Formula 1 fans who also fancy a slow float down the Danube now have one booking to make. Tui River Cruises has launched its first racing-themed sailing, a seven-night trip aboard TUI Maya that combines stops in three capital cities with grandstand access to the 2027 Hungarian Grand Prix.

The From River to Racetrack itinerary departs Budapest on 26 July 2027 and calls at Bratislava in Slovakia and Vienna in Austria, with overnight stays in both. The ship then heads back to the Hungarian capital for two nights, positioning guests for the full race weekend at the nearby Hungaroring circuit. Transfers and seated grandstand tickets are included for all three days — Friday practice, Saturday qualifying and Sunday's race — and because everyone sleeps on the ship, there's no hotel-hopping over a weekend when Budapest's rooms are scarce and pricey.

On board, the 155-passenger TUI Maya keeps things comfortable rather than flashy. There are two restaurants (the Verdastro and a casual Bistro) with menus that lean on local dishes, two lounges, a wellness area with sauna and whirlpool, and a top deck for watching the Danube slide past. There's mini-golf and giant Connect 4 if you feel like competing off the track, plus a guest speaker offering insight into the sport during the sailing.

The price is £2,299 per person, which covers return flights, transfers, three meals a day with mealtime drinks, wifi, tips and the Grand Prix tickets. Given that central Budapest hotel rates routinely spike for race weekend, that all-in framing is a big part of the pitch.

Tui isn't inventing the category — cruise lines have long circled F1. MSC and its luxury sister brand Explora Journeys sponsor races, with Explora set to dock just 150 metres from the Monaco Grand Prix next year, and Windstar's Wind Spirit will base itself in Nice for the same weekend, shuttling guests to the track. What's notable here is that a mainstream river cruise line is wiring a marquee race directly into a Danube itinerary, rather than parking a ship at a coastal circuit.

Who's this for? Fans who want the race without the usual weekend scrum, plus anyone who's been curious about river cruising but wants a hook beyond churches and cathedrals. You unpack once, see three capital cities and catch qualifying and the race from a grandstand — with the ship as your base the whole time. Bookers should act early: a 155-passenger ship with a fixed grandstand allocation means this one will sell out long before the lights go out in July 2027.

Story via The Independent Travel.