Tour de France: Scotland Grand Départ Ultimate Race Experience

Overview

Welcome to bonny Scotland on your Tour de France bike tour! Your Trek Travel guides will meet you at Dunkeld House Hotel at 11:00 AM. We'll share a relaxed lunch together, as your guides explain how the week will unfold and provide a personalized bike fit to ensure your comfort on the road, along with a few safety tips for riding in the region. Once everyone is ready, you'll head out on your first ride of the week. You'll leave town on a quiet road close to the River Tay, famed for its world-class salmon fishing and protected as a special conservation area. The route meanders along peaceful lanes, tracing the river's course, with open farmland and mountains framing the horizon. You'll arrive in historic Pitlochry, a picturesque Victorian resort town, and settle into Pine Trees Hotel, a grand old mansion on the edge of town, your base for the next three nights. Gather for social hour to raise a glass to the week ahead, before dinner at Fauna, the hotel’s restaurant that celebrates local ingredients. Savor the calm of the Highlands before the excitement builds toward the Grand Départ in Edinburgh.

Overview

You'll be exploring another beautiful piece of Perthshire countryside today, with Schiehallion, one of Scotland's most distinctive peaks, a constant presence on the horizon. The route is mostly flat, save for one steady, sustained climb that rises in its shadow. Leaving Pitlochry along the shores of Loch Tummel, you'll climb up and over from loch to loch, hugging the mountainside, before a fast descent to the shores of Loch Tay. Pausing for refreshments in the pretty village of Kenmore, you'll follow the River Tay to the Grandtully Hotel. Settle in for a fresh, farm-to-fork lunch featuring seasonal Scottish produce, before continuing through the valley back to the hotel. Once back at the hotel, you'll have time to relax before heading out for an evening on your own. Your guides will point you toward their favorites among the town's many restaurants and pubs.

Overview

Set off this morning after a hearty Scottish breakfast for your first foray into the hills, with the towering peak of Ben Vrackie looking down as you ride out of town. Just a few miles in, you'll reach Blair Atholl, an estate that is home to Europe's only remaining private army, the Atholl Highlanders. You'll skirt the edges of the Cairngorms National Park as you continue, before a gradual climb into increasingly remote, heather-clad moorland and a descent into the Tummel Valley to the banks of Dunalastair Water. An undulating road through the valley leads you along the north bank of Loch Tummel, where we'll stop for a signature Trek Travel picnic lunch in a peaceful forest park. For those wanting more riding after lunch, you can continue along lochside stretches that loop back to Pitlochry. Once back in town, we’ll visit the local distillery, Blair Athol, for a dram of whisky before dinner together at a nearby restaurant. Tomorrow, Edinburgh and an exclusive Lidl-Trek event await on the eve of the Grand Départ.

Overview

Set out on a final morning ride through the Perthshire hills, or take your time over breakfast before a two-hour private shuttle carries you to Edinburgh. The capital hums with anticipation as teams arrive and the city readies for tomorrow’s Grand Départ. Later, Lidl-Trek welcomes you behind the scenes with exclusive access to the team. Join team representatives for a Q&A and, if race regulations allow, take a look inside the team bus as mechanics fine-tune the pros’ bikes for the start. Afterward, settle into The Scotsman, where a century of newsroom history lingers in the marble halls and the cobbled lanes of the Old Town lie steps away. Dinner is on your own tonight, and your guides will happily share their go-to Edinburgh spots before you turn in early, ready for the big day.

Overview

This morning brings a once-in-a-lifetime VIP experience at the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ. Your passes open the gates to the official departure village, where you’ll stroll among the team areas, snap photos as the riders warm up, and feel the electric charge of opening day. Then the moment arrives. The peloton rolls out of Edinburgh as the opening stage heads south toward the Côte de Melrose, the day’s categorized climb, before crossing the English border for a short, flat dash into Carlisle. Back at the hotel, all eyes turn to the screen as the sprinters fight for the line and the first yellow jersey of 2027 is claimed. Tonight, we’ll raise a glass at a celebratory dinner to a week of Highland roads, shared miles, and the thrill of watching the biggest race in cycling begin on Scottish soil.

Overview

Your final morning in Edinburgh unfolds at your own pace, whether you sleep in or linger over breakfast at the hotel. You’ll say farewell to your guides at The Scotsman at 10:00 AM, but your room is yours until noon, leaving time for one last wander along the Royal Mile toward Edinburgh Castle, a few steps away across North Bridge. When you’re ready, the hotel’s front desk can help arrange taxis or transfers for your onward travel.