Thinking of doing a Tour de France trip?

Here are some tips to help you make the best of the tour.

• It is highly recommended to learn some basic French. You will be surprised how helpful people are when you make the effort to speak the basics.
• You need to do some serious research before you go to France. Make some decisions about the stages you want to see as this will decide how you go about things,.
  
• You do not need to hire a camper van for the Tour but it does make life a lot easier.
• Use either a Michelin map (has departmental roads on it) or a GPS to get around. Remember that road traffic changes during the tour so be prepared to find alternative routes to where you are going.
• Before you hit the road, if you have a camper van, do some shopping. This gives you the freedom to make your own meals or eat out. At least you wont be caught out. Some places have limited or no food. Alpe d'Huez has a great selection of restaurants and bars Mont Ventoux has basically nothing.
  
• Tollways in France work a little differently. The first booth you encounter is a ticket dispensing machine. Take the ticket. At the end of the tollway you will need to enter the ticket into the toll machine and pay the displayed toll. Warning! Tolls in France are expensive.
• During the Tour de France it is common for people to camp on the side of the road. There are official campsites but book early to avoid disappointment.
  
• After the end of each stage you will most definitely be stuck in traffic. Make the most of it with some music! Be patient the road will clear.
  
• When watching tour stages, remember to take some lunch with you as well as a hat, sunscreen and chairs.
  
• Although TDF happens in summer, the weather in the Southern parts of France can change, so remember to pack warm clothes just in case as well as wet weather gear!
• On race day, get out early. Crowds on some stages builds quickly. You may also want to find a location which gives you ready access to a TV so you can watch the race as it heads towards you.
• If you want to be at the finish area? Get there seriously early. On the mountain stages I think the best places are on the corners or on the climbs.
• Paint the road. This is a TDF tradition. Make sure you make it big and keep it clean if you want your artwork to feature on the TV. Make sure to paint the road early so it is dry for the riders. Best places to paint are on steep climbs and before sprint and KOM sections where crowds are behind the barriers.
• Above all else take things as they come. Have a good sense of humor and try to meet as many people as possible. TDF is one big festival!
  

Hope you find this info helpful!