What to Do Away From the Track – 2024 British Grand Prix

Summer events, local tourist attractions &the best places to eat and drink near Silverstone during the Formula 1 British Grand Prix 2024

The English summer is a busy time of festivals and major events, many of which coincide with the British Grand Prix in early July. Why not extend your itinerary to include Wimbledon and/or the Goodwood Festival of Speed? We have also highlighted the best motorsport-related attractions in the UK, plus the best attractions, food and drink close to Silverstone.

Wimbledon: July 1-14, 2024

Why not spend a day or two at the most famous tennis tournament in the world? The Championships at Wimbledon will be held from July 1-14, which coincides with dates for the 2024 British Grand Prix. Learn more and buy tickets on the Wimbledon website.

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2024: July 11-14

A quintessential English garden party with all the high-octane motorsport you could wish for in a weekend, the Goodwood Festival of Speed sits high on the must-do lists for motor racing fans all over the world. In 2024, The Festival of Speed takes place on the weekend after the British Grand Prix.

Forward planning is essential if you want to go; tickets do sell out in advance as the festival seems to increase in popularity each year!  The format includes the Moving Motor Show on Thursday and the festival proper over 3 days from Friday to Sunday. Learn more on the Goodwood website. You can also check our archives for other articles related to Goodwood FOS. (Goodwood images © Lou Johnson)

Motorsport Attractions in England

  • Williams Grand Prix Collection: Williams HQ in Oxfordshire is also home to the Williams Grand Prix Collection (pictured above), the largest exhibition of F1 cars in the world. Doors only open to the public for guided tours on specific days throughout the year. Priced at £65 per person, the tour commences with refreshments before personal introductions and a guided wander through the extensive collection. There’s video footage to watch that covers the history of the team before a walk through the Williams trophy rooms and a buffet lunch. Read about our tour of the Williams Grand Prix Collection.
  • British Motor Museum: less than 30 miles from Silverstone, the British Motor Museum is a great day out. It houses the world’s largest collection of historic British cars (currently around 300 of them), including marques such as Austin, Morris, Jaguar, Ford, Morgan and more. The museum is open 7 days a week from 10:00-17:00; adult tickets £14.50, children £9.
  • National Motor Museum: about 2 hours drive from Silverstone (and a similar distance from London), Beaulieu is a stunning stately home in the New Forest, and the location of the National Motor Museum. Admission is £24.75 for adults and £12.50 for children, though you can get cheaper tickets by booking in advance here. The McLaren Mercedes MP4/21 is here, as is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the Delorean, and plenty of Astons and Bentleys.
  • Jaguar Factory Tour: one of Britain’s most beloved marques is produced at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham, 60 miles from Silverstone. Find out how modern Jaguars are assembled by taking a tour of the state-of-the-art factory. Tickets cost £49 for adults and £39 for children.
  • Drive an Aston Martin: Aston Martin runs a regular one-day performance driving course at Millbrook Proving Ground, just 35 miles from Silverstone. It’s not cheap at £1500, but surely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You’ll get the choice of driving a Vanquish, Vantage V12 or DB9 and benefit from expert tuition.

Attractions Near Silverstone

Blenheim Palace

One of the UK’s finest stately homes (pictured above) with an impressive 2000 acres of parks and gardens, Blenheim Palace is just 25 miles from Silverstone and is well worth a visit when you are in the area. Tickets to see the Palace, Park and Gardens cost £35 for adults. If you only visit the Park and Gardens, entry is cheaper.

Bicester Village

Fancy a bit of retail therapy? One of the UK’s best known designer retail shopping centres is located in Bicester, just 15 miles from Silverstone. With more than 130 outlets and a range of products available, Bicester Village is open seven days a week.

Where to Eat & Drink Near Silverstone

If you’re not camping trackside, you’ll still be spoilt for choice with places to eat, drink and pass the time, especially if you decide to stay in one of the larger centres nearby such as London, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Northampton or Oxford. Get hold of a good city guide and check out websites like Time Out for worthwhile places to head for during your time here. Check out our recommendations below for the best places to eat and drink near Silverstone!

Towcester

If you get tired of the burger vans at the circuit, Towcester has restaurants and eateries in close proximity to Silverstone (5 miles). Fish & chips, Chinese, Indian, Kebabs, Italian, Gourmet Burgers, McDonald’s, Domino’s Pizza and numerous pubs are all to be found here.  (A little further afield, Brackley has numerous pubs and a good choice of fast food.)

Milton Keynes

If you’re staying in or near Milton Keynes, The Hub is a purpose-built gastronomy district made up entirely of bars, cafes and restaurants. Ideal for a post-quali burger or an all-out Indian feast to celebrate the end of the big weekend. You’ll find plenty of big names here, from Jamie’s Italian to Caribbean eatery Turtle Bay, plus Strada, Pizza Express, Brown’s, Loch Fyne and Café Rouge. Milton Keynes also has a few big nightclubs if you fancy making a night of it. Head for the Xscape complex and grab a drink at SnoBar or go dancing at Revolution. The futuristic looking complex also boasts a casino, cinema complex, tenpin bowling, indoor snow slope and lots of pubs, bars and restaurants.

The Lamplighter, Northampton

A friendly pub with a great bar menu and a program of weekly events like open mic and quiz night. The Lamplighter does a mean Sunday roast, and they put on either live music or a DJ at the weekend if you fancy a bit of a post-race boogie.

Villiers Restaurant, Buckingham

One of the smartest places to eat in the area, Villiers Restaurant is part of the hotel where the McLaren team have been known to stay. Who knows, you could be rubbing shoulders with Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris at the salad bar. Service is traditional and they do a reasonable set menu for lunches and dinners

What are your British GP holiday tips? Leave a comment below!

2 thoughts on “What to Do Away From the Track – 2024 British Grand Prix”

  1. Mark Woodland

    Andrew,
    Thank you for setting up a great informative webpage, we are off to the 2019 Silverstone F1 race and if we do see anything that may help others which may not have been on your site we will let you know…… but it’s highly unlikely that you’ve missed anything as what I’ve seen I’ve been really impressed with. What I would have liked to have seen would have been a link to what support races were happening or a timetable of events maybe?? I can’t seem to find a link anywhere at the moment. I must say though this has been the only link I’ve put on my home screen on my phone to help me with my weekend so thank you massively.

    M.Woodland

    1. Thanks Mark. Check out the Trackside post for the timetable and information about support events. I see the full timetable is now available on F1.com for the British GP, so I’ll update Trackside for 2019 very soon!

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