Spa-Francorchamps is located in the Ardennes region of Belgium, known for its dense forests and hilly terrain, and getting to the racetrack is not a simple task. For that reason, many visitors decide to stay on one of many campings surrounding Spa Franchorchamps circuit. But if you’re reading the “How to get to Spa Francorchamps” article, it probably means you won’t be staying there, right? So let’s get to the guide.
The closest town of Spa, 10 kilometres from the circuit, is recognized for its historic thermal baths, but it’s rather a small town which does not offer too much of accommodation possibilities. The larger city of Liège is about 55 kilometres away, approximately a 45-minute drive, offering a range of cultural and recreational activities.
Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is situated 150 kilometres to the west, which translates to roughly a two-hour drive. Maastricht in the Netherlands lies about 100 kilometres to the north, taking around 90 minutes to reach by car. These cities provide various amenities and accommodations for visitors to the region.
The Ardennes forest, surrounding the Spa-Francorchamps area, is characterized by its dense woodland and varied topography. The region’s hilly terrain, with numerous valleys and elevations, adds to the natural appeal of the area, and makes the Spa Francorchamps a track with one of the highest altitudes on the calendar. This combination of forest and hills offers a picturesque landscape, but at the same time makes the commute to the racetrack much more difficult than other tracks on the calendar.
How to Get To Spa By Car
No matter whether your starting point is Spa or Liege, your best route is through the N62 road. If your starting point is Liège, head south via N30 and in Beaufays switch to the N62. It’s a rather big road, which you cannot miss. Also, Belgium has the biggest road density in all Europe, so even if you miss your turn, you’ll be able to correct yourself almost instantly. There is a big parking lot next to the Hotel De La Source, so if you put that into your navigation, you’ll reach it with no sweat.
Another parking is a bit further down the N62 road, next to “BtoBTourisme”. If you have your seats next to Eau Rouge, Radillion or Kemmel straight, this parking lot will be better for you, as you won’t have to walk around the track. Just keep in mind, that after the events on track, your way back will be a bit longer. Just bear in mind, most of the commuters are coming from the north, so you need to add some time to your estimations, because the traffic jams can be rather long.
How To Get To Spa by Train
Let’s start with the bad news – it’s not the best idea, and the commute may be difficult and require a couple of changes. But if you do not have a car, and you want an affordable way of reaching the circuit, this may be your best shot.
Should you be arriving by train, the closest you can get to is Verviers. Verviers is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, so it’s well commuted with Liège, but the trains are not too frequent, as it’s still considerably small town. Upon arrival in Verviers, shuttle buses 294 and 395 will be taking you to the circuit from the Central train station. The buses operate on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (but not on Thursday). If you’re wondering whether that’s the best way to get to Spa by train, sadly it is. It’s not ideal, but provides some kind of opportunity, however the next mean of public transport should be more appealing. Contrary to tracks like Hungaroring, the commute to Spa by train is a difficult one, and rather unpopular choice for the fans.
How To Get To Spa By Bus
Knowing, that getting to Spa by train is far from ideal, the authorities put a lot of effort into preparing options for reaching Spa Francorchamps by bus. There are numerous buses connecting close cities with the race track. According to Spa’s website, during the race weekend from Friday to Sunday, you can use the City Shuttle Service to the Belgian Grand Prix. The cities which provide a shuttle bus to the race track are: Aachen, Amsterdam, Anver, Brussels, Charleroi, Düsseldorf, Eindhoven, Gand, Liege, Lille, Luxembourg, Maastricht, Mons, and Namur.
Although the selection is quite wide, the price is rather high for this type of shuttle bus. Depending on the distance from the racetrack, a return ticket varies from 40 up to 80 euro. Multiply it by 3, for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and you’re looking at the price of your F1 ticket just for the commutes. But if you don’t know how to get to spa without a car, it’s your best shot.
Another challenge of this commute is the distance to some of these cities. Mons is over 180 kilometres from Spa, and the furthest point is Lille, being over 240 from Spa. So if you want to reach Spa from across the whole Belgium, you’ll have to wake up really early, and either continue your sleep on the bus, or invest heavily into a strong coffee to keep you awake throughout the whole day.
