Traffic difficulties. Le Grand Départ Pays Basque 2023
As you will already know, the Basque Country will host this years start of the Tour de France, one of the biggest sporting events in the world along with the Olympic games and the football World Cup. Certainly, it will be the event of the greatest magnitude ever to be organized in the Basque Country and will be a one of a kind occasion to show the world our Country
Le Grand Départ Pays Basque is organized by seven institutions –The Basque Government, the City Council of Bilbao, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, the City Council of Donostia-San Sebastián, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz and the Provincial Council of Álava– that have prepared an unprecedented security operation in the Basque Country.
An event that, during the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of July, will mobilize thousands of people and vehicles and that will entail important traffic difficulties for people, vehicles and goods. During these three stages, the race will have an effect on leisure and professional activities of the Basque people, having to take into account that the cyclists will ride through hundreds of municipalities.
All the institutions that are involved are working to minimize, to the extent possible, these difficulties that the race will cause, that is why they send this communication so that citizens and companies can plan their transportation ahead of time.
The general obstacles to traffic will extend at least from 8:00 a.m. until 6 p.m. of those three days in all the places where the race passes through and adjacent areas. That is why, the citizens and companies are strongly advised to organize their trips and activities on those days well in advance. As a general recommendation, it is advised that public transport should be used during the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of July.
Likewise, the webpage of Le Grand Départ (http://www.letour.euskadi.eus) collects all the traffic difficulties, a guide with helpful tips, direct access to the traffic webpage of the Basque Country and detailed information about the three stages. The mentioned difficulties can also be checked on the app Waze.
We would be grateful if you could share these recommendations with as many collectives that might be affected as possible (staff, suppliers, clients, travelers, tourists, students…), so that, among all of us, we can ensure that the start of the Tour from the Basque Country can be a real success and that we can enjoy this unique sporting event in our lands.
Thank you and all the best,
