The Olympic torch will finally enter France when it arrives at the southern port of Marseille on Wednesday. And it has been quite a journey.
After being illuminated by the sun’s rays on April 16 in Ancient Olympia, the torch was transported across Greece before leaving Athens aboard a three-masted ship called Bethlehem, bound for Marseilles.
Belém was first used in 1896, the same year the modern Olympics returned. You will be accompanied by more than 1,000 boats as you parade through the Bay of Marseille, before arriving at the Vieux-Port, or Old Port, and docking at a jetty similar to an athletics track.
Torch bearers will carry the torch through Marseille the following day, the final stretch on the roof of the famous Stade Vélodrome, home to Marseille’s passionate football fans.
After leaving Marseille, a vast relay route will be run before the torch odyssey ends on July 27 in Paris.
Here’s a look at where the torch goes before it reaches Paris:
The torch is expected to arrive at the famous and visually stunning site of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy on May 31.
Located on an elevated area surrounded by water, the island fortress looks like it was created for a Game of Thrones film set. But it is real and very old.
So old that it already existed during the Hundred Years’ War between England and France, from 1337 to 1453. An English attack was even repelled. It later became a prison and in 1979 it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Every year, swarms of tourists marvel at its raw, haunting beauty.
The torch’s travel route is even more unique considering it takes a detour through France’s overseas territories, called the Relais des Océans, or Ocean Relay. Crossing the waves of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, it will arrive in French Guiana on June 9th, before reaching New Caledonia on June 11th.
Next comes the island of Reunion in Saint-Denis – coincidentally the same name as the Paris suburb with the Olympic village – before reaching Papeete in the surfing kingdom of Tahiti, then Baie-Mahault in Gaudeloupe and finally Fort- de-France in Martinique.
The torch returns to France on June 18, in the city of Nice, in the south of the country.
Just five days after landing on the French coast, the torch climbs the alpine mountain pass of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc for Olympic Day on June 23.
The Haute-Savoie region is known for its excellent ski resort of Chamonix, which hosts World Championship races, for stunning views across glaciated fields to neighboring Italy and – some would say most importantly – as a producer of fine cheeses.
A Cheese Olympics, if invented, would feature a robust team of eight Savoy competitors: Abondance, Beaufort, Chevrotin, Emmental, Reblochon, Tome, Tomme and the resilient Raclette.
After leaving cheese-friendly Savoie, the torchbearers will digest in the Doubs region of eastern France and then visit the Alsace city of Strasbourg in the northeast.
Three days later, the torch will arrive in Verdun, site of one of the most horrific battles of the First World War. From February to December 1916, more than 700,000 French and German soldiers were killed or wounded in the Battle of Verdun.
The torch will hit the streets of Paris on July 14th – not surprising considering it’s Bastille Day, France’s national day.
The torch will remain in Paris the next day, then leave again before returning to the French capital via Versailles – where the resplendent Royal Palace is located – and to the suburbs of Nanterre on July 24 and Seine Saint-Denis on July 25.
From there, it’s a short distance back to Paris on July 26th, the eve of the grand opening ceremony, where athletes will parade in more than 80 boats at sunset on the River Seine.
After the nearly four-hour ceremony ends, shortly after 11pm, the cauldron will be lit in a location that will be kept secret until the day itself. Among the reported options are iconic locations such as the Eiffel Tower and the Tuileries Gardens, outside the Louvre Museum.
A total of 10,000 people will carry the torch along its route. Local police forces in each section of the relay will help ensure high security by providing a bubble of safety around the torch and its bearer.
The torches have a lower environmental impact than those used in previous Games. They burn biogas instead of propane and are recharged when they run out of fuel.
Around 2,000 torches will be used, compared to more than 10,000 previously, according to Georgina Grenon, director of environmental excellence at Paris 2024. The torches are made from recycled steel rather than new aluminum.
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AP Summer Olympics:
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