Scott Goldstein

I've done it many times and I'll sum it up: Get a Bike. Seriously, its a mess to do it without a bike and a terrific experience with a bike. All you need do is arrive enough before the stage (depends on the local Gendarmarie, but 2.5 to 3 hours to be on the safe side) to ride to where you want to see the race (final climb is best...earlier climbs you are most likely to see the break go by followed by a peloton of 50 or so followed by one or more autobuses of 50-100.

Without a bike...perhaps others can suggest a way to do it that would allow you to see the race from a decent spot, but generally if you are driving, you will need to camp and if you are walking, you aren't likely to walking far enough up that HC climb to be in a good spot....