Out of all of the races to attend on the F1 calendar, the Belgian Grand Prix has always been at the top of the list for us. With it’s rich history and beautiful scenery, you can see why it has become a fan and driver favorite over the years. A few weeks ago, my husband and I were fortunate enough to attend this amazing race, and I wanted to write about it here!

Accommodations:

We decided to stay at Hotel Hubert which is located in Brussels. Overall it was clean and quiet, and we had a decently spacious room with a king bed (which is pretty hard to come by in Europe). It was perfectly located in between two of the major Brussels train stations, and was very close to Grand Place and many good restaurants and shops!

Getting to the Race:

Figuring out how to get to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps can be a bit tricky, so I wanted to lay it out for those of you who may be interested in attending! To get to the circuit from Brussels, you’ll first have to take a train from Brussels-Midi to Verviers-Central which is about 1.5 hours total. From the Verviers-Central station, you’ll then take the TEC shuttle bus to the circuit. We purchased our roundtrip train tickets online ahead of time through Omio and paid about €60 per person. We also purchased our roundtrip TEC shuttle bus tickets online ahead of time through this website, however you can purchase them in person at the train station as well. The shuttle bus then dropped us off near the village of Francorchamps, and it was about a 30 minute walk from the drop off point to the front gates of the circuit.
There are also several other travel options for this race, including staying in a hotel near the circuit, driving a car and parking at the circuit, or taking a city shuttle directly from a nearby city, just to name a few. The FAQ page on the website mentioned above offers quite a bit of detail on the various options, which we found very helpful!

How to Buy Tickets:

We waited until only a few days before the race to purchase tickets, and we ended up getting our GA tickets through StubHub for a pretty good price! We specifically chose GA tickets, because we were interested in wandering around to various parts of the circuit. The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is laid out in a great way for GA viewers, and you can see several different areas of the circuit, including the Kemmel Straight, Blanchemont, and the fan zone at the entrance to the circuit, where you’ll find loads of food vendors, a store, a Ferris wheel, and one of the best views of the track!

Food & Drink:

Being in Belgium, you absolutely have to try a Belgian waffle. We made it our mission to try waffles at Obe, Le Roi de la Gaufre and even one at the race. They were all absolutely delicious! I would recommend trying at least one with Belgian chocolate, and one plain. They are so good, they really don’t need any toppings at all!
We went to Wolf Sharing Food Market for dinner one night and enjoyed a few different bites! You can choose from 15 different cuisines around the food hall, and grab cocktails at the bar in the center. It was a great place to grab an easy dinner after a long day at the race!
For breakfast, we went to Crème, and each got a delectable avocado toast. It’s a bit pricey, but the portions are huge, so we could have easily split one plate between the two of us!

Things to Do & See:

Grand Place, which was quite close to our hotel, is a beautiful square in the center of Brussels, encircled by beautiful historic buildings, cafes, shops, and sometimes artists showcasing their work. It’s a perfect place to stroll around, do some people watching and snap some photos!
The Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert is a small but beautiful shopping center (also near our hotel) with boutiques, restaurants and sweets shops where we spent some time wandering (and buying Belgian chocolate)!
Every trip to Brussels has to include a quick pit stop at the famous Manneken Pis fountain! Legend claims that the small statue “depicts a young boy who saved Brussels from disaster. The enemy was at the gates ready to bring down the city walls with gunpowder. Fortunately, a little boy who happened to be around desperately needed to relieve himself and in doing so he extinguished the fuse.” The statue is frequently dressed in different costumes, and is a fun and quick thing to see while you’re strolling through the city.

Travel & Race Day Tips:

Because of the amount of walking you will be doing at the Belgian Grand Prix, be sure to wear comfortable shoes! The weather can also be quite unpredictable, ranging from very sunny to downpours of rain, so it’s wise to also bring along a hat, sunscreen, an umbrella, a rain poncho and some sort of electrolytes (we love bringing along a couple of LMNT packs for long days like this).
We thought it would be fun to wander to different areas of the track throughout the race, however if you’d rather stay in one area, I would recommend getting there early to get a spot, and bringing a blanket or small foldable chairs, and some snacks for the day!

Here are some pictures from our time in Belgium!