Spa-Francorchamps first timer

[kobefly]

Hello everyone!
I am from Argentina and next May I will be travelling through Europe. I will take the opportunity to attend the FIA WEC race at Spa-Francorchamps and since it is my first time there I have no idea where is better to stay for at least a couple of nights to go to the circuit on Friday (Qualy) and Saturday (Race).
Another question I have is if there is any way to get to the circuit if you do not have a car. Is there any kind of public transportation or shuttle that could take me there those days?
I will appreciate if those with the experience will help me with your thoughts on this.
Thank you very much!

[JD Media]

Hello,

That will be a very nice experience to go to Europe! Which other tracks are you gonna visit when you are around here? And from when till when are you staying in Europe? At least you have a good weekend planned at Spa with FIA WEC & some great support races (TCR International, FR3.5 & Porsche Cups). For sure you have to walk around the track, it's a long and heavy walk, but amazing!

If you would go to Spa it is best to have a rental car, public transport isn't the best overthere.. but there is a bus stopping (no not the chicane..) at "FRANCORCHAMPS Route de Fagnou", this is the closest stop to the track. It is a small 5 minute walk from here to Eau Rouge. But i don't know where the bus is coming from or at which times it will be there..

[kobefly]

Originally Posted by JD Media

Hello,

That will be a very nice experience to go to Europe! Which other tracks are you gonna visit when you are around here? And from when till when are you staying in Europe? At least you have a good weekend planned at Spa with FIA WEC & some great support races (TCR International, FR3.5 & Porsche Cups). For sure you have to walk around the track, it's a long and heavy walk, but amazing!

If you would go to Spa it is best to have a rental car, public transport isn't the best overthere.. but there is a bus stopping (no not the chicane..) at "FRANCORCHAMPS Route de Fagnou", this is the closest stop to the track. It is a small 5 minute walk from here to Eau Rouge. But i don't know where the bus is coming from or at which times it will be there..

Hello! And thanks for all the info.
I am arriving to Amsterdam on April 30th and leaving from Barcelona at May 27th.
I will probably stay the first 4 days in Amsterdam and then go to Spa for the race weekend (Thursday 4th-Friday 5th-Saturday 6th) since I do not think I will have the time to know more about Belgium with that amout of time.
Then I am planning to go to the Monaco ePrix the next weekend (Satuday 13th), and for that they told me to stay in Nice where you can take a train to go to Monaco.
Finally, I am not sure if I am attending Paris e-Prix the following weekend (Saturday 20th).
My countryman Pechito Lopez is doing WEC & FormulaE this year and I finally will get to see him and some good racing in Europe which has been my dream forever, specially in tracks like Spa and Monaco.

Regarding Spa accomodation I have been told of a few places nearby the circuit. Since I am going to be alone I am not sure how good would be to rent a car just to go to the circuit for 3 days.
The other thing I have to find out is how to go from Amsterdam to Spa, but that I will do after I secure a hotel for those days.

[bella]

firstly, you've picked some great events to go to

it's very very difficult indeed to get to spa and around the local area without a car. i would second jd media's suggestion of hiring a car. i can recommend avis/budget or europcar, both are straightforward with their charges and don't try and charge you for fuel or anything unless you don't return the car full. hertz are also good, but i'd suggest to stay away from firefly and goldcar because they have lots of additional charges that can easily catch you out. a lot of the main railway stations have car hire facilities, so you may not need to go to an airport to collect your car. there aren't any road tolls to pay in belgium, so you'll only need to pay for the petrol. brussels airport to spa is quite a straightforward drive, it'll take you maybe 90mins.

your recommendation to stay in nice for the monaco eprix is completely correct - the train takes around half an hour from nice-ville station and it's a stunning journey. be careful to check any potential accomodation on google streetview before you book though - some areas of nice aren't particularly pleasant for a solo traveller. depending on when the race is happening, cannes and antibes are options, or menton in the other direction towards the italian border. cannes is about an hour away, and there's two trains an hour. the only thing to be aware of with the trains is that they stop quite early in the evening, at about 10pm or something similar, so always check before you make plans!

amsterdam to spa... you can get a train from amsterdam to brussels central and then a train to the airport where you can hire a car, or there is a couple of stations reasonably close to spa but no less than a 30€ taxi ride away, i'd say. taxis outside the city in europe are painfully expensive, even when you negotiate on the rate when you book.

if you fly to nice, there is a train station (nice st. augustin) is about a 10-15 minute walk away from terminal 1, or from terminal 2 get the shuttle bus over to t1 and walk from there. a taxi in france is REALLY expensive (they quoted me €30 from nice railway station to the airport once, it's a 30 minute walk...), so try and avoid relying on those! there's also buses from the airport into the centre, so there's plenty of options. otherwise the main station is right in the centre of town

[kobefly]

Thanks bella for your suggestions!

Regarding Spa Francorchamps, since I will be coming from Amsterdan I will probably take a train to Brussels and pick a car there, then drive to the circuit from there (150km). Renting the car + staying at the Malmedy Youth Hostel which is 10km away from the circuit is still much cheaper than staying at the only hotel that still has rooms available nearby the circuit. Even adding parking and fuel expenses I do not think I will get to that amount of money plus I'll have the chance to move around the place freely without losing time.

Thanks for helping me decide it is a better option to rent a car.

It was great that you mention some of the companies for car rental. I think I will go with enterprise, I have a very good contract with National (USA) per my job and it is supposed to be a good company too.

Having solved that my following question is... I see there is only a general admission being sell right now for the 6 hours of Spa, would that ticket allow me to go around the circuit? I know it will be a lot of walking but I am not travelling 13000kms not to see Eau Rouge and the rest of the best circuit in the world.

[Hedley Verity]

The general admission ticket will get you into all areas of the circuit and the paddock, sounds like you're fixed up for accommodation, but another option would be Camping Eau Rouge which has chalets / static caravans.

[bella]

Originally Posted by kobefly

Thanks bella for your suggestions!

Regarding Spa Francorchamps, since I will be coming from Amsterdan I will probably take a train to Brussels and pick a car there, then drive to the circuit from there (150km). Renting the car + staying at the Malmedy Youth Hostel which is 10km away from the circuit is still much cheaper than staying at the only hotel that still has rooms available nearby the circuit. Even adding parking and fuel expenses I do not think I will get to that amount of money plus I'll have the chance to move around the place freely without losing time.

Thanks for helping me decide it is a better option to rent a car.

It was great that you mention some of the companies for car rental. I think I will go with enterprise, I have a very good contract with National (USA) per my job and it is supposed to be a good company too.

Having solved that my following question is... I see there is only a general admission being sell right now for the 6 hours of Spa, would that ticket allow me to go around the circuit? I know it will be a lot of walking but I am not travelling 13000kms not to see Eau Rouge and the rest of the best circuit in the world.

the only thing that can be a big problem at spa is parking - there's several privately owned places in francorchamps that charge per day which is an easy solution. make sure you take waterproof comfortable walking shoes, because it's a huge circuit, and the walk back to francorchamps, uphill, at the end of the day can be a real morale killer people joke about the weather there, but it's completely true!

double check the cover of insurance that's included with your car hire - bookings made in the eu legally have to include the basic level of insurance, but i vaguely remember some american rates can exclude it completely, and you might find yourself having to pay more at the counter when you arrive.

don't forget to keep an eye out in the sportscar and le mans forums here for tenths members making the trip - there's usually a small meet-up and i'm sure someone will be happy to show you around

if you're catching a train down to nice/monaco from paris/brussels, try and travel during the day and make sure you sit on the right hand side of the train for a sea view if you choose to fly, 75% of the time the best side of the plane for landing at nice is the "a" side - takeoff is better on the "f" side for a great view of the alps!

[kobefly]

Originally Posted by bella

if you're catching a train down to nice/monaco from paris/brussels, try and travel during the day and make sure you sit on the right hand side of the train for a sea view if you choose to fly, 75% of the time the best side of the plane for landing at nice is the "a" side - takeoff is better on the "f" side for a great view of the alps!

I will probably leave Spa on Sunday morning (race is on Saturday) and planning to get to Nice by next Friday (race is on Saturday too). So basically I have 4/5 days in between those days and I am studying different options.
- Stuttgart + Munnich
- Nuermberg + Munnich
- A couple of Swiss cities
- Notheast of France
Still haven't decide. If I end up in Munnich I will probably need to fly to Nice from there.

Regarding car insurance it states this:
SLP SUPPLEMENTARY LIABILITY PROTECTION: Third party liability insurance is mandatory in compliance with Belgian law and always included in the price of the rental. It provides unlimited coverage for any damages or injuries caused to a third party other than the driver, the rental vehicle and its contents with with an excess of 175 EUR (in case of vehicles in car groups Economy, Compact, Intermediate, Full-size, Standard, Premium and Luxury).

[bella]

that hire car insurance is right

if you're considering switzerland, you could also look at a few days in the mountains instead of one of the cities? there's quite a few mountain resorts that have railway stations and accomodation within walking distance. for example the lauterbrunnen valley is spectacular, especially if you can find somewhere to stay in wengen and the mannlichen cable car is open for walking. you should still be able to get the train to kleine scheidegg though. switzerland has some pretty spectacular mainline train routes

nuremberg is a really nice town, it's very "german", and the historical stuff is very interesting. the way they repurposed what is a pretty sinister part of local history and used it for motorsport is fascinating in itself, especially in person. berlin is really good too, it's a very lively city and schonefeld airport is very easily accessible on the train from the centre plus has flights to nice. you've got loads of great options there, germany is pretty easy to get around on the trains, and if you can book in advance (a week is normally enough) on inflexible tickets it's pretty good value. i've only ever been to the airports in munich and stuttgart so can't offer words of encouragement there!

you'll be heading into the nice/monaco area at the right time - the film festival starts a few days after you leave and that's when accomodation and flights get really expensive! it's also a very pleasant temperature too

[kobefly]

I cannot be happier

[morninggents]

Paris is always worth a visit (best capital in Europe, IMO) and easy train or plane access to Nice.
I agree with Bella about the approach by air to Nice.

[kobefly]

Originally Posted by morninggents

Paris is always worth a visit (best capital in Europe, IMO) and easy train or plane access to Nice.
I agree with Bella about the approach by air to Nice.

I know I should go to Paris but maybe I leave that for another trip. If I go, I would go for May 20th when the ePrix happens. But I will probably leave from Nice to Barcelona (have 2 weeks to do that) and go through the Côte d'Azur and spend more or less the last week at Barcelona. Those will be shorter distance, less travelling and more time to visit places.

Good advice about Nice airport, I will have it in mind! I will probably flight from Munich to Nice 1 day before the ePrix.

[Racing Harz]

Barcelona is fantastic - do that!

[Coach Ep]

Isn't the Pau GP around May 20th or something like that? It's in the South-West corner of France, relatively close to Barcelona and easy to fly into Toulouse + rental car to Pau (2-3 hours if I remember correctly).

You won't regret the visit and from Pau you could visit Biarritz on the Atlantic coast (in the far South-West corner of France, right next to the Spanish border).

One more 'travel' tip: since you're going to Spa and are nuts about car racing, go to the Nordschleiffe! It's only a couple of hours east from Spa and I cannot imagine there not being an event the weekend after the WEC race in Belgium. It would definitely beat those electro cars...

[Racing Harz]

Originally Posted by Coach Ep

One more 'travel' tip: since you're going to Spa and are nuts about car racing, go to the Nordschleiffe! It's only a couple of hours east from Spa and I cannot imagine there not being an event the weekend after the WEC race in Belgium. It would definitely beat those electro cars...

http://www.nuerburgring.de/events-ti...ht-events.html

[kobefly]

Thanks for all the advice!

My itinerary is almost ready now and I might have some specific racing related questions about certain cities in the future. I will definitely come back for your help with that.

I will have plenty of car racing related days I think:
- 3 days at Spa (FIA WEC)
- Monaco ePrix
- Paris ePrix
- Side trip to Stuttgart (from Munnich) to visit Mercedes Benz and Porsche museum
- Visit BMW museum at Munnich

I am also going to other cities with no racing related activities which are Amsterdan and Barcelona. May is going to be a great month!

[GT6]

We will be attending the spa round as usual and now tend to stay here
http://www.domainelongpre.be/k/en/n7...rtment---4-6D1

It is at stavelot~(a few kms from circuit) but i think there are buses from there to francochamps, however a large chunk of the people staying there will be there for the race so you might be able to get a lift, have no idea our transport arrangements yet so could not offer any guarantees, taxi's could be an option.

[kobefly]

Originally Posted by GT6

We will be attending the spa round as usual and now tend to stay here
http://www.domainelongpre.be/k/en/n7...rtment---4-6D1

It is at stavelot~(a few kms from circuit) but i think there are buses from there to francochamps, however a large chunk of the people staying there will be there for the race so you might be able to get a lift, have no idea our transport arrangements yet so could not offer any guarantees, taxi's could be an option.

I have already rented a car to from from Brussels to Spa that I will keep for the race days. That allowed me to book a room at "Auberge de Jeunesse de Malmedy" which is pretty cheap 10kms from the circuit. Thanks anyway for your help!

[GT6]

You will love Spa, one tip when walking around the track, do it with the traffic as the walk the other way is bloody hard work, hills very steep in places, also detour off at the far end and visit the go cart track, the cafe there is much cheaper and better than the on circuit food/drinks

[kobefly]

Originally Posted by GT6

You will love Spa, one tip when walking around the track, do it with the traffic as the walk the other way is bloody hard work, hills very steep in places, also detour off at the far end and visit the go cart track, the cafe there is much cheaper and better than the on circuit food/drinks

Good tip! Thanks!

[Coach Ep]

Originally Posted by kobefly

I have already rented a car to from from Brussels to Spa that I will keep for the race days. That allowed me to book a room at "Auberge de Jeunesse de Malmedy" which is pretty cheap 10kms from the circuit. Thanks anyway for your help!

Make sure you drive the old track as well! Shouldn't be an issue on the Sunday after the WEC race as there's no track activity that day.

[JD Media]

I would think about going to Pau aswell like Coach Ep said, should be a very good event on the streets, you can see the French-Argentine Sacha Fenestraz going for the win during the Formula Renault Eurocup

[kobefly]

Originally Posted by JD Media

I would think about going to Pau aswell like Coach Ep said, should be a very good event on the streets, you can see the French-Argentine Sacha Fenestraz going for the win during the Formula Renault Eurocup

I think I will be already watching his brother in law (Pechito López) racing the Paris ePrix on that weekend. When is that race happening?

[GT6]

Originally Posted by kobefly

I think I will be already watching his brother in law (Pechito López) racing the Paris ePrix on that weekend. When is that race happening?

By the way keep an eye on the spa thread in the main sportscar area as there may be a meet up either on the friday or the saturday of ten tenths people

[bella]

Originally Posted by kobefly

I think I will be already watching his brother in law (Pechito López) racing the Paris ePrix on that weekend. When is that race happening?

it's the 19th-21st may, so yeah, unfortunately it clashes with paris. to be honest, i think you've got the better option of the two - unless they've modernised it a bit, pau can be a bit of a pain with parking and accomodation. paris will be a lot easier