Book your Qatar race week.
Prepare for the whole journey.

Lusail gives you three evenings of Formula 1, with Doha’s museums, souqs and waterfronts for the days around them. A four-night stay from Thursday 26 to Monday 30 November puts the race first. Arriving on Monday 23 November gives you three more days for car collections, a desert outing or time by the water.

Keep Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the circuit. The 2026 weekend has Friday practice, Saturday practice and qualifying, then Sunday’s Grand Prix. Qatar’s 2027 Sprint belongs to a different trip. A late race finish also makes Monday the more practical flight home; allow for checkout, the airport journey and your airline’s check-in time.

Lusail Hill is the general-admission choice for elevated views towards Turn 1. Main Grandstand puts you opposite the garages with an assigned seat. North, T2, T3 and T16 offer different parts of the lap, with free seating inside the purchased public-grandstand zone. Use the circuit map to compare the actual view and approach; a ticket for one area does not give you every grandstand.

Buy all three days if you want the full F1 weekend. Family Friday is a shorter introduction, with practice and children’s admission conditions of its own; it does not include qualifying or Sunday’s race. Hospitality and the Hero package add specific benefits. Thursday activities, garage visits and hotel transfers belong only to the products that include them.

Concerts and fan activities

General Admission and Main Grandstand include same-day concert access, subject to the programme. Artists and times are still to be announced. Build the trip around the racing; leave an evening flexible for any performance you decide to attend.

Old Town and Souq Waqif suit a trip built around market meals and museums. Hampton Old Town is one of the simpler stays; Al Najada puts the souq close to the hotel. Msheireb brings heritage houses, cafés and the Metro interchange together. West Bay suits waterfront hotels and restaurant evenings. Lusail Marina brings the northern promenades and Katara Towers into the stay, with Raffles among the special-occasion choices.

The shortest distance on a map is only part of the circuit journey. Include the station walk or local car, Red Line train to Lusail QNB, event shuttle and the approach to your ticket gate. The hotel guides give both directions. A car needs an authorised circuit pickup and a driver who can reach it; hotel transport does not grant access to restricted roads.

These examples include one adult race ticket, every hotel night, food, visits and transport in both directions. Totals are per adult with two adults sharing a room. Replace the room and travel allowances with your actual bookings, then add flights, any required entry or insurance costs and personal spending beyond the reserves. A solo traveller needs the full room cost; children need their own room and admission calculation.

Meals and extras

Bandar Aden and Saravanaa Bhavan offer substantial casual meals; Al Aker is a sweets stop rather than a replacement dinner. Choose a museum lunch or waterfront dinner on a free day if you want a bigger meal out. Named meals use the holiday’s city-food allowance. Circuit food has its own allowance; included hospitality catering is counted once.

Friday’s first F1 practice starts at 16:30; Saturday practice starts at 17:30 and qualifying at 21:00. Sunday’s Grand Prix starts at 19:00 with no fixed finish. All times are Qatar local, UTC+3. Earlier support sessions may make an earlier departure worthwhile. Use the race-day guide’s hotel departure allowances, then adjust to the gate and transport hours when they are announced.

Have breakfast or lunch near your hotel, then plan to buy food and water inside Lusail under the venue rules. Keep the evening meal flexible, especially after qualifying. Before leaving the hotel, have the delivered admission ticket available in the required app, a charged phone, hearing protection and the return pickup saved.

For the return, allow for the walk out, shuttle queue, train and final hotel connection. Event Metro and shuttle hours are still to be announced. Staying for a concert only works if every connection remains usable; otherwise arrange a licensed taxi or booked car from the authorised pickup. Agree that alternative before you need it.

FBQ’s car collection suits a dedicated museum outing; 3-2-1 brings motorsport into a wider story of sport. For something hands-on, choose karting or a simulator, with the session booked separately from the Grand Prix. A desert drive takes a longer free-day block and its own eligibility and vehicle arrangements.

A companion can spend a circuit day in Doha without following the fan’s timetable. Use the companion guide for an independent outing and hotel return, or choose a shorter family day with Friday practice. Meet back at the hotel rather than tying a city dinner to an uncertain circuit exit. Beach passes, spa appointments and licensed evening venues each have their own access and age conditions.

Use Visit Qatar’s visa tool with each traveller’s nationality, residence and relevant existing visas. It distinguishes visa-free entry, arrival permissions and advance Hayya applications; some routes require a Discover Qatar hotel booking. Establish that route before choosing a hotel channel or paying for flights.

Use the passport-validity rule, permitted stay, accommodation evidence, onward or return ticket and fee shown for your own route. A race ticket is separate from immigration permission; Hayya entry preparation and the Lusail Tickets admission app serve different purposes.

Documents for the whole party

Keep the passport, any required approved visa or entry permit, accommodation confirmation and onward travel together. Children need their own applicable travel documents. Match names to the passport used for the booking.

Before departure

Revisit the entry tool and your airline’s document requirements close to travel. Read your own government’s current Qatar travel advice for regional developments, local laws and insurance implications; British travellers can use the linked FCDO advice.

Arrange medical cover valid in Qatar before travel. Your visa route and stay length determine the required visitor policy: Visit Qatar specifically requires an approved policy for stays over 30 days. Requirements for shorter stays still follow your own visa route.

The basic visitor insurance policy costs QAR 50 per month and covers emergency and accident care. Establish whether that policy, accepted existing cover or additional protection is needed for your trip. Include any required premium and visa fee in your spending; medical cover does not itself settle flight cancellation, baggage or excursion protection.

Prescription or controlled medicine

Use Qatar’s medication-entry requirements before packing. Carry the required prescription and medical report; controlled medicines may need a MoPH permit. Do not assume that a medicine sold at home has the same legal status in Qatar. The linked official UK health advice explains the MoPH application route.

Help during the trip

Keep the insurer’s assistance number and policy available. For an emergency call 999; at the circuit, alert the nearest steward or medical team and give the actual location. Save your hotel entrance and a trusted contact alongside the policy.

Use the organiser or a seller on its current authorised list. Main Grandstand has assigned seats; other public grandstands use free seating within their zone and Lusail Hill is general admission. Friday-only admission does not cover qualifying or the Grand Prix. Hospitality, Thursday Hero activities and hotel-transfer additions each have their own product conditions.

The organiser FAQ rules out voluntary changes, cancellations and upgrades. Refunds remain subject to the full terms, including cancellation and legal exceptions. Its FAQ permits family/friend transfers while the terms prohibit transfers: obtain written permission from tickets@lcsc.qa before relying on one. Do not resell tickets.

Payment and delivery

Use your seller’s payment instructions and retain the order reference, fees and delivery contact. Organiser tickets arrive through the Lusail Tickets app closer to the event. Resolve a missing confirmation with the seller; do not pay an unknown contact to release your ticket.

Contact tickets@lcsc.qa before purchasing wheelchair-user and companion admission. One full-price wheelchair-user ticket includes one complimentary companion, with government-ID verification required. Agree the actual accessible viewing position and ticket entrance, then arrange the transfer to that entrance and the return vehicle or shuttle.

Give the hotel your room and bathroom requirements, mobility-aid dimensions and any transfer needs. Ask the transport provider about vehicle access, boarding assistance and waiting arrangements; a step-free station does not establish an accessible circuit shuttle or the final gate route. Retain a suitable return vehicle if the ordinary service cannot meet your needs.

Airport assistance

Request assistance through your airline when booking and describe the support needed through departure, arrival and baggage collection. Qatar Airways asks for assistance or mobility-aid details at least 48 hours before departure; other carriers set their own process. Battery-powered aids and any medical clearance have additional requirements.

Sensory and non-visible needs

Hamad has a Sunflower programme. Contact the airline and airport for the support you need, and ask Lusail separately about circuit facilities, hearing protection, quieter options and companion arrangements. Do not assume that one programme grants another venue’s services.

Choosing outings

Use the hotel and venue guides’ own access sections. Agree distances, seating, toilets and assistance at each visit. Desert vehicles, uneven souq lanes and long circuit approaches may require a different plan; a saved itinerary is not an accessibility assessment.

Family Friday has a specific under-12 offer: up to four complimentary children per paid adult, with their passes secured in advance. It covers Friday only. The ordinary organiser policy allows children aged two and under without an assigned public-grandstand seat; hospitality requires a full-price ticket. Give the seller the children’s ages before paying.

Equipment and supervision

The venue terms list prams among restricted items. Get the current arrangement in writing before relying on one. Plan hearing protection, rest and the complete late return; under-16s require supervision.

Away from Lusail

Room occupancy, extra beds, restaurant ages and dune-driving eligibility are separate from race admission. Nobu has child-sitting rules; Belgian Café permits under-18s only until 17:00. The adult holiday estimates do not price a child package.

Request the full stay for the actual room and party: taxes, breakfast, extra beds, minimum stay, payment schedule and the cancellation deadline with its timezone. Agree late arrival, luggage storage and any late checkout rather than assuming they come with the room.

Book airport transport and circuit transport as separate journeys. For Metro trips, include the hotel approach, Lusail QNB shuttle and ticket-gate route; check every last connection on the return. For a car, agree the authorised pickup, driver contact, fare and waiting terms. A chauffeur or hotel package grants no special circuit road or parking access.

Flying home

The plans depart Monday 30 November. Work backwards from the flight: begin with 90 minutes for the hotel-airport connection and at least three hours at Hamad, or the airline’s longer requirement. These are editable buffers. A Red Line airport return must use the Hamad Intl Airport T1 branch, not Al Wakra.

Install the Lusail Tickets app using the organiser or seller’s instructions, sign in and ensure each attendee can access their delivered ticket. An order email, saved itinerary or screenshot is not a promised substitute for the required app ticket. Resolve delivery and transfer questions with the seller before the circuit journey.

Choose roaming or a local visitor SIM/eSIM, checking handset compatibility, identification, activation and validity with the provider. Test data, incoming booking messages and the driver contact after activation; a data-only plan may not give you local calls. Ooredoo offers visitor and eSIM options.

Keep these available

Save the hotel address, driver meeting point, organiser contact, flight and booking references outside any single online account. Charge the phone and agree a meeting point if the group separates. Ask the airline and circuit about the battery pack you intend to carry; do not rely on venue charging or continuous Wi-Fi.

Bags are searched. The terms restrict outside food/drink and containers, drones, selfie sticks, prams and other equipment; venue regulations can vary permissions. Ask about medical, dietary or child-care exceptions before travelling. Personal cameras/devices are subject to private, non-commercial use conditions.

Before packing equipment

Get the current bag, camera, lens and battery guidance from Lusail. Carrying equipment on your flight does not establish circuit permission; arrange storage at the hotel for anything the venue will not admit.

Sun, walking and late sessions

Bring comfortable shoes, sun protection and a light layer for the evening. Read the short-range forecast before leaving the hotel. Plan water and food purchases inside the venue under the current rules, and carry suitable hearing protection.

Use Qatari riyals for local spending, with a payment card and a modest cash reserve for smaller purchases or a transport fallback. ATMs are available around Doha. Confirm the card, deposit and payment conditions for each booking; your bank’s exchange rate and fees can differ from the planner’s editable estimates.

Dress with shoulders and knees covered in public and follow each cultural venue’s requirements. Alcohol service belongs to specifically licensed venues and the chosen package’s terms, not every hotel or VIP label. Follow the venue’s age and original-ID conditions, then use a licensed taxi or booked return after drinks.

Power and time

Qatar uses UK-style sockets with 240 V, 50 Hz supply; bring an appropriate adapter and read your device’s voltage rating. The race timetable is Qatar local time, UTC+3.

Customs and personal belongings

Use Qatar Customs’ passenger guidance for restricted items and any declaration requirement before packing or carrying significant valuables. Keep prescriptions and personal documents secure and available for the situations in which originals are required.

Budget once

The holiday totals include the selected race ticket once, every hotel night and separate spending for food, admissions, transport and extras. Replace allowances with actual prices. The National Museum automotive preview and Champions Club catering are included in their named admission; do not add them twice. Add any required visa, insurance or assistance costs to your actual total.

Still to be announced

F2 session times, public gate hours, event Metro/shuttle hours, final pickup instructions, concert artists/times and public track access remain conditional. Named restaurant kitchens, dated rooms and operators need their own bookings. Qatar 2026 is a standard weekend; Qatar 2027 is a Sprint with separate dates and programme.