The 100th staging of the Tour de France will start on the island of Corsica on Saturday, 29 June and the three-week race will take place entirely within the country's borders for the first time since the centenary race in 2003.
The race is made up of 21 stages, comprising two individual time trials, one team time trial, seven flat, five hilly and six mountainous stages, with four summit finishes.
Corsica hosts the Grand Depart - the first time the race has visited the Mediterranean island - while the Alpe d'Huez mountain will be climbed twice on stage 18.
Chris Froome is aiming to become the second Briton, after Sir Bradley Wiggins, to win the race, but faces stiff competition for the yellow jersey from Alberto Contador, Cadel Evans and Alejandro Valverde.
British road race champion Mark Cavendish is chasing the green jersey, awarded to the rider who accumulates most points during the race.
Here, BBC Sport profiles each stage, the riders to look out for and how the points are worked out.
Saturday, 29 June - stage 1: Porto-Vecchio - Bastia, 213km
Winner: Marcel Kittel - report (Kittel in yellow)
Sunday, 30 June - stage 2: Bastia - Ajaccio, 156km
Winner: Jan Bakelants - report (Bakelants in yellow)
Monday, 1 July - stage 3: Ajaccio - Calvi, 145.5km
When BBC Sport columnist Geraint Thomas talked of "carnage in Corsica", stages two and three were the ones he was discussing. The Tour de France website boasts that there is not a single metre of flat on the final stage on Corsica. The lumpy route features four categorised climbs spread throughout a stage that is likely to suit a rider who likes to get involved in breakaways. But who will make it first over the final category two climb and the 13km ride to the finish?
Keep an eye on: Thomas Voeckler. On the 100th Tour, the French favourite is likely to chase the headlines at some point.
Tuesday, 2 July - stage 4: Nice, 25km team time trial
From a stage with not a metre of flat, to one that has barely a metre that isn't. The lack of elevation and lengthy straights suggests that this will be a quick stage with average speeds topping 50km/h and perhaps reaching the mid-50s. The clock stops when the fifth rider in the team crosses the line but don't expect any riders to gain or lose too many seconds.
Keep an eye on: Team Sky. The British-based team excel in team time trials and won the Giro d'Italia equivalent in May.
Wednesday, 3 July - stage 5: Cagnes-sur-Mer - Marseille, 228.5km
A rolling day in southern France which could give a breakaway group a chance, although the four categorised climbs are not particularly taxing and the sprinters' teams will be keeping tabs on those who do venture out of the peloton.
Keep an eye on: Jens Voigt. The German is a born attacker who has stated that this could be his last Tour. Who would put it past him to try to get in every break going? This could be a decent opportunity to go out with a stage win.
Thursday, 4 July - stage 6: Aix-en-Provence - Montpellier, 176.5km
A day that all the sprinters will have put a big X next to as one to go for.Mark Cavendish was victorious on the Tour's last visit to Montpellier in 2011 and he won a similar race to La Grand Motte in 2009. The Mistral wind can play havoc in the Camargue region of France, creating splits in the peloton, so riders will have to be watchful.
Keep an eye on: Andre Greipel. The German sprinter won three stages on last year's Tour de France and will be keen to add to his overall total of four.
Friday, 5 July - stage 7: Montpellier - Albi, 205.5km
Another one for the sprinters? A category two climb around 90km into the stage could shake up the peloton but with 40km to the finish from the top of the fourth and final climb of the day, there would appear to be ample time to chase down a breakaway. And with the mountains coming up, the sprinters will want another shot at glory.
Keep an eye on: Marcel Kittel. The 25-year-old German made his Tour debut in 2012 but had to abandon it through illness. He has won sprints in the Tour of Oman and Paris-Nice in 2013.
Saturday, 6 July - stage 8: Castres - Ax 3 Domaines, 195km
And so to the Pyrenees. Two big mountain climbs and a summit finish will shake up the general classification and bring those with a chance of winning the race to the fore. The stage starts off with 120km of relatively flat racing but once the intermediate sprint has been contested, the road rises, sharply. The Col de Pailheres is more than 15km long with an average gradient of 8% and at 2,001m reaches the highest point of the race. The 7.8km climb to the finish at Ax 3 Domaines features 10.5% gradients.
Keep an eye on: Richie Porte. The Australian may not win the stage but we will get a good indication of his form as he sets the tempo for Team Sky team-mate Chris Froome up to the finish.
Sunday, 7 July - stage 9: Saint-Girons - Bagneres-de-Bigorre, 168.5km
A classic day in the Pyrenees with four category one climbs and a stage that looks set for a large breakaway. But with a long 30km descent into the finish, will Team Sky control the peloton and stop any of the general classification riders from getting away? The first rest day follows, so riders can afford to stretch their legs.
Keep an eye on: Egoi Martínez. His Euskaltel-Euskadi team is made up of climbing specialists and this is the closest the race will go to the Basque country in Spain where they are based.
Tuesday, 9 July - stage 10: Saint-Gildas-des-Bois - Saint-Malo, 197km
Monday's rest day sees the race transfer from the south of France to the north-west and into Brittany for a stage that is likely to favour the sprinters. Just one small climb punctuates the route, although the wind, if it blows, may cause more problems with the final kilometres being played out along the coastal round round Saint-Malo.
Keep an eye on: Mark Cavendish. If he wants to win the green points jersey, the Manxman needs to be up there - because stage-win chances are running out.
Wednesday, 10 July - stage 11: Avranches - Mont-Saint-Michel, 33km individual time trial
The first of two 'races of truth' within the 2013 Tour and on paper it looks straightforward enough with no hills to trouble the riders. Germany's reigning world time trial champion Tony Martin, 29, will fancy his chances of taking the stage win. If it rains, the causeway linking Mont-Saint-Michel with the mainland could be treacherous. The main action will be among the general classification contenders - with the focus how much time they lose or gain on each other.
Keep an eye on: Chris Froome. Will this be the day Froome gets his hands on the race leader's yellow jersey? The Olympic time trial silver medallist will be looking to give himself a cushion over his main rivals before the race heads down towards the Alps - although the shortness of the stage will not allow him to build up too much of a lead over the climbing specialists.
Thursday, 11 July - stage 12: Fougeres - Tours, 218km
The first of three transition stages that will see the peloton head south east, through central France, to the Alps. Tours is renowned as a sprinters' paradise and after a pan-flat day, it's hard to look beyond Cavendish for the stage win. However, don't forget about his former lead-out man.
Keep an eye on: Matt Goss. The Australian is Orica GreenEdge's designated lead sprinter and would love to beat Cavendish, the man he used to help over the line.
Friday, 12 July - stage 13: Tours - Saint-Amand-Montrond, 173km
The final day for the sprinters before Paris as the race reaches the geographical centre of France. Expect the usual breakaway to go out early on, only to be brought back in the closing kilometres. Then it's a case of who has the strongest legs.
Keep an eye on: Peter Sagan. If Cavendish is dominating the green points jersey race, will the Slovakian chance his arm and attack on the small hill 10km from the finish?
Saturday, 13 July - stage 14: Saint-Pourcain-sur-Sioule - Lyon, 191km
Seven categorised climbs here - six of them packed into the second half of the stage - puts pay to the sprinters, while the general classification riders will probably be reserving energy for the Alpine mountains that follow. None of the climbs are too difficult, so will it be a day for Sagan or one of the one-day classic specialists?
Keep an eye on: Philippe Gilbert. The BMC Racing rider is the road race world champion and loves this rolling terrain. If his team leader Cadel Evans is flagging, he may be given the green light to get involved.
Sunday, 14 July - stage 15: Givors - Mont Ventoux, 242.5km
Bastille Day in France means only one thing on Le Tour: a French attack, although home winners are rare - the last was David Moncoutie, who won a breakaway on a hilly stage in 2005. This year, it's a gruelling stage, the longest of this year's race, and ends atop one of the most feared and respected climbs, Mont Ventoux. The Provence mountain was first tackled in 1951 and this will be the 15th ascent of the 21km climb which is hosting a stage finish for the ninth time. Expect those chasing the overall race win to be watching each other very closely.
Keep an eye on: Pierre Roland. The French rider is a Europcar team-mate of Thomas Voeckler and has won two mountainous Tour stages in the last two years. The 26-year-old was the best young rider in 2011.
Tuesday, 16 July - stage 16: Vaison-la-Romaine - Gap, 168km
Another potential chance for a breakaway to stay clear. Two climbs in the opening 50km will undoubtedly see a bunch go clear and don't be surprised to see Jens Voigt or Tommy Voeckler in there. The second half of the stage is virtually all uphill - and the ascent and descent of the category two Col du Manse in the final 20km is likely to prove critical. Anybody who has lost time but retains ambitions of winning the race, may be tempted to chase the win.
Keep an eye on: Thibot Pinot. The 22-year-old Frenchman made his race debut in 2012 and won a stage with a similar finish on his way to becoming the youngest rider to achieve a top-10 finish since 1947. He will lead the FDJ team this year.
Wednesday, 17 July - stage 17: Embrun - Chorges, 32km individual time trial
The main contenders for the overall race win are expected to feature prominently with two category two climbs beefing up the final time trial. Three big mountain stages may follow but there will be no thoughts of easing off. Chris Froome may fancy his chances of a stage win, although Alberto Contador has developed into an accomplished time trial rider.
Keep an eye on: Cadel Evans. On his day, the Australian is decent against the clock. Will his Giro d'Italia exploits be catching up with him? Or will he be close enough to the top of the overall standings to push for a podium place?
Thursday, 18 July - stage 18: Gap - Alpe-d'Huez, 172.5km
The day that many cycling fans are waiting for. For the first time in Tour history, the Alpe d'Huez will be tackled twice on the same day, in the final 50km, with the stage finishing at the summit. Will the general classification riders spend the first ascent eyeing each other up before attacking on the second climb? Will an opportunistic climber make a break? It promises to be an intriguing day.
Keep an eye on: Sammy Sanchez. If the Spanish climbing specialist has lost ground on the time trial, he may have to throw caution to the wind if he is chase a spot on the podium.
Friday, 19 July - stage 19: Bourg-d'Oisans - Le Grand-Bornand, 204.5km
There will be around 65km of climbing on a brutal day in the Alps, starting with the Col du Glandon and Col de la Madeleine in the opening 80km. A 50km downhill stretch leads into three more categorised climbs in the final 60km of the day with the 20km ascent and partial descent of Col de la Croix Fry rounding off the stage. Will the team with the yellow jersey be able to defend it?
Keep an eye on: Alejandro Valverde. Like Sanchez on stage 18, the Spaniard may have to attack to keep alive his hopes of winning the race.
Saturday, 20 July - stage 20: Annecy - Annecy-Semnoz, 125km
A short but potentially decisive penultimate stage that starts by the lake in Annecy, and features five climbs, before finishing at the top of the mountain that overlooks it. Race organisers hope that the yellow jersey will still be up for grabs and two-time winner Alberto Contador has hinted that he is prepared to gamble if necessary: "There are some short mountain stages where you can take a risk and make attacks from a long way out if things have got complicated in the overall standings," he said in his pre-race news conference.
Keep an eye on: Alberto Contador. The Spaniard may be forced into attacking on the 10.7km climb to the summit finish which averages 8.7%
Sunday, 21 July - stage 21: Versailles - Paris, 118km
The traditional procession into Paris will take place a little later than usual with race organisers delaying this stage in the hope of a sunset-finish on the Champs Elysees at around 2045 BST. If it is to be Jens Voigt's final Tour, as a mark of respect he may well be allowed to lead the peloton over the start-finish line on the first of 10 laps around the French capital. Let's just hope it's not raining.
Keep an eye on: Mark Cavendish. The Manx Missile has won the last four sprints on the Champs Elysees and is aiming to become the first rider to win the final stage on five occasions. Legendary Belgian Eddy Merckx is the only other man to win four times on the last day (1969, 1970, 1971, 1974).
There are four jerseys that the riders are competing for and the team classification.
General classification: yellow jersey - awarded to the overall leader of the race at the end of each stage - based on time
Points classification: green jersey - awarded to the man who has accumulated the most points
Mountains classification: polka dot jersey - awarded to the best climber in the race
Best young rider: white jersey - awarded to the best rider under the age of 25
Team classification: Yellow helmets - awarded to the team with the lowest aggregate time, taken from three best-placed riders
Points are awarded to the first 15 riders to finish each stages, except the team time trial, and in intermediate sprints:
Flat stages: 45, 35, 30, 26, 22, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 and 2.
Medium mountain stages: 30, 25, 22, 19, 17, 15, 13, 11, 9, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2.
High mountain stages: 20, 17, 15, 13, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
Individual time trials: 20, 17, 15, 13, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
Intermediate sprints: 20, 17, 15, 13, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
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