Austria.

Austria (June 2026).

Me and Anita, five days and three very different stops: Vienna, the Grüner See and the Austrian Grand Prix.

Vienna.

Schnitzel bigger than the plate, rooftop bars along the canal and cocktails as the sun went down. A good city to wander, eat and not rush.

Where we stayed.

A small cabin called Schlupfwinkel, in the valley at Tragöß. Mountains out of the window and not much else around. That was the point.

The Grüner See.

The Green Lake. Clear, cold water fed by snowmelt, sitting under a wall of limestone. The colour doesn't look real, even when you're standing next to it.

The Red Bull Ring.

Spielberg is about the prettiest setting in F1. Grass banks, a mountain backdrop and a giant steel bull at the entrance. We sat up on the hill and watched the flypast and the racing with the whole valley in view.

Food.

Strudel, vanilla sauce and a cold Gösser to finish. Austria does the basics very well.

Good city, better lake, best backdrop in F1.

Getting there.

We flew British Airways from Heathrow to Vienna, about two and a quarter hours, and hired a car at the airport. That made the rest easy: the Grüner See is about two hours' drive from Vienna, and the Red Bull Ring is close by.

Other options: Austrian also flies from Heathrow, easyJet and Jet2 from Gatwick, Ryanair from Stansted and Wizz Air from Luton, with routes from Manchester and Edinburgh too. From Vienna airport, the S7 or a Railjet gets you into town for about €5.50 in under 20 minutes, or the CAT express for €14.90. Without a car, take the train to Bruck an der Mur and the 175 bus to Tragöß-Oberort, but it doesn't run often. On race weekend there are trains to Knittelfeld and Zeltweg with shuttles to the circuit.

Where to stay.

One night at the Radisson RED on the Danube Canal in Leopoldstadt, then four nights in the Schlupfwinkel cabin in the Tragöß valley, through Airbnb.

Vienna. Budget: The Cloud One Staatsoper, around £150 a night. Mid-range: 25hours Hotel beim MuseumsQuartier, with its rooftop bar, around £235. Fancy: Hotel Sacher, from around £800.

The lake. Budget: Haus Bergblick, walking distance to the water, around £75. Mid-range: Angererhof-Tragöß, around £90. There's nothing fancy in the valley itself. For a treat near the circuit, try TAUROA Steirerschlössl in Zeltweg.

Worth booking.

Dinner at Praterwirt on Praterstraße, a short walk from the hotel. For the race we had three-day general admission, which gets you the grass banks.

With more time: Café Central, the Prater wheel, lunch at Gasthof Seehof by the lake, and the hour-long walk around the Grüner See. May and June are best, when the water is highest.