With Monaco as the venue for the official start and the details of the opening individual time trial already known, the big news from the presentation of the 2026 Vuelta a España route was the announcement of the final stage of the 81st edition, which will conclude in the historic city of Granada.
The Andalusian city located in southern Spain thus becomes the eighth city to crown the overall winner, after Madrid, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Miranda de Ebro, Salamanca, Jerez de la Frontera, and Santiago de Compostela. Since 1986, the race had always finished in Madrid or Santiago de Compostela.
“The 2026 Vuelta will maintain the event’s international character. It will be an edition with a distinctly Mediterranean flavor, from its start to its finish in Andalusia. Monaco will provide a prestigious start to an edition that will visit historic cities, mountain passes steeped in our history, and unprecedented climbs, before concluding in a unique setting like the Alhambra, the red fortress of Granada,” stated General Director Javier Guillén.
As in 2025, after the race began in Piedmont (Italy), France will serve as the link between the start and the Iberian Peninsula, with a finish suited to sprinters and explosive riders in Manosque and a more demanding summit finish in Font-Romeu.
The entry into the Pyrenees heralds a concentration of mountain stages in the other principality, Andorra, which appears in the Vuelta a España route for the twenty-fifth time (since 1965). It will offer a sequence of climbs including Port d’Envalira, Beixalis, Coll d’Ordino, and Alto de la Comella in just 104 kilometers, entirely within its territory.
This allows the route’s architect, Fernando Escartín, to outline the overall picture and warn the riders: “It’s a very tough route! The mountains will play a leading role in one of the most difficult editions in the history of the Vuelta. Andorra will set the tone at the start of the race with a short but very demanding stage, before tackling climbs such as Valdelinares, Aitana, Calar Alto, La Pandera, Peñas Blancas, and the never-before-seen Collado del Alguacil, in a final high-mountain stage that promises to be extremely challenging. In addition, there will be several medium-mountain stages that are sure to provide a great spectacle.”
With information from the press of LA VUELTA 26