There’s something about seeing a Formula 1 race in person that television just can’t capture. You hear the cars long before they appear. You start to notice strategy unfolding in real time. And almost without trying, you end up exploring a part of the world you might never have considered visiting.
One of the things I like most about Formula 1 is that no two Grands Prix feel the same. Some are about the circuit itself, tracks the sport has raced on for decades. Others are closer to a city break with a race attached. Some work well alongside a beach holiday, while others become the centrepiece of a much longer trip.
What to expect in this guide
• City breaks: Madrid, Budapest, Montréal, Baku, Mexico City • Returning races: Portimão and Istanbul Park • Classic circuits: Belgium, Hungary, Britain, Italy, Austria, Austin • Racing after dark: Singapore and Abu Dhabi • Monaco: Worth seeing once • Bigger trips: Japan, Canada, Las Vegas • Adding a beach: Where to go afterwards • Two races, one trip: Which pairings work • How to choose: Narrowing it down • Best booking resources for F1 trips • Money-saving tips • Frequently asked questions
Estimated Reading Time: 5-6 minutes
If you want a city break
Some Grands Prix make it easy to combine racing with exploring a city.
Madrid and Budapest are both good examples. You can spend your mornings wandering through the city, then head to the circuit without losing hours travelling back and forth.
Montréal, Baku and Mexico City are each completely different.
Montréal has one of the best atmospheres of the season. Race week spills out into the city, with fans filling restaurants, bars and public spaces throughout the weekend.
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Baku feels different again. The circuit runs alongside ancient city walls before opening onto some of the fastest sections on the calendar. It’s one of those races where unusual things seem to happen almost every year.
Brushing the walls through medieval backstreets of Baku
The returning races
The Algarve International Circuit, often simply called Portimão, is set among the hills of southern Portugal, a short drive inland from the coastal towns of Portimão and Lagos.
The elevation is what makes the place memorable. The track rises and falls steeply throughout, with blind crests and corners.
The coast is the other advantage. Portimão and Lagos are both beach towns in their own right, which makes this one of the easier races to combine with a holiday.
Turkey also returns with Istanbul Park. The circuit sits on Istanbul’s Asian side and is best known for Turn 8, one of Formula 1’s great corners. It’s a long left-hander taken at high speed, and one of the most physically demanding corners on the calendar.
If you’ve never visited Istanbul, the race gives you a good excuse. Few cities blend history and modern life quite as naturally.
Classic Formula 1 circuits
If you’re more interested in Formula 1 history than destination travel, several races immediately stand out.
Belgium, Hungary, Britain, Italy and Austria all deliver that traditional Grand Prix feeling.
Austria’s Red Bull Ring is particularly unusual. For most of the year it’s surrounded by quiet countryside in the Styrian Alps. Then race weekend arrives and the whole valley transforms. Alongside the racing you’ll often find air displays, skydivers, concerts and a festival atmosphere.
The Red Bull Ring in Austria
The Hungaroring regularly produces unpredictable races thanks to its tight layout, summer heat and occasional thunderstorms. Budapest only adds to the experience. It’s an easy city to enjoy before and after the race, whether you’re walking along the Danube or sitting down for a bowl of goulash.
Monza is the one I’d single out. If Formula 1 has a spiritual home, this is probably it. Ferrari’s fans, known as the tifosi, fill the grandstands in red, and the atmosphere they create is hard to find anywhere else. Every lap feels connected to the sport’s history.
Silverstone deserves similar recognition. High-speed corners, huge crowds and an atmosphere that lasts all weekend make it one of the easiest races to recommend, especially if it’s your first Grand Prix.
Fans invade the circuit at the end of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone
The Circuit of the Americas in Austin is much newer, but it already feels established. Parts of the layout borrow ideas from several famous circuits, and many drivers rank it among their favourites. Austin itself embraces race weekend completely, with barbecue, live music and plenty of Texas personality. It’s become normal to see drivers wearing Stetsons on the podium or appearing in western-inspired outfits throughout the weekend.
Turn 1 in Austin is one of F1’s most iconic corners
Racing after dark
If spectacle is your priority, I’d start with Singapore and Abu Dhabi.
Singapore is worth seeing at least once. The cars run through lit streets with the city skyline behind them, and no other race on the calendar looks like it. It’s also one of the toughest races physically, which makes the performances more impressive to watch.
Abu Dhabi feels different. Being the final race of the season often gives it extra significance. Championship battles, emotional farewells and major team changes have all unfolded under the lights at Yas Marina. Off the circuit, concerts and evening entertainment help turn the entire weekend into a celebration.
Marina Bay Street Circuit against the bright lights of the city
Monaco
Then there’s Monaco.
No matter how many times you’ve watched it on television, seeing those streets in person changes your perspective.
The circuit is narrow, the elevation changes appear steeper than expected, and the margins for error are almost nonexistent. That’s part of what makes winning here so special.
Whether you’re watching from grandstands overlooking the harbour or from one of the city’s famous balconies, Monaco feels unlike anywhere else Formula 1 visits.
Circuit de Monaco is tight, twisting, and famously unforgiving
Turning one race into a bigger trip
The best Formula 1 trips are usually the ones where the race is only part of the plan.
Suzuka, for example, works well alongside time in Kyoto, Osaka or Nagoya.
Canada is the other obvious one. Some fans build a longer trip through Quebec and Ontario. Starting in Quebec City gives you time to explore the historic streets of Old Québec before taking the VIA Rail train into Montréal for the race.
Las Vegas can become the start of a road trip through the American Southwest, taking in places like the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon.
There’s another practical benefit too.
Travelling a few days earlier or staying a little longer can sometimes reduce flight costs compared with travelling immediately around race weekend. It’s worth comparing a few different dates before booking.
Zion National Park, Utah
If you’d like a beach afterwards
Some races naturally lend themselves to a beach holiday.
Mexico can be combined with the Riviera Maya.
Qatar and Abu Dhabi provide convenient connections to destinations such as the Maldives, Mauritius and the Seychelles.
Singapore also works well if you’re continuing on to Bali, Thailand or Malaysia.
Portugal deserves another mention here. Few Grands Prix place you so close to a coastline. Staying in Portimão or Lagos means the beach becomes part of the race weekend rather than something you have to plan separately.
Mexican Grand Prix Travel Packages
Watching two races on one trip
If you’re travelling a long way, seeing two races can work out good value.
Qatar and Abu Dhabi make an obvious pairing thanks to their proximity.
Austin and Mexico City are another combination that’s worked well for many fans.
Within Europe, it’s always worth checking whether two races fall on consecutive weekends. When they do, they can create some of the best Formula 1 travel itineraries of the season.
Ready to start planning?
You don’t need to choose the “perfect” Grand Prix.
The better question is which experience you’re looking for.
Do you want to explore a new city? Visit one of the sport’s historic circuits? Watch a night race? Spend a few days on the beach afterwards? Or build a much bigger journey around the event?
Once you know the answer to that, the right race usually becomes much clearer.
And if there’s one practical piece of advice I’d leave you with, it’s this: start planning earlier than you think you need to. The earlier you look at tickets, flights and accommodation, the more flexibility you’ll have, and the more likely you are to build a trip that feels the way you want it to.
That’s what makes a Formula 1 Grand Prix memorable. The race is the reason you travel, but it’s often everything around it that stays with you long after the chequered flag falls.
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.
Money-saving tips
Travel either side of the weekend. Flights are usually at their highest on the Thursday in and the Monday out. Arriving a couple of days early or staying on afterwards often costs less than travelling with everyone else, and you get more of the destination for it.
Book accommodation early, and take free cancellation where you can. Rooms near a circuit go quickly once the date is confirmed, and prices tend to move in one direction after that. Securing something refundable early gives you a fallback while you keep looking.
Look at staying further out. Rooms close to a circuit carry a premium during race week. A base a little further away, with a train or shuttle to the track, is often noticeably cheaper and can put you somewhere you’d rather spend your evenings anyway.
Consider general admission. It costs less than a grandstand seat and lets you move around the circuit to try different vantage points across the weekend. Worth checking what the viewing is like at that specific track before you decide.
If you’re going a long way, look at two races. Splitting one set of long-haul flights across two Grands Prix can work out better value than making the trip twice.
FAQ's
Earlier than you think. Tickets, flights and accommodation become more limited as race weekend approaches, and booking early gives you more choice and often better prices.
Yes, and it can be excellent value if you're travelling a long way. Qatar and Abu Dhabi are the most obvious pairing, while Austin and Mexico City also work well in many seasons. Within Europe, it's always worth checking whether two Grands Prix are scheduled on consecutive weekends, as the calendar changes from year to year.
Choose a race where the destination is just as appealing as the event itself. Madrid, Budapest and Montréal all offer plenty to see and do away from the circuit, making them great options for mixed-interest trips.
Portugal is the standout choice if you want the beach to be part of your race weekend, with Portimão and nearby Lagos both close to the circuit. If you're planning to extend your trip after the Grand Prix, destinations such as Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Singapore also combine well with a beach break elsewhere in the region.
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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