Belgian Grand Prix 2026 – My Spa-Francorchamps Experience

Summary

The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps has always been on my Formula 1 bucket list, and after finally experiencing it, I can honestly say it was an unforgettable weekend. The circuit itself is incredible, the atmosphere is electric, and seeing Formula 1 cars tackle Eau Rouge and Raidillon in person is something every fan should experience at least once.

That said, Spa is definitely one of the more challenging Grand Prixs to attend. The circuit is tucked away in the Ardennes Forest, meaning transport can be expensive, travel times are long, and planning ahead is essential. Whilst I had an amazing time, there are definitely a few things I’d do differently if I returned.

Here’s how my weekend unfolded.

Travelling to Luxembourg

Before booking my trip, I spent a lot of time researching transport options. Spa provides official shuttle buses from surrounding cities because the circuit is located deep in the forest with very limited public transport. After comparing journey times, I decided to stay in Luxembourg and book the official shuttle, hoping to keep the early starts to a minimum.

The return shuttle for all three days cost €75 (£64.13 / $85.39).

This trip I flew with Ryanair from London Stansted. Ryanair kindly changed both of my flights to earlier departures, meaning an even earlier alarm than planned! I didn’t bother paying to reserve seats, so I was pleasantly surprised to end up with a window seat and no one sitting next to me.

The flight only lasted around an hour, so as soon as we reached cruising altitude we were already beginning our descent.

The longest part of the journey was passport control in Luxembourg. As a UK traveller, the non-EU passport queues were painfully slow. By the time I reached baggage reclaim, my suitcase was already waiting on the stationary conveyor belt.

As I was travelling solo, I’d pre-booked an airport shuttle to the hotel. It cost £43 (€50.29 / $57.31) each way for what turned out to be just a 12-minute journey! It certainly wasn’t cheap, but after an early start it was worth paying for the convenience.

DoubleTree by Hilton Luxembourg

I stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Luxembourg.

Official check-in wasn’t until 3pm, but after Ryanair changed my flight I emailed the hotel to ask if an early check-in might be possible. I arrived at around 10:30am and the receptionist immediately contacted housekeeping. Within 30 minutes my room was ready, and they even welcomed me with their famous warm chocolate cookie.

With the rest of the day free, I made the most of the hotel’s facilities, spending time in both the gym and the swimming pool.

By mid-afternoon I realised I hadn’t eaten anything since my airport coffee, so I treated myself to a burger and Coca-Cola in the hotel restaurant. It was delicious and cost €36 (£30.78 / $41.03).

After such an early start and a full day of travelling, I could barely keep my eyes open. It didn’t take long before I was fast asleep.

Friday – Practice Day

Race weekend started with a 5:30am alarm.

The official shuttle departed from a nearby car park, around a 10-minute drive from the hotel—or a one-hour walk through a forest. Walking through the woods at 6am definitely wasn’t on my agenda!

After some searching I found a local taxi app called LetzRide, which quoted between €12–18 (£12–15.39 / $13.68–20.52) each way instead of the €30+ charged by regular taxis. Better still, I could pre-book my morning journeys.

Once I reached the shuttle car park, we waited around 30 minutes before boarding. Although scheduled to leave at 7am, we didn’t actually depart until 7:30am.

Once at Spa, it only took around 10 minutes to walk from the coach park to the circuit entrance. My Silver 1 grandstand was another short walk away, although there were plenty of steep hills to tackle.

Friday was spent enjoying Free Practice 1, support races and soaking up the atmosphere before meeting a friend for a catch-up and a well-earned beer.

After the day’s action finished, our coach departed at 7pm. Two hours later, followed by another short taxi ride, I was finally back at the hotel.

Saturday – Qualifying

Saturday started exactly the same, although the hotel kindly prepared a breakfast bag so I could eat during the journey to the circuit.

Unfortunately, our journey didn’t go quite to plan.

A road closure forced our coach driver to find an alternative route, but after getting lost we didn’t arrive at the circuit until more than three hours later.

Thankfully I still made it in time for Free Practice 3.

Later in the day I met up with three friends who were also attending the Grand Prix. We grabbed food, enjoyed a couple of beers and spent the afternoon together before watching qualifying.

Leaving the circuit afterwards was incredibly busy. I spent around 20 minutes standing in crowds waiting for the queues to move before finally reaching the shuttle buses.

By the time I climbed back into bed, nearly three hours had passed since leaving the circuit.

Sunday – Race Day

Race day is always bittersweet. You’ve been looking forward to it for months, yet you know it’ll all be over in a matter of hours.

Once inside the circuit I met up with my friends in Silver 1 before grabbing breakfast.

Food prices at Spa certainly aren’t cheap!

A pot of carbonara cost €15.80 (£13.52 / $18.41), while just four chocolate-covered strawberries on a stick cost €14 (£11.97 / $16.31). Safe to say you’ll need a healthy food budget for the weekend!

Before the drivers’ parade we explored more of the circuit, including the general admission areas. They were absolutely packed, which made me even more grateful that I’d upgraded to grandstand tickets.

I then got incredibly lucky.

The person sitting next to my friends Dean and Jade never turned up, meaning I was able to watch the race alongside them.

The atmosphere before lights out was unbelievable.

Although I enjoyed the drivers’ parade, I personally don’t think it matched the atmosphere at Silverstone.

After an incredible race, Kimi Antonelli crossed the line to take victory.

Once the celebrations finished, we queued to walk onto the circuit itself. Standing on one of the most iconic tracks in motorsport was surreal, especially after watching races there on television for so many years.

After taking countless photos, we wandered through the fan zone where a DJ had everyone dancing before slowly making our way past the Formula 1 garages.

Sadly, all good weekends eventually come to an end.

At 6:45pm it was time to say goodbye to everyone and make the long journey back to Luxembourg.

Back at the hotel I packed my suitcase before squeezing in one final gym session whilst watching the World Cup Final on television.

Journey Home

My return flight was another early one.

After checking in, security was incredibly quick and Luxembourg Airport turned out to have one of the smallest duty-free areas I’ve ever seen.

Passport control wasn’t open immediately, so I waited around 30–45 minutes before the gates opened. Once my passport, facial scan and fingerprints had all been checked, I headed into departures for a croissant and latte.

Not long afterwards we were boarding.

This time I still had a window seat, although it was considerably less spacious with two rather large gentlemen sitting beside me!

Back at Stansted, passport control was quick and, incredibly, my suitcase was one of the first bags onto the carousel.

My dad had driven my car to collect me, so after grabbing one final coffee I met him outside before heading home.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I had an incredible weekend and Spa absolutely lived up to its reputation as one of Formula 1’s greatest circuits.

The racing, scenery and atmosphere were all fantastic, and my Silver 1 grandstand offered brilliant views of the track. I’d happily recommend those seats to anyone considering visiting Spa.

That said, if I return, I’d choose accommodation much closer to the circuit—or even camp onsite. Spending between two and three hours travelling each way meant my days revolved around the shuttle timetable rather than exploring the circuit at my own pace.

Despite the long journeys, the memories made were completely worth it.

Would I go back? Absolutely.

I’d just do it a little differently next time.

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