Just tonight I am watching the race live from France and the sights I have seen make me want to go on my own tour of France. I am not sure if I could jump on a bicycle and tour France as the professional cyclists do. My preferred option would be to hire a car and trace the path that the Tour de France takes as it criss crosses France.

My only experience of France to date was a two night visit to Paris. The Tour de France bike race lasts for just over three weeks and covers most of France from Paris in the north all the way down to the Spanish border and along the Mediteranean. It crosses briefly into Italy on stages 15 and 16.

If you are visiting France in July you should try to take in a stage of the Tour de France. It is a huge event and is quite a spectacle to see. This year the favorite for the tour is an Australian, Cadel Evans.

As I write this post the tour is in progress and travels from Cholet to Chateauroux. The scenery so far is quite spectacular.