Grand Prix Holiday

ladymarmalade222

Hi

My OH is a big Grand Prix fan and has always wanted to travel and watch it live.

I don't know the first thing about it unfortunately but would like to book a short trip away possibly for next year as a surprise and he can go to one of the races.

His dad was a big fan and he always spoke about taking his dad but unfortunately he passed away last year so did not get the chance.


I would be grateful if anybody could give me some advice on what to look for if they have experience, maybe companies that specialise or whether it is best to book it all seperately. He is an amazing man who supports my son and I with lots of health issues so I would just like to give something back.

I would be very grateful and he would be ecstatic!

Many Thanks

xx

Edit: I have put this in UK rather than Overseas, could a mod move it if possible...sorry x

newgirly

Hi, I am not an expert sorry! However whilst looking online last week for the price of the british grand prix I found the official f1 ticket site, it lists the dates /places/prices etc, if you click on a grand prix it will show prices and nearest hotels/ onsite campsites with prices etc. I did look at prices for BGP weekend away packages and it did work out dearer than booking the same hotel/tickets seperately, it really depends on where you go, my brother went to the belgium one last year as the travel/campsite and ticket was cheaper for the weekend than ticket only at silverstone.
All depends on your budget, but I would also do some research on the best races to watch as some tracks are better than others, best of luck.

Kirri

It's easy enough to book it yourself depending on which ones you choose, obviously in places with less hotels, more are taken up by teams etc so it's harder to get something yourself. You will do it far cheaper than going with a specialist company though.

Good and easy ones to book yourself are Barcelona and Budapest, public transport to/from the track is easy enough there as well and Barcelona is fairly cheap all in, great viewing and great place to visit as well - there is also the 'beach' if you don't want to go to the track each day and great tourist things to visit. Monaco is pretty much tied up hotel wise if you want to stay in Monaco but you could stay further out in Nice, Menton etc and there is really easy train travel into Monaco. I've been to most of the older tracks but not a lot of the new ones - did you have a particular race in mind?

I would avoid Silverstone though, it's awful compared to seeing F1 abroad imo!!

Also bear in mind the viewing is not necessarily better in the more expensive seats, some tracks you can view on slower parts at the back of the circuits which are cheaper anyway.

rs65

Have a look at formula1.com - half way down the left side is a 'Race Tickets' button. You can price up flight, hotel, tickets etc there.

I've never used them so can't recommend them but was looking myself this morning at the Spanish GP in May.

It'll give you an idea anyway.

Rachel*

I'm no expert having only been to the British Grand Prix myself, but I would recommend booking seperately (i.e tickets, hotel, flights if needed). It worked out cheaper for me and it's usually a lot cheaper than booking directly though the Formula 1 website.

I got tickets through Silverstone's official website, and then stayed at a cheapish Travelodge in Milton Keynes and travelled from there over the weekend. It did mean a few early starts but it saved a lot of money than if I had stayed closer to Silverstone (as they charge a fortune, and get booked up quick).

There is also a company called Select Motor Racing, who advertise in the F1 Racing magazine quite a lot. They offer coach packages to numerous grand prixs (which includes travel to/from the destination, hotels/b&b's, and tickets), they also do coach transfers to/from the circuit for some races I believe, which would be helpful if you were unfamilar with the country you were in. I haven't personally travelled with this company but know people who have, and they've given them a good review. I've also spoke to the owner on the phone when I was enquiring before and he seemed polite and friendly.

Good luck! It really is an amazing experience

mgamble

I live near silverstone and do b&b if anyone interested pm me and people say they love coming to the english grand prix.

ladymarmalade222

Ok, this has given me a lot to think about and your advice has been brill.

I have decided to do it abroad and am quite keen on Abu Dhabi in Nov this year. We have visited the track at Monaco before on a cruise so may give there a miss.

Has anyone done Abu Dhabi and have any advice? I may price it all up seperately, the flights are quite reasonable and hotels not too bad either. There is a method in my madness - it will be sunny in Abu Dhabi and I can get to a beach too!

I have looked at the tickets and then the hospitality packages where you get food and drinks - has anybody got any experience of these - are they worth it? I will save like mad if I can get something he would be over the moon with.

Many Thanks again

xxx

johnnyreggae

You need to be sure about Abu Dhabi prices as I'm sure I heard they really jack up the hotel prices for the GP weekend - many folk now stay in one of the neighbouring states - also hospitality at any GP is incredibly expensive usually - around a couple of grand per person

But there are beaches nearby !

Looking at Grandstand Motorsports website 3/4 nights is about £ 1500 upwards for flights & hotel plus tickets etc @ £ 300 and up so you're looking at upwards of two grand per person without hospitality

EKAndrew

my friends go to Belgium every year(from Scotland) and they love it

they stay in a campsite as its cheap but has a "party" atmosphere - BBQ's, people sitting up drinking / chatting and most of all having a good time. They drive from Scotland to Belgium and its still a helluva lot cheaper than going to Silverstone!

It really does depend on what finances you have and what you want to spend

HJFrancis

EKAndrew wrote: »

my friends go to Belgium every year(from Scotland) and they love it

they stay in a campsite as its cheap but has a "party" atmosphere - BBQ's, people sitting up drinking / chatting and most of all having a good time. They drive from Scotland to Belgium and its still a helluva lot cheaper than going to Silverstone!

It really does depend on what finances you have and what you want to spend

If your husband's a really keen Forumla 1 fan then he'll love Belgium too. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is one of the most iconic on the grand prix circuit, and Belgium should be lovely at the end of August/start of September so you should hopefully catch some good weather too.

Itismehonest

Many of the best races aren't in places where the most luxurious hotels exist. As EKAndrew said, Spa ranks right up there for serious F1 devotees but it isn't in a trendy holiday area.
Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi (along with some other newer tracks like Singapore) is less about the racing but offers more holiday-wise.

Which hospitality package are you thinking of?
As you'll have seen, there are quite a few & it depends who they are booked/offered through. It can also depend on whether you are attending every day or just for qualifying &/or race day.
Paddock Club usually costs around £3,500-£4,000 per person in Abu Dhabi, I think.