F1 Spa Francochamps 2020
Discussion
We enjoyed the Grand Prix at Spa in 2019 and thought it might be helpful to share some tips on here for those of you considering a visit to our closest continental F1 venue.
We drove there, via Eurotunnel. It an easy drive on very good road, the discipline of Belgian and German drivers is very good, and the roads are efficient and you can make good progress.
We stayed in the town of Spa, which is a nice small resort town, it's well worth a visit and a short stay. The first thing to mention though is that Spa is a resort town and the motor racing circuit is at Spa-Francochamps which is a tiny village about five miles distant, you can get the bus from Spa to the motor racing circuit, except on Sunday, which isn't helpful.
Car parking at and around the circuit involves some heavy duty queuing to get into the car-parks, even on Friday the queues are bonkers and tail back on to the motorway. Roads around the circuit on F1 weekend are congested and traffic flows altered; best avoided in the car.
If you're camping there's plenty in the way of small campsites very local to the circuit and the same with ad-hoc small local parking setups. It's probably possible to track one of these down and book to stay there, as long as you're in good time.
If you're looking to book some more comfortable accommodation and have a relatively stress free trip to the circuit then my advice is to choose from the wide range of accommodation available in the town of Verviers.
Verviers in on the main rail and road routes and is easy to get to. They run a bendy bus service from Verviers Railway station to Spa Francochamps on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, out in the morning and back in the afternoon. It's easy to catch. You buy the tickets from an office just outside of the railway stations main entrance and they do a weekend ticket for about a tenner, very good value. These buses have the advantage of travelling on small roads that are closed to public traffic, in relative terms they're quick.
As for the motor racing circuit itself; it's very hilly and you'll often find, walking around, that it's rough, steep and stony underfoot.
The food and drink prices are, inevitably, eye-wateringly expensive for dreadful fare, take drinks and a picnic. They have security on the gates but no problems with simple picnic lunches.
We sat in the Eau-Rouge grandstand. Every time a car goes by some pillock in front of you will stand up and wave his arms, so blocking your view. Try your best to get tickets as near the front of the stand rather than higher up. Tickets in row A are best.
The big screens are good but all commentary is in about four different languages so it can be tricky following what's going on elsewhere on the track. If you subscribe for a month to one of the F1 live feed sites it's very useful to have what is effectively TV coverage on your phone.
There are some decent high banks that offer a good view for those on the general admission tickets, but you have to stake your claim early in the day.
Spa-Francochamps is in the Eiffel Mountains, it can be wet [often] and cold, so take warm and waterproof clothing.
We drove there, via Eurotunnel. It an easy drive on very good road, the discipline of Belgian and German drivers is very good, and the roads are efficient and you can make good progress.
We stayed in the town of Spa, which is a nice small resort town, it's well worth a visit and a short stay. The first thing to mention though is that Spa is a resort town and the motor racing circuit is at Spa-Francochamps which is a tiny village about five miles distant, you can get the bus from Spa to the motor racing circuit, except on Sunday, which isn't helpful.
Car parking at and around the circuit involves some heavy duty queuing to get into the car-parks, even on Friday the queues are bonkers and tail back on to the motorway. Roads around the circuit on F1 weekend are congested and traffic flows altered; best avoided in the car.
If you're camping there's plenty in the way of small campsites very local to the circuit and the same with ad-hoc small local parking setups. It's probably possible to track one of these down and book to stay there, as long as you're in good time.
If you're looking to book some more comfortable accommodation and have a relatively stress free trip to the circuit then my advice is to choose from the wide range of accommodation available in the town of Verviers.
Verviers in on the main rail and road routes and is easy to get to. They run a bendy bus service from Verviers Railway station to Spa Francochamps on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, out in the morning and back in the afternoon. It's easy to catch. You buy the tickets from an office just outside of the railway stations main entrance and they do a weekend ticket for about a tenner, very good value. These buses have the advantage of travelling on small roads that are closed to public traffic, in relative terms they're quick.
As for the motor racing circuit itself; it's very hilly and you'll often find, walking around, that it's rough, steep and stony underfoot.
The food and drink prices are, inevitably, eye-wateringly expensive for dreadful fare, take drinks and a picnic. They have security on the gates but no problems with simple picnic lunches.
We sat in the Eau-Rouge grandstand. Every time a car goes by some pillock in front of you will stand up and wave his arms, so blocking your view. Try your best to get tickets as near the front of the stand rather than higher up. Tickets in row A are best.
The big screens are good but all commentary is in about four different languages so it can be tricky following what's going on elsewhere on the track. If you subscribe for a month to one of the F1 live feed sites it's very useful to have what is effectively TV coverage on your phone.
There are some decent high banks that offer a good view for those on the general admission tickets, but you have to stake your claim early in the day.
Spa-Francochamps is in the Eiffel Mountains, it can be wet [often] and cold, so take warm and waterproof clothing.
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