Tour de France 2029: Berlin at the Heart of German Bid for Grand Départ
Berlin, July 5, 2026 – Berlin is poised to become a central stage for one of the world’s largest sporting events, the Tour de France, in 2029. A German bid for the Grand Départ, the race’s prestigious opening, has been officially submitted, with the capital playing a pivotal role in the plans, as reported by various media outlets.
The candidacy is spearheaded by the association “Grand Départ Allemagne,” which aims to organize a Tour start in eastern Germany. Beyond Berlin, the concept also envisions including the federal states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia.
A Symbolic Event: Celebrating 40 Years Since the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Rudolf Scharping, former Federal Minister of Defense and a long-standing cycling official, confirmed the submitted application on the sidelines of the Tour de France in Barcelona. The organizers explicitly link the bid to more than just an international sporting event. Forty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Tour through eastern Germany is intended to narrate the history of German division, the Peaceful Revolution, and a united Europe.
Tour Director Christian Prudhomme has expressed general openness to a start in eastern Germany. However, a final decision has not yet been made. Slovenia and the Czech capital Prague are also considered potential competitors for the 2029 Grand Départ.
A crucial question remains regarding financing. The initiators hope for participation from the affected federal states, as well as support from the federal government. According to Scharping, clarity on the German candidacy is expected by the end of 2026.
A Return to History: Berlin Hosted the Tour in 1987
For Berlin, hosting the Tour start would not be a premiere. The Tour de France already began in the then-divided city in 1987, coinciding with Berlin’s 750th-anniversary celebration and under vastly different political circumstances.
The prologue led along Kurfürstendamm, followed by the peloton riding a more than 100-kilometer route through all twelve of the then-West Berlin districts. The road race started on Straße des 17. Juni, with the finish line at Rathaus Schöneberg. Spandau, Gatow, and Kladow also became part of the spectacular route.
Tens of thousands of people lined the streets at the time. Simultaneously, extensive road closures significantly impacted daily life in Berlin. In Gatow and Kladow, additional ferry connections and emergency transport services were even established.
Berlin and the Tour de France: A Historic Circle Could Close in 2029
More than four decades later, the Tour could return to a completely transformed city. What in 1987 was also a sign of Franco-German friendship in a divided Europe, is intended by the initiators to become a symbol of freedom and European unity in 2029.
Whether Berlin will indeed experience the start of the Tour de France again remains to be seen. However, the bid has been submitted and could once again place the capital at the center of the international sports world for several days in 2029.
