The 35th edition of the Tour Auto crosses France from May 3 to 9, finishing in Biarritz for the tenth time in its history. Between Nogaro, the Basque hinterland and the Cité de l’Océan, here’s what actually changes for locals that week.
An arrival that’s no longer anecdotal
Biarritz and the Tour Auto, that’s now a long story. The Cité de l’Océan will host the finish for the tenth time since the event’s creation — the last one, in 2024, at the same spot. In other words, what many still see as a passing event has become a recurring fixture of the local May calendar.
The final sequence is now set: Pau, Nogaro, Biarritz. Nogaro for the circuit, Pau for the sporting prestige, Biarritz for the ocean-front finish. A combination that concentrates the Nouvelle-Aquitaine impact over three days and explains why the organisers keep coming back to the South-West rather than looking elsewhere for a coastal finish.
What happens on Saturday May 9, hour by hour
The Pau–Biarritz leg is 327 kilometres with two special stages and a circuit run. The Nogaro circuit is scheduled between 10am and 2:45pm, before the finish at the Cité de l’Océan between 4:30pm and 9pm. In practice, the first cars start reaching Biarritz in the middle of the afternoon and the closed park stays accessible into the early evening.
The route doesn’t head straight for the ocean from Pau: crews first head up to Nogaro for late-morning races, come back down towards Orthez, then cut into the Basque Country before the Cité de l’Océan finish. There will almost certainly be a stage in the hinterland — the exact location hasn’t been officially released yet, details traditionally drop a few days before the start.
247 cars, including one Ferrari 250 GTO
The 2026 entry list is particularly dense. 247 classic cars will take the start, split between competition and regularity categories. The list pays tribute to the BMW 2002 and the Ferrari 250 GTO, with a single example of the latter — still exceptional given the model’s rarity.
Among the known names, Étienne Bruet (M6) will be at the wheel of his MG A, Jean-Pierre Gagick (TF1) will run his Mustang again, François Allain and his son will drive the Renault Dauphine Gordini from The Originals Renault, and Margot Laffite is on the entry list in a Ferrari 308 Gr.IV.
What it means for locals
Let’s be clear: the Tour Auto’s effect on the city really plays out over two half-days — Friday evening and Saturday. Coastal hotels, restaurants in the centre and the Côte des Basques, tables around the Cité de l’Océan — the clientele following the event is international and spends well. The Tour Auto generates upmarket event tourism: international collectors, specialist media, enthusiasts who travel to circuits and stages.
On the traffic side, expect collector cars heading up from the hinterland towards the coast on Saturday afternoon, with local impact on the roads feeding the Cité de l’Océan between 4pm and 9pm. Nothing unusual for anyone who lived through the 2024 edition — but if you live in the Milady area or had beach plans for that Saturday, you’ll want to plan ahead.
Why Biarritz, and not somewhere else
The question comes up every year. The answer fits in one sentence: the Basque coast and the South-West’s roads are part of the event’s natural itineraries because the region offers exactly what the Tour Auto is looking for — spectacular roads, recognisable landscapes, and a strong territorial image.
Put differently, the Tour Auto needs a finish city capable of absorbing 247 cars and their entourage without it dominating local life, with a setting that works on camera. Biarritz ticks the boxes — and will probably keep ticking them as long as the Cité de l’Océan stays a workable closed park and local officials see an interest in being on the map of the great historic rallies.
Practical info
- Finish: Saturday May 9, Cité de l’Océan, 4:30pm–9pm
- Public access: free entry on the circuits, paid entry to the paddocks
- Official website: peterauto.fr