The Canadian Grand Prix is one of the most loved races on the calendar. Drivers rate it. Fans return to it. And the racing it produces is the kind people remember for years.
Here’s why Montréal belongs on your F1 bucket list, and how to plan a trip if you decide to go.
What to expect in this guide
• Why the Canadian Grand Prix should be on your F1 bucket list • Where is the circuit? • Travelling to Montreal: What you need to know • How many days should you spend at the Canadian Grand Prix? • Canadian Grand Prix weekend schedule at a glance • Best places to stay for the Canadian Grand Prix • Best Grandstands for key moments at the Canadian Grand Prix • Where to go next after your trip to the Canadian Grand Prix • Best booking resources for F1 trips • Frequently asked questions • Money-saving tips
Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
Why the Canadian Grand Prix should be on your F1 bucket list
If you’re building out your F1 travel wishlist, don’t overlook Montreal. The Canadian Grand Prix mixes fast racing, a fun city, and passionate fans in a way that sticks with you. Whether you’re in the grandstands or strolling through the Old Port, this is a race weekend that stays in the memory.
Montreal isn’t just another stop on the calendar. The teams and drivers love it as much as the fans do, and during race week, downtown buzzes with crowds rain or shine.
The track itself is unusual. Circuit Gilles Villeneuve sits on Notre Dame Island in Parc Jean-Drapeau, with the city skyline behind it. It’s a semi-street circuit, which means part of the layout runs on public roads that are closed for the weekend. There are long straights, sharp chicanes, and tight hairpins. Drivers balance high speeds with heavy braking, and every lap stays under pressure.
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
The walls run close all the way around the lap. The most famous of them is the Wall of Champions, on the exit of the final chicane. The name comes from 1999. That year, three world champions, Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, and Jacques Villeneuve, all crashed at the same spot on the same day. Drivers still talk about it.
The walls are close and the margin for error is tiny
Max Verstappen likes the old-school kerbs and the regular chances to pass. Carlos Sainz points to Turns 4 and 5, plus 6 and 7, where accuracy matters most. Speed, risk, and tight corners keep the pressure on from start to finish.
Three-time winner Fernando Alonso calls it “a fantastic event.” Lewis Hamilton thrives here. Lando Norris looks forward to the challenge. Local driver Lance Stroll draws energy from the home crowd.
Big moments tend to happen in Montreal. It’s where Lewis Hamilton took his first F1 win, and where Red Bull recorded their 100th victory. Jenson Button’s 2011 win for McLaren is still one of the most memorable F1 drives. The race ran past four hours in the rain. Button made six pit stops, ran last at one point, and won on the final lap.
Jenson Button won a four-hour Canadian Grand Prix in 2011
The Canadian Grand Prix pairs fast racing with a city that’s just as good. It’s one of the great weekends on the F1 calendar.
Where’s the circuit?
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve sits on Notre Dame Island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River, directly next to downtown Montréal. From most hotels, you can be at the gates by Metro in under fifteen minutes. There aren’t many Grand Prix where the circuit and the city sit this close together.
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Île Notre-Dame in the Saint Lawrence River
Travelling to Montréal: What you need to know
Most international flights into Montréal land at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL), about 20 km west of downtown.
Direct flights operate from London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and a number of other European cities. If you can’t fly direct, the easiest connection is through another European hub or through Toronto. A US connection adds a US visa or ESTA to the trip even if you’re only transiting, so a Canadian or European routing is usually simpler.
From Australia and New Zealand, common options include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Vancouver, or Toronto. A Canadian routing keeps you clear of US immigration.
From the airport to downtown takes 20 to 30 minutes by road. Most international visitors don’t need a visa to enter Canada, but you may need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), Canada’s online entry approval for visa-exempt travellers. If you’re routing through the US, you’ll separately need an ESTA, which is the US version of the same thing.
How many days should you spend at the Canadian Grand Prix?
Plan for three full days, Friday to Sunday, to see every Formula 1 session and the support races.
Canadian Grand Prix weekend schedule at a glance
A typical Formula 1 weekend runs Friday to Sunday. Friday is practice. Saturday is final practice and qualifying. Sunday is the Grand Prix.
Each year, a handful of Grand Prix follow a sprint format. On a sprint weekend, Friday includes practice and sprint qualifying. Saturday includes the sprint race and Grand Prix qualifying. Sunday is still the Grand Prix. Sprint weekends rotate around the calendar each season, so check the current year’s schedule.
Lance Stroll on the drivers parade
Best places to stay for the Canadian Grand Prix
Most fans stay in downtown Montréal. You’re close to bars and restaurants, and you’re within a short walk of a Metro station that connects you to the circuit. Hotels fill up quickly for race weekend, and rooms are priced at a premium over the rest of the year.
Old Town has a number of boutique hotels and a strong evening atmosphere, though it’s also where many fans head for bars and restaurants in the evenings.
If you stay close to Berri-UQAM station, you can walk straight to it and skip the first leg of the Metro journey to the circuit.
Best grandstands for key moments at the Canadian Grand Prix
There is no bad grandstand at the Canadian Grand Prix. The layout produces racing all the way around the lap.The Main Grandstand and Grandstands 11 and 12 are around Turn 1 and the start-finish straight, and are the most expensive at the circuit.
Grandstands 11 & 12,
Grandstands 31 and 32 are on the back straight, where the cars change direction quickly through the chicane. The hairpin grandstands (15, 24, 34, and 46) are among the lower-priced options, reliably produce overtaking, and the closest of them are nearest to the Metro station.
Montreal and Québec Montreal’s Old Town has cobbled streets, pavement cafés, and some notable architecture, including the Notre-Dame Basilica with its gothic-style interior. Place d’Armes is the city’s main historical square. Olympic Park is home to the Biodome, and the Montreal Tower Observatory, the world’s tallest inclined tower, is accessible by cable car. The city has a wide range of restaurants and shopping, from Victorian boutiques to larger malls.
Québec City lies beside the St Lawrence River and has a well-preserved old town, Vieux-Québec, with strong European influences. It is a short drive from Montreal.
The Laurentian Mountains are also within reach. The landscape has freshwater lakes and small villages throughout. Lac des Sables in St Agathe is a popular spot for a cruise, and the village of Saint Sauveur is nearby.
The Rocky Mountaineer The Rocky Mountaineer is a luxury train journey through the Canadian Rockies. It pairs well with a trip to the Canadian Grand Prix.
The GoldLeaf Service is the premium option. The bi-level, glass-domed coach puts you in the middle of the mountain scenery throughout the journey.
One of the most popular routes is the Journey through the Clouds Explorer, which runs from Vancouver to Calgary. It passes through Fraser Valley, the Cascade Mountains, and Jasper National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. Along the way it stops at the mountain towns of Jasper, Lake Louise, and Banff.
Canadian Rockies
Montreal, Toronto and Niagara Falls
Begin in Montreal with the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. From there, travel to Toronto. Take the short ferry ride across to Toronto Island, a 600-acre island in Lake Ontario worth visiting.
Finish in Niagara Falls. Stay at the Sheraton on the Falls, which is as close to the falls as accommodation gets. Walk behind the falls, or take the Maid of the Mist boat into the spray. Nearby, visit the historic town of Niagara on the Lake and the wineries of the surrounding region.
Best booking resources for F1 trips
Planning the trip is the fun part for some and a chore for others.
If you would rather not handle all the details yourself, we can do that for you.
Prefer to do it all yourself? You’re welcome to take everything you’ve learned here and book your own trip. These are good places to start. They’re reliable, easy to use, and usually the best value.
Tickets Grand Prix Tickets is the agency I’ve trusted for years. They’ve always been reliable, easy to deal with, and quick to help if something comes up.
Hotels ZenHotels is one of my go-to sites for hotel bookings. It pulls prices from many smaller sites you might not know about, which makes it good for finding deals. I also check Expedia and Booking.com when I want more options.
Excursions Viator is full of walking tours, attraction tickets, and local experiences. It’s especially handy if you’re heading to a new Grand Prix city. It’s a good place to find extras to add to your trip.
FAQ's
On Notre Dame Island in the Saint Lawrence River, directly next to downtown Montréal. It’s connected to the city by two bridges and the Metro.
The Metro is the most popular option. From downtown, take the Metro to Berri-UQAM, then change onto the yellow line for the short ride to Jean-Drapeau station.
Three full days, Friday to Sunday, covers every Formula 1 session and the support races.
Downtown Montréal. It’s central, walkable, and on the Metro line to the circuit.
There’s no bad grandstand at the Canadian Grand Prix. Choose what suits your budget and the part of the lap you most want to watch.
Downtown is busy from Thursday onwards, with the Old Port and surrounding areas seeing a steady flow of fans through the bars and restaurants.
Money-saving tips
Book early Race weekend hotels and lower-priced grandstands tend to sell out first. Booking ahead keeps your options open.
Stay just outside downtown Plateau Mont-Royal often has lower rates while still keeping you close to the Metro and the city centre.
Use the unlimited weekend Metro pass A weekend pass covers all your trips to and from the circuit, plus any travel around the city.
Avoid US connections A US transit visa or ESTA adds to the cost of your trip. Direct flights or Canadian routings avoid this.
Rob is an experienced independent travel consultant and travel content creator.
His love for Formula One started in the 1990s, watching the greats like Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, and Mika Hakkinen. He traveled to his first Grand Prix in 1999. It was the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. Since then, Rob has traveled to over 2/3 of Grand Prix’ on the current Formula One calendar.
Fast forward to today, and Rob has turned his passion into a career, dedicating his time to helping others plan their dream Formula One trips.
His favourite Grand Prix destinations are Austria and Austin, and when he’s not attending a Formula One Grand Prix, you’ll find him closer to home, walking or cycling in the Peak District National Park.
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