MAP. Paris 2024: view the route of the Olympic torch relay in France until July 26

Stages as eagerly awaited as those of the Tour de France. Sixty-four departments will see the relay of the Olympic flame pass, which arrives on French soil on Wednesday May 8 in Marseille after a ten-day journey from Greece aboard the sailboat Belem. The kick-off of a 79-day marathon until the start of the Paris Games on July 26, and the lighting of the flame in the Tuileries garden by a final torchbearer whose identity is the subject of all speculations.

One of the major axes of the route aims to highlight French heritage, with passages in emblematic historical sites : the Lascaux cave (Dordogne), Mont-Saint-Michel (Manche), the D-Day beaches (several departments of Normandy), the Verdun Memorial (Meuse), the archaeological site of Alésia (Côte-d’Or ), the ramparts of Carcassonne (Aude) and the Château de Versailles (Yvelines) in the home stretch. The natural sites are not left out, with a passage in the Mont-Blanc valley (Haute-Savoie), at the Pic du Midi or even in the Verdon gorges.

To emphasize the country’s riches, gastronomy will also be in the spotlight, with a trip to the most famous vineyards (Saint-Emilion, Chablis, Coteaux du Layon…), as will culture ( the Louvre-Lens, the Angoulême comic book museum, the Palais des Festivals in Cannes) and of course sport (Roland-Garros, the Stade de France, the Stade Vélodrome or Geoffroy-Guichard’s “cauldron” in Saint -Etienne). On the other hand, the only two other French cities which have hosted (winter) Games, Grenoble and Albertville, are not affected by this torch relay.

The route will not be confined to France, with a long journey which will take the flame to overseas territories from June 9 to 17, as part of the Ocean Relay. Martinique and Guadeloupe will be visited by boat, aboard the monohull Maxi Banque Populaire Michalik…). The flame will also travel by plane to more distant overseas territories : New Caledonia, Guyana (notably at the Kourou space center) and French Polynesia, scene of surfing events during the fortnight of competition.

Ten key dates for the torch relay: