Belgian Grand Prix ⋅ Getting to Spa Francorchamps
Plan
Your
Belgian
Grand Prix
DESTINATIONS
Clearly, organisers of the first Belgian Grand Prix in 1925 didn’t have international F1 tourists in mind when they decided to hold it in this quaint corner of the Belgian countryside. Nestled in the Ardennes region of Belgium over a hundred kilometres from Brussel’s main airport, the circuit is not the most accessible. But things are steadily improving and it’s always worth the extra effort it takes to get to Spa.
International Travel: Arrival in Belgium for the Belgian Grand Prix
Flights
Though there is a small airfield near the track this doesn’t cater for commercial flights. Your best option is to look for flights for Brussels (BRU) or Brussels Charleroi (CRL). The latter is especially popular with low-cost carriers but if you plan to stay in Brussels it’s close to an hour’s drive away. Other options in the region include Luxembourg (LUX), Cologne (CGN) and Maastricht (MST).
If you can get a return flight for late Sunday night you might be okay. But bear in mind traffic is excruciatingly slow after the race so flying home the next day tends to be the smarter choice.
Kiwi.com lets you search for the lowest cost flights and shows you route combinations that often don’t show up on other search engines. If you miss a connecting flight due to delay the Kiwi guarantee means you can take the next available flight at no extra cost.
Train
Europe’s train network is efficient and well-connected so wherever you are on the continent a train is an option.
Travelling city centre to city centre, train travel can cut out a lot of transfer time and save you from the dreaded airport security checks. This all means a more quick, convenient and sustainable way to travel from surrounding countries. From further away destinations a plane is often cheaper and quicker than an overnight sleeper train.
In most cases, you can book international train tickets online from 60 to 90 days before the dates you wish to travel.
You can search train schedules across multiple operators simultaneously to and from just about any station in Europe using Omio (formerly GoEuro) and purchase tickets for the same cost as buying direct from the train lines.
Travelling to Spa from the UK? For a detailed guide on travelling by train from the UK to the Belgian Grand Prix (with or without your car), see below.
Local Travel: Getting to the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa
Now that you’ve got as far as Belgium, you have several options. If you have a car you can drive to the track or as far as Stavelot and cycle the rest of the way. To get to Spa without a car you can make use of public transport or hop on a City Shuttle bus.
Tip: Traffic around Spa is notoriously bad, especially after the race. If your itinerary is flexible enough, it’s a smart move to hang around at the circuit or in Francorchamps village until the gridlock eases.
Getting to Spa-Francorchamps by Car, Motorbike and Bicycle
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps lies on the edge of the village of Francorchamps. It’s along the E42 highway about 110km southeast of Brussels, between the towns of Spa and Stavelot.
The exact route you take will depend on where you are seated. Whichever your route you need to approach the Spa-Francorchamps region on either the E25 or E42 highways and take the appropriate exit (see below). From there continue to the designated car park at the track.
If you’re using GPS, key in the relevant highway exit. Beyond that point the directions may differ due to local traffic diversions, so look out for signs for your car park instead.
There’s no shortage of car hire companies at the airport but you’ll get better deals reserving one in advance using a search aggregator like RentalCars.com that searches multiple car hire companies at once for the best prices.
| yellow | Entrance: La Source For: All Gold Grandstands and Silver Grandstands 1 & 2 Route: E42 - Battice to Trier Exit: 10 (Francorchamps) |
| green | Entrance: Les Combes For: Silver Grandstand 4, Bronze (general admission), 121-128 -130 Route: E42 - Battice to Bitburg Exit: 11 For: Young Village, parking areas 123-124 Route: E25 - Liege to Luxembourg Exit: 48 (Werbomont) |
| red | Entrance: Blanchimont For: Bronze (general admission) Route: E25 - Liege to Luxembourg Exit: 48 (Werbomont) |
| blue | For: disabled parking, Paddock Club, parking areas 1-2-3-14-15 Route: E42 - Battice to Trier Exit: 10bis |
Parking at Spa-Francorchamps
Official Car Parks
There are temporary parking areas in fields at 4 points around the circuit, named yellow, green, red and blue. These are within walking distance to the gates though a shuttle bus services the yellow car parks. Tickets are available here.
Further away in Malmedy, there is an asphalt car park. This is also served by a shuttle bus which drops fans off at the Les Combes entrance. This is close to the Silver 3, Silver 4, Speed Corner Grandstands and Bronze (general admission). Tickets for the Malmedy car park are available here.
Parking tickets are sent via email. You’ll need to print this and display it in your car so the barcode can be scanned when passing the checkpoints. Car parks open at 6:00 am.
Unofficial Parking
Local Francorchamps residents sometimes let out their driveways for the weekend and you may find parking spaces within walking distance from the La Source entrance. Unless you’re arriving early on Thursday, it’s better to book official parking in advance.
Motorbike Parking
There are asphalt parking lots for motorbikes at the circuit which include facilities for helmet storage. Both are near the paddock end of the circuit with the blue parking being the closest to the circuit’s Ster entrance. Tickets should be booked in advance and are available to purchase here.
Park and Bike
Cycling to the circuit is a great way to avoid the worst of the traffic congestion and now that there’s a park and bike option it’s never been easier. Park your car at the car park in Stavelot (Avenue André Grégoire) and then cover the remaining 6km by peddle power. At the track, there’s a dedicated bike park near the Blanchimont entrance. Book park and bike tickets here.
Getting to the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps by Public Transport and the City Shuttle Bus
By Train and local bus (via Verviers)
To get to the Belgian Grand Prix by rail, take the train to Verviers-Central station, about 30km from the circuit. There are direct trains from Liege and Brussels.
Buses leave from just outside the train station. These are the regular TEC buses (routes 395 and 294) which run more frequently during race weekend. The first bus to the circuit is at 7.40 am and the last bus returning to Verviers is at 6.40 pm.
The journey from Verviers to the circuit gates takes about 45 minutes and tickets costing €10 can be bought from the driver.
By Train (via Spa)
The spa-Genonstrere train station is actually closer to the circuit (13km). However, travelling via Spa involves more transfers and there isn’t a bus service from here to the track. Unless you’ve arranged your own transport, taking the train to Verviers and continuing by bus is the best way to go.
To get to the railway station of Spa you’ll board the same train as the one to Verviers but will need to change trains at Pepinster. Many IC trains won’t stop at Pepinster so if you’re coming from Brussels you may need to get off at Liege and transfer to a regional train.
It will take 25 minutes for the train to reach Pepinster where you can transfer to the train to Spa-Genonstrere, also about 25 minutes. From here you can continue to your accommodation or the circuit.
Buying Train Tickets in Belgium
- For travel within Belgium, view schedule information and buy tickets in advance with Omio.
- You can also buy tickets from machines at any station but there may be a long wait on race day! Buy your return tickets in advance to avoid the queue on the way back
- Tickets are for the journey only, not a seat reservation. Sit – or more likely stand – anywhere.
- Tickets are issued for the date of travel only. You are free to take whichever train at whichever time you like.
- Online ticket sales usually open one month in advance.
City Shuttle
From Friday to Sunday there are direct shuttle buses to Spa-Francorchamps. They leave from cities in Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The City Shuttle is scheduled to arrive at the circuit at 9 am and depart at 6.30 pm.
Services from the cities listed below range from about €45-75 and tickets (return only) can be booked in advance.
- Aix-La-Chapelle
- Antwerp
- Anvers
- Brussels Nord
- Brussels Midi
- Cologne
- Charleroi
- Dusseldorf
- Eindhoven
- Lille
- Liege
- Luxembourg
- Maastricht
- Mons
- Namur
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Travelling by train from Britain to the Belgian Grand Prix (with or without your car)
Given the short distance to Spa, many UK based fans travel to Spa not by air but by train, and for city centre to city centre direct routes and no lengthy check in or airport security to endure it’s easy to see why.
Getting to Spa Francorchamps by Eurostar from London’s St. Pancras Station
The Belgian Grand Prix is stupidly easy to get to from Britain. In fact for car-less Londoners it’s almost an easier commute than getting to the British Grand Prix and many British F1 fans make the trip through the channel tunnel each year to lap up some high octane excitement and waffles on the continent.
One of the best and most popular ways of getting to Spa-Francorchamps from the UK is to hop on the Eurostar, departing from St. Pancras and whisking you away to the heart of the low countries in no time at all. The high speed Eurostar gets to Brussels in about 2 hours.
Buying Eurostar Tickets – Where, When, How?
There are 9 services between London and Brussels during the week and 14 on weekends. You can go to the Eurostar website to view schedule information and buy tickets.
Tickets are usually available 120 days prior to the weekend of the Grand Prix and I recommend making your booking as early as possible. As tickets sell and supply decreases, the price will shoot up. 2nd class ticket prices start from £41 one-way or £72 return.
When buying tickets you can select ‘any station’. This will allow you to travel onward to Verviers or Spa (see above) for just an extra £10 return, meaning a saving of about £16.
You can use your onward travel powers anytime within 24 hours of arriving in Brussels so if you want to break up the journey and over-night there to see some of the city, you’ll have time to do just that. Like wise, on your return you have 24 hours from arriving in Brussels to departing back to London.
- If you’re starting your journey from outside London you can book your travel to include travel to London from 130 UK towns and cities.
- Search schedules and buy tickets with Omio.
- Eurostar tickets can be printed at home, collected at the station or displayed as an e-ticket.
- On the day of travel you need to check in 30 minutes before departure.
- From Brussels, it’s a short connection to take you the rest of the way in under 2 hours.
- The Eurostar arrives in Brussels Midi/Zuid station. From here your ticket covers you to travel to any Brussels station. Trains to Verviers and Spa leave from Brussels Central.
Driving from the UK – taking your car through the Channel Tunnel
Taking the Eurotunnel is ideal if you wish to take your own car from the UK to Spa and have the freedom to explore in the fabulous Ardennes region, not to mention driving on part of the original Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Services run up to 4 times an hour taking you and up to 8 others from Folkstone in Kent to Calais in about 35 minutes. It will cost from under £50 return which is actually great value for families and groups.
The cheapest fares are for short trips of under 3 days which is ideal if you’re just nipping over for the race. If you have a 3 day ticket to the grand prix however the price shoots up to over £110.
Once across the Chunnel it’s just about 3 and a half hours drive to the F1 circuit in Spa.
- For more information and to book tickets, go to the Eurotunnel homepage.
- Extra charges apply to large cars, roof-boxes, bike-racks and caravans.
- Book at least 1 month before the grand prix.
- Check in starts 2 hours 30 minutes before departure.
- On the day of travel, bring the credit card used to make the booking, and your passport.
About Me
I’m Danny, an incurable Formula 1 fan for over 30 years and founder of The F1 Spectator. My aim is to inform and inspire, arming you with helpful tips and advice for your next F1 trip.
