seine-Maritime department. Before January 1, 2016, it was only the capital of Haute-Normandie, but on that date the region was merged with Basse-Normandie and Rouen became the capital of all of Normandy.
The city is situated on the Seine. It is one of the most important ports in France. The River Seine cuts through the city. The old center is located on the right bank (north of the Seine). The industrial area is mainly situated on the left bank (south of the Seine). The municipality had 116.331 inhabitants on January 1, 2022. The Rouen metropolitan area has 527.170 inhabitants (2008).
Caen
Years ago, when I still visited France often, I also came to Caen. It is easily accessible by train via Paris. Caen is a city in the French region of Normandy, the capital of the former region of Lower Normandy and the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city lies 15 kilometers inland from the English Channel and is bisected by the River Orne. Caen had 108.398 inhabitants on January 1, 2022, and the Caen metropolitan area has 385.482 inhabitants. Caen is located a few hours' drive from Paris, a short distance from the Pearl Coast of Normandy (Côte de Nacre), close to the beaches of Operation Overlord and fashionable seaside resorts such as Deauville and Cabourg on the Flower Coast (Côte Fleurie). The city connects to the south of England via the Caen-Portsmouth ferry line. Caen bears the nickname "the city of a hundred bells."
In 2025, Caen will turn 1000. A grand celebration for the citizens of Caen. On May 27, the City of Caen Millennium stamp was unveiled in the presence of Aristide Olivier, Mayor of Caen, and Romain Bail, Mayor of Ouistreham-Riva-Bella. The artist wanted to pay tribute to the city of Caen by depicting an aerial view of the city center, thereby highlighting emblematic sites: the port, the castle and, on the corner, the Abbaye-aux-Dames, the Saint-Pierre church, the Alexis-de-Tocqueville library… The view extends to the coast, placing the city at the heart of its maritime heritage. The print run is limited to 350.000 copies and the price is €2,10.
Bayeux
Bayeux is a French city in the Calvados department in the Normandy region. On January 1, 2022, the city had 12.754 inhabitants, who are called Bayeusins or Bajocasses. Bayeux is located approximately 270 km from Paris and 31 km from Caen, just under 10 km south of the English Channel. A famous cathedral stands in the city.
Bayeux is best known for the Bayeux Tapestry. The tapestry depicts the story of the invasion of England by William the Conqueror and the subsequent Battle of Hastings. The tapestry is seventy meters long and fifty centimeters high. Strictly speaking, it is not a tapestry, but an embroidery. The tapestry can be viewed at the Centre Guillaume le Conquérant in Bayeux.
Saint Malo
Saint-Malo is a port city in France. It is located in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine on the coast in northern Brittany. The municipality had 47.255 inhabitants on January 1, 2022.
The old city wall is still present. The part of the city within the wall is called Intra-Muros. The castle is located at the large gateway; it now serves partly as the town hall and library, but also houses a number of museums. In the old city, the Saint-Vincent Cathedral is a notable landmark.
Laval
Laval is a French city in the Pays de la Loire region. It is the prefecture of the French department of Mayenne and also the sub-prefecture of the Laval arrondissement. On January 1, 2022, Laval had 49.474 inhabitants, who are called Lavallois. A notable landmark is the Château de Laval.
The Château de Laval consists of two parts: the Old Castle (Vieux-Château), a medieval fortress, and the New Castle (Château-Neuf), a Renaissance castle. The castle was the residence of the Lords, later Counts, of Laval. After the French Revolution, the New Castle was used as a courthouse and the Old Castle as a prison and, from the 20th century onwards, as a museum.
Chinon
Chinon is a municipality in the French department of Indre-et-Loire (Centre-Val de Loire region). The town is the sub-prefecture of the Chinon arrondissement. Chinon had 8.121 inhabitants on January 1, 2022.
The Château de Chinon and the collegiate church of Saint-Mexme were included in the first list of historical monuments in France in 1840. Part of the historic center, with its half-timbered houses and wealthy bourgeois palaces (hôtels particuliers), was later protected as a whole. Le Carroi, musée d'art et d'histoire, is a historical and art museum featuring several masterpieces, such as the Chape Saint-Mexme, an 11th-century piece of textile, and a portrait of François Rabelais by Eugène Delacroix. To be continued….
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