Boulevard Albert Ier will be closed to traffic across Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd August as Monaco prepares to host the Grand Départ of La Vuelta 2026, with the Government urging residents and visitors to anticipate their journeys and expect disruption to bus services throughout the weekend.
On Friday 21st August, Boulevard Albert Ier will be shut to traffic from 6am to 2pm to allow the installation of the race’s finish-line infrastructure. The closure also affects the regular services of the Compagnie des Autobus de Monaco, which will modify its routes accordingly. Passengers are directed to www.cam.mc for the revised itineraries.
Time trial day brings wider closures
The heaviest disruption falls on Saturday 22nd August, when Boulevard Albert Ier closes from 8am and the entire circuit of the individual time trial shuts to traffic at 12pm. The road network will reopen progressively from around 9pm to 9.30pm. Fuller details on the route and the running of the race are available at lavueltamonaco.gouv.mc.
The Saturday stage is a 9.6-kilometre individual time trial run entirely within the Principality. Starting from the Place du Casino, the course takes in the Moulins district, the Fairmont hairpin, Larvotto, Port Hercule and the Port of Fontvieille before finishing on the Grand Prix start-finish straight.
Free buses across the weekend
To ease movement around the closures, all Compagnie des Autobus de Monaco lines will be free of charge from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd August. The Government has thanked the public for their understanding and encouraged everyone to plan ahead, adding that it hopes to see large crowds turn out to celebrate the Grand Départ together.
The festivities run from Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd August, opening with the official presentation of the teams and riders on the Thursday. The second stage sets off on Sunday 23rd August, rolling out from the Place du Palais Princier before the official start at the Exotic Garden, as the peloton heads towards Manosque. The start marks a milestone for the Principality, which becomes the first place in the world to have hosted the opening stage of all three Grand Tours, having previously staged the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France.
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Photo source: Government Communications Department