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Tour de France 2026: the finish can be watched from the Arc de Triomphe terrace, but the event is already sold out
On Sunday, July 26, the Arc de Triomphe is opening private access to its forecourt and terrace to watch the Tour de France finish on the Champs-Élysées, with mandatory booking, a single price of €150 and strict access constraints around the monument.
A finish seen from the top of the monument
The finish of the 2026 Tour de France will be experienced this Sunday, July 26, in a very special setting: the panoramic terrace of the Arc de Triomphe. The event announced by the monument offers the chance to watch the riders arrive live on the Champs-Élysées, with a privileged view over the avenue, the peloton’s passages and the finish line. The event is presented as a festive occasion, open to all audiences, but organized in a highly controlled format.
The arrangement provides access to two spaces that are usually highly sought after during major Paris events: the monument’s forecourt and terrace. The Arc de Triomphe thus becomes a direct observation point over the Champs-Élysées, as close as possible to the race finale. Access to the monument begins at 4:30 p.m., ahead of a racing sequence scheduled for late afternoon and early evening.
A €150 ticket, with mandatory booking
The announced price is simple: a single price of €150. A reduced rate is available for Passion Monuments subscribers, upon presentation of the promotional code. Admission is free for children under 3. Online booking is mandatory and no sales will be offered on site, which rules out any possibility of a last-minute purchase near the monument.
The most important practical information for the public has already been decided: the ticket office is closed and the event is sold out. Places were available only within the planned capacity limits. For people without a booking, the announced format therefore provides for neither an on-site ticket desk nor late access to the private arrangement.
What the private access includes
The ticket includes private access to the forecourt and terrace of the Arc de Triomphe from 4:30 p.m. From these spaces, participants can follow the riders on the Champs-Élysées and observe the finish line. The offer also includes unlimited drinks, an assortment of canapés and goodies from the Centre des monuments nationaux.
The published program provides for the gradual arrival of the public, followed by the race highlights. Access to the monument is from 4:30 p.m. via the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The riders’ first passage is estimated at 6 p.m., before the final arrival of the first riders, estimated at 7:30 p.m. The event is scheduled to end at 8:30 p.m.
Restricted access around the Champs-Élysées
As every year to secure this event, a SILT perimeter is put in place by the Préfecture de Police from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Pedestrians there are subject to searches and cyclists are not allowed. Access to the zone is through specific filtering points, marked as “PF” on the map released by the organization.
For participants heading to the Arc de Triomphe, the recommended filtering point is the one located at the top of Avenue Friedland. This detail matters in an area where access is tightly organized on the day of the finish. The document also announces that a detailed access map is forthcoming, confirming the evolving nature of the practical information around the arrangement.
Metro stations closed all day or from 1 p.m.
Several metro stations are announced as closed all day: Tuileries, Concorde, Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George V, Charles de Gaulle-Étoile and Argentine. These closures directly affect the most obvious access routes to the Champs-Élysées and Place Charles de Gaulle, making it necessary to plan the route before arriving in the area.
Other stations close from 1 p.m.: Villiers, Rome, Place de Clichy, Ternes, Monceau and Courcelles. They will reopen by order of the Préfecture. This note means that reopening times are not fixed in the monument’s announcement and depend on decisions made during the day.
A route not accessible to wheelchairs
The event is not accessible to wheelchair users. The announcement specifies the presence of steps in the tunnel and up to the forecourt, followed by the need to take the stairs to move from the forecourt to the monument’s terrace. The route includes 284 steps to reach the terrace.
The Passage du Souvenir, the pedestrian tunnel that provides safe access to Place Charles de Gaulle - Étoile, is entirely underground. It is accessible by around fifteen steps and does not have access adapted for wheelchair users. This constraint comes on top of the monument’s stairs and must be taken into account by participants who have already booked.
The key times on Sunday, July 26
The event is concentrated within a four-hour window, from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The opening of private access comes before the estimated first passage of the riders, then the final arrival of the first riders, estimated at 7:30 p.m. For people with a ticket, the practical challenge is therefore to arrive while taking into account filtering, closed stations and the pedestrian route to the monument.
The contact listed for the event is Ninon Varrall, communications and events officer, at [email protected]. The monument’s announcement thus brings together the essential elements: event sold out, mandatory booking, private access, reinforced security, closed stations and no wheelchair accessibility on this route.
Sources: paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr