Le Tour Des Geants Pau 05 Emilie Massal Communaute Dagglomeration De Pau

Tour des Géants Open-air museum

In Pau, the Tour de France has its own museum! At the Philippe Tissié stadium in the Bois Louis, on the site of the former velodrome, an exceptional museum was opened in 2015: an open-air breathing space in the image of this sport, in which breath and outdoor practice are essential, where each champion is celebrated by a totem pole. Lovers of the petite reine and great champions, the memory of these men of courage awaits you for an open-air stroll!

Getting there

Le Tour Des Geants Pau 07 Latelier Dherve Communaute Dagglomeration De Pau

The history of the Tour

Near the station, in the heart of Bois-Louis, yellow totems in the color of the most famous jersey celebrate the heroes of the Tour de France.

Each totem tells the story of an edition of the Tour: archive documents and texts by writer Christian Laborde remind us that it’s much more than just a race: destinies are written, heroes and fallen angels stand out. Every stage has its surprises, reminding us that nothing can be taken for granted. The Tour de France has spanned the century, through dark times and moments of glory. Each year, a totem pole adorns the site, immortalizing the name and image of the winner of each vintage.

Tour 2024

Pau and the Tour de France

Pau is the 3rd city to have hosted the Tour de France most often: 75 times, as the starting and/or finishing town, Pau is inseparably linked with the Pyrenees,

It’s from Pau that the peloton sets off, giving way to the climbers on their way up the fearsomely-named cols: Tourmalet, Aspin, Aubisque…
It’s in Pau that the race stops for a rest on the way down!

First winner in Pau in 1930 (8th edition of the Tour), Italian Alfredo Binda. It was also the stage on which Frenchman André Leducq won the yellow jersey for good. Bahamontes, Hinault on two occasions, Delgado, Chiappucci, Coppi, Rivière, Mastrotto, among others, have all added their names to the palmares! More recently, Pierrick Fédrigo in 2010 and Julian Alaphilippe in 2019, on the very day of the yellow jersey’s centenary!

A museum augmented by a site Click on the QR code

Each stele bears a QR code. By flashing it, you can access the mobile site to enjoy audiovisual content, including INA videos, as well as all translations.

A site enhanced by ever-living archives!

Walking around the ramparts

Le Tour Des Geants Pau 01 Ville De Pau 1

Accessible and free

Le Tour des Géants: stade Philippe-Tissié, 64000 Pau
Free and open every day, all year round.

With my dog

A museum to do with Medor. A leash and you’re off for a sporty walk!

In the family

Family fun: the museum is interactive, with access to videos, and children can even play hide-and-seek!

In the saddle

Take the opportunity to cycle around the station area and along the river gave!

From the velodrome to the Tour des Géants

This museum is not there by chance: in the heart of Bois-Louis, it was designed on the site of the old velodrome, where the Tour finishes used to be held. Pau’s old velodrome was built in 1901: the clubhouse of the Véloce-Club remains as a reminder, even if it is now known as the Villa Tissié). In addition to the velodrome, there were tennis courts and croquet and boules courts. Cycling races and tennis championships were held here, attracting huge crowds!