Dilemma: See The Tour De France Riders, or Spend Longer in Stockholm?

kiitos on 18/03/2018 - 14:09
Last edited 18/03/2018 - 14:09

Planning a trip to Europe in July. We will be staying with family in the French alps, before flying to their home in Stockholm, spending time there, and then flying back to Sydney on 26/7. We had originally thought we'd spend maybe up to a week in Stockholm and surrounds.

The thing is, apparently the Tour de France will be riding very, very near where we will be staying in France on 21/7. Importantly, we don't really sit and watch the TdF on TV, but it would be pretty novel to see it in real life.

If we watch the TdF, we realistically would have say 3.5 days in Stockholm. We're only starting to research what we'd like to see there - at this stage, it looks like Gamla Stan, the Vasa, Drottningholm Palace, and we also want to find some midcentury modern architecture/museums/shops.

  1. Has anyone here been to the TdF? How was it? Is it exciting, or is it a case of waiting for ages, then occasionally cheering a few riders?
  2. Would only 3.5 days in Stockholm be a waste? What else is a must see in Stockholm or elsewhere in Sweden?

Poll Options

  • 7
    You simply MUST see the Tour de France! You'll kick yourself if you don't!
  • 8
    You simply MUST spend longer in Stockholm! 3.5 days is too rushed, you'll see barely anything!
  • 1
    It's much of a muchness - can't go wrong either way!
Travel

Comments

  • wordplay on 18/03/2018 - 14:37
    +1

    if you don' really care about the tour, probably not that exciting to hang around and wait for them.

  • Davo1111 on 18/03/2018 - 15:05
    +2

    If road closures, police cars, and cyclists riding past at speed do it for you, then go for it.

  • smashed on 18/03/2018 - 15:15

    I like cycling.. But (depending on where in route you wait) be prepared to wait and them see them fly past in the space of 10 seconds..
    You will also lose a lot of time either side due to commuting, road blocks etc.

  • whooah1979 on 18/03/2018 - 15:17
    +1

    we don't really sit and watch the TdF on TV, but it would be pretty novel to see it in real life.

    What’s there to see? A few seconds of cyclists riding their push bikes like their life depended on it. You’re from Sydney. Don’t you get enough of that there?

    • tranter on 18/03/2018 - 16:08

      If you have to ask you'll never understand!

  • tranter on 18/03/2018 - 16:05
    +2

    That is possibly once in lifetime opportunity you have to see Tour de France in the Alps. You can go to Stockholm anytime.

    • Davo1111 on 18/03/2018 - 16:47

      I dunno, i'd say it's once in a lifetime opportunity to see the alps or stockholm.

      TdF would stop you from seeing the alps though :)

  • edwardcr on 18/03/2018 - 19:22
    +1

    If you have the opportunity to see the Tour on 21 July , it could be an interesting day!

    The Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux - Mende stage is not actually in the French Alps - it's a stage between the Alps and the Pyrenees, flattish, but with a very nice climb just before the end - 3 klm with gradients up to 18%.

    That climb would be the place to watch it, as the top climbers will probably relaxing a bit between the big mountains, leaving it wide open for the others.

    Or maybe not - they'll all be tired after the Alps, and might want to save their energy for the Pyrenees!

    Watching the Tour on the flat stages is a waste of time - they're passing you at 50 klm an hour or so, but the climbs are great fun!!

    The other thing that makes watching the Tour live great is being able to speach French, and enjoying the very exciteable French commentary.

    My opinion? Watch the Tour - it's something that everyone should experience at least once!

  • teacherer on 18/03/2018 - 21:23

    I don't like any of the options

  • jjjaar on 19/03/2018 - 18:27

    You can see Stockholm 365 days a year. The chances of you being in Europe again during le Tour is not as high. I would see le Tour.

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