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UncategorizedJuly 6, 20250 comments

Tour de France 2025: Road Closures & Traffic Restrictions in Northern France and Normandy

From 5 to 10 July 2025, the Tour de France will traverse northern France and Normandy. As a result, professional drivers should expect significant traffic disruptions, including full closures of national roads and motorway exits. Numerous parking bans and restricted access to city centers will also be in effect.

Early closures are set to begin on Saturday, 5 July, coinciding with the Tour’s start in Lille. That morning through afternoon, portions of the RN356 (Lille – Exit 2), A21 (Lens – Exits 11 & 12), and A25 (Steenvoorde, Méteren, Armentières) will be closed. Exit 9 (Erquinghem‑Lys) may also be closed, pending decisions by local authorities.

Stage 1 (Lille – Lille), Saturday, 5 July 2025

Start and finish in Lille. The following sections will be closed:

Stage 2 (Lauwin‑Plancque – Boulogne‑sur‑Mer), Sunday, 6 July 2025

On Sunday, 6 July, the RN25 north of Arras will be completely closed – between the RN25/RD937 roundabout and the RN25/RD939 interchange. Disruptions are expected from approximately 10:00 to 14:00.

Stage 3 (Valenciennes – Dunkerque), Monday, 7 July 2025

Closures will occur at the following locations:

Stage 4 – Tuesday, 8 July 2025 (Amiens → Rouen)

On Tuesday, 8 July, the peloton runs from Amiens to Rouen, resulting in road closures across 17 communes in the Eure department and access restrictions in Rouen. The heaviest disruptions are expected between 13:00 and 16:30. Parking bans in Rouen are in place from 2 July, and access restrictions will be enforced on 8 July from 12:00 to 18:00.

Stage 5 – Wednesday, 9 July 2025 (Caen → Caen)

On 9 July, both start and finish will occur in Caen. The entire route will be largely closed to traffic from 08:00 to 18:00. This especially affects the finish area around Place Foch and the Hastings, port, university, and Chemin Vert districts. Exit 6 from the ring road (Vallée des Jardins) will be partially closed in the Cherbourg → Paris direction. Access to the city center will be practically impossible.

Stage 6 – Thursday, 10 July 2025 (Bayeux → Vire‑Normandie)

The final stage in the region, Bayeux to Vire-Normandie, on 10 July will include the closure of the A84 exit at Villers-Bocage from 08:00 to approximately 14:00. Parking bans and traffic restrictions will also apply in Bayeux and Vire-Normandie.

All closures are subject to time adjustments, depending on race progression and official decisions. In practice, roads will be impassable at least 2 hours before the publicity caravan* passes and for up to 1 hour after the last rider has passed. Regional authorities and emergency services are on standby—but carriers and drivers should strictly avoid travel within impacted zones during these dates.

*Publicity caravan (Fr. caravane publicitaire) refers to the fleet of sponsor vehicles traveling the route approximately 1.5–2 hours ahead of the peloton. They distribute promotional items and advertise brands, and due to their size and requirements, roads must be closed well in advance of the stage. For professional drivers, this can mean multi-hour disruptions to main routes and complete loss of alternative exits or roads.