Tour de France 2008 Final Stage - Étampes to Paris Champs-Élysées

Sunday July 27, 2008

Today is the finale of the three-week Tour de France competition. I'm a little sad I won't be able to turn on the TV and see some amazing French countryside, village, chateau or city. (Can this be a new channel?) I'll enjoy it while I can, as cyclists make their way from Étampes to the finish at Paris Champs-Élysées. Once le Tour is over, you can continue to explore a variety of unique and wonderful places to go in France with my Destination Guide to France.

Here is the Tour de France description of Étampes:

Home to French monarchs as far back as the 10th century, reputed for its exceptional architectural heritage, Etampes is a museum in itself. With its 26 listed monuments, its museum and its churches, Etampes attracts more tourists than any other city in the department of Essonne. Proud of its past, Etampes is nonetheless very much turned towards the future, while at the same time taking great care to preserve its flowery and wooded environment.
Quality of life and sports are very much a part of the Etampes state of mind. Many competitions and events are held the year round, thanks to top-notch facilities and many associations which take a great part in the life of the community. Lying close to the rural and agricultural region of Beauce, Etampes strives to lead the way in bio and agro energies. Welcome to Etampes, where hospitality is a tradition that lives on!

Here is the Tour de France description of Paris, which has served as the final stage destination since le Tour started in 1903.

The grand finale of the ultimate stage of the Tour de France is a spectacular show and a supreme honour and triumph for the riders who have succeeded in avoiding all the traps and difficulties of a three week long race. For this jewel of the cycling world, the city of Paris is the most beautiful location imaginable, set with monuments and sites of incomparable beauty (the Louvre Museum, the Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, Rue de Rivoli, the Champs-Elysées).
The final stage is spectacularly filmed by France Télévisions, whose pictures, broadcast worldwide, present the Tour and the French capital in all their finery.