There were 21 stages in the race, covering a total distance of , shorter than the 2016 Tour. There were two time trial events, both of which were individual, a total of . Of the remaining nineteen stages, eight were officially classified as flat, six as medium mountain and five as high mountain. The longest mass-start stage was stage nineteen, at , and the shortest was stage thirteen, at . For the first time since the 1992 edition, the route included all five of mainland France's mountainous regions; the Vosges, the Jura, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central and the Alps. There were summit finishes on stage twelve to Peyragudes and stage eighteen to the Col d'Izoard. Additionally, the hilly stage three had a hilltop finish in Longwy, and stage five ended at La Planche des Belles Filles. The highest point of the race was the -high Col du Galibier mountain pass on stage seventeen. It was among seven hors catégorie (English: out of category) rated climbs in the race. There were ten new start or finish locations. The rest days were after stage nine, in the Dordogne, and fifteen, in Le Puy-en-Velay.