Giro d'Italia 2026: The route of the Tour of Italy - all stages, all profiles

For the 16th time in its history, the Giro d'Italia will start abroad in 2026. This time, Bulgaria was chosen. Three stages will take place in the Balkan state. Due to the long transfer from Sofia to southern Italy, an additional rest day is planned. The tour therefore starts on a Friday. The 109th edition of the Tour of Italy features eight flat stages, seven medium-difficulty stages and five high mountain stages. There are seven long climbs to the finish. The only individual time trial of the upcoming Tour of Italy is scheduled between Viareggio and Massa in Tuscany.

First selection in Abbruzzo

The first week of the Giro already includes two long climbs to the finish: on the seventh day's stage, the professional cyclists not only face the longest stage of the day at 246 kilometres, but also the dreaded steep climb to the Blockhaus in Abbruzzo. On the 13.6 kilometres with an average gradient of 8.4 percent, the race organisers are expecting the first big selection in the battle for the pink jersey. Two days later, the Corno delle Scale climb awaits in the finale, where the approach south of Bologna is not quite as difficult, but the last three kilometres to the finish are around a ten per cent gradient.

Long time trial in the second week

After the second rest day, the longest individual time trial in recent Giro history awaits the pros at the start of the second week of the Giro. The 40-kilometre distance between Viareggio and Massa leads almost completely flat along the Mediterranean coast of Tuscany during the 10th stage. The last time there was a longer time trial stage at the Giro was in 2016. The 14th stage of the day is one of the toughest that the upcoming Giro has to offer. In the Aosta Valley, the climbs line up one after the other for 133 kilometres until the long mountain finish to Pila. The professional cyclists have to climb around 4,000 metres in altitude on this day - around 1,200 of which are on the final climb alone.

Decision in the third week

On the way to Rome, the route planners have put a few big obstacles in the way of the Giro participants. Firstly, the 16th stage leads to the mountain arrival in Cari in the Swiss canton of Ticino. The next overall winner will then be decided on the 19th and 20th stages at the latest. The first stage will take the riders through the Dolomites and over the Passo Giau (2,233 metres), the so-called Cima Coppi, and then over the final climb to Pian di Pezzé near Alleghe to the finish. The following day, the peloton will have to climb the long ascent to the ski resort of Piancavallo twice, where the next Giro triumphant will probably be decided at the day's finish - before a long transfer to the final laps around the Colosseum in Rome and the award ceremony in Italy's capital.

>> The route of the Tour de France 2026

Giro d'Italia 2026: The most important facts in brief

• Date: Friday, 08.05. - Sunday, 31.05.2026
• 8 flat stages
• 7 moderately difficult stages
• 5 high mountain stages
• a total of 7 mountain finishes
• 1 individual time trial with 40.2 kilometres
• 3 rest days

All stages with altitude profiles

Here you can find all maps and elevation profiles of the 21 stages of the Giro d'Italia 2026

Stage 1 | Friday, 8 May | Nesebar - Burgas, 156 kilometres

Stage 2 | Saturday, 9 May | Burgas-Veliko Tarnovo, 220 km

Stage 3 | Sunday, 10 May | Plovdiv-Sofia, 174 km

Stage 4 | Tuesday, 12 May | Catanzaro-Cosenza, 144 km

Stage 5 | Wednesday, 13 May | Praia a Mare-Potenza, 204 km

Stage 6 | Thursday, 14 May | Paestum-Napoli, 161 km

Stage 7 | Friday, 15 May | Formia-Blockhaus, 246 km

Stage 8 | Saturday, 16 May | Chieti-Fermo, 159 km

Stage 9 | Sunday, 17 May | Cervia-Corno alle Scale, 184 km

Stage 10 | Tuesday, 19 May | Viareggio-Massa (individual time trial), 40.2 km

Stage 11 | Wednesday, 20 May | Porcari-Chiavari, 178 km

Stage 12 | Thursday, 21 May | Imperia-Novi Ligure, 177 km

Stage 13 | Friday, 22 May | Alessandria-Verbania, 186 km

Stage 14 | Saturday, 23 May | Aosta-Pila, 133 km

Stage 15 | Sunday, 24 May | Voghera-Milano, 136 km

Stage 16 | Tuesday, 26 May | Bellinzona-Carì, 113 km

Stage 17 | Wednesday, 27 May | Cassano d'Adda-Andalo, 200 km

Stage 18 | Thursday, 28 May | Fai della Paganella-Pieve di Soligo, 167 km

Stage 19 | Friday, 29 May | Feltre-Alleghe (Piani di Pezzè), 151 km

Stage 20 | Saturday, 30 May | Gemona del Friuli - Piancavallo, 199 km

Stage 21 | Sunday, 31 May | Rome - Rome, 131 km