“It would be a tremendous opportunity for the Grand Est”: Reims submits bid to host the 2028 Tour de France Grand Départ

Will the Tour de France start in Reims in 2028? That is the ambition of the city and the Grand Est region, which have officially submitted their candidacy to host the Grand Départ of the Tour de France that year.

Reims will have some competition coming from Luxembourg, as it was recently revealed that the country has already presented its candidacy in hopes of hosting three stages, paying a fee of €8-9 million. It is supported by former professional riders Kim Kirchen, Andy Schleck and Fränk Schleck.

“This would be a tremendous opportunity for the Grand Est, for Reims and for Champagne,” president of the Grand Est region Franck Leroy said in quotes gathered by France 3. “It is the third most-watched sporting event in the world after the Olympic Games and the football World Cup. That means thousands of journalists and hundreds of millions of viewers. It would be an extraordinary spotlight on Champagne.”

Arnaud Robinet, mayor of Reims, echoed that enthusiasm. “This is a project shared with Franck Leroy to showcase our region, Reims, Épernay, part of the Marne department, and all these vineyards and this exceptional heritage. If we are selected, there will then be time to work on the routes with Christian Prudhomme and his entire team.”

Hosting the Tour de France comes at a price. ASO charges municipalities approximately €80,000 for a stage start, €120,000 for a finish, and €160,000 for a combined start and finish. A Grand Départ, however, requires an investment running into several million euros.

Exact figures for Reims have not been disclosed. By comparison, Lille reportedly spent between 8 and 10 million euros in 2025 to host the Grand Départ, including infrastructure upgrades and fees paid to ASO. Brest, meanwhile, invested around €2.3 million in 2021, but generated an estimated €7.35 million in tourism revenue.