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12 sporting events worth travelling for in 2017
It will be hard for 2017 to live up to 2016 in terms of British sport. Andy Murray finished the year as world number one, the England rugby team won 14 consecutive matches, and Team GB collected a record 67 medals at the Olympics.
Although there are no major international men’s football tournaments this year and the next Olympics are a mere speck on the Japanese horizon, 2017 is still charged with exciting sporting action. This will be the year of the Lions, the Lionesses, the Ashes and the World Ski Championships.
Nothing can quite compare with the thrill of being there, so here’s our pick of the year’s top sporting events – and how best to travel out to watch them.
February: Alpine World Ski Championships
February 6-19; St Moritz, Switzerland
The Alpine World Ski Championships are the most important championships in the skiing calendar, and are held every two years in prestigious ski resorts around the world. Events include combined, downhill, slalom, giant slalom and super G.
What else to do
St Moritz is also home to the White Turf horse races. Held each February, it is a series of daring races on the frozen-solid Lake St Moritz. Races will take place in February on Sunday 12, 19 and 26 (whiteturf.ch).
How to get tickets
The official ticket partner is Ticket Corner (ticketcorner.ch). Prices start from £32 for day passes, £117 for one week and £323 for two-week passes.
Getting there
British Airways (britishairways.com), easyJet (easyjet.com) and Swiss (swiss.com) fly from the UK to Zurich, from £52.
March: Dubai World Cup
March 25; Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Thousands of racegoers and the elite of Dubai society will congregate in their finery at the renowned Meydan Racecourse. Not only is it one of the biggest social and sporting events in the United Arab Emirates, but with more than $30 million handed out to winners on the day, it is also sees the running of the world’s richest horse race.
What else to do
You’ve already been to the world’s richest horse race, so why not then conquer the world’s tallest building, too? The Burj Khalifa stands at 829.8 metres and affords views over the city.
How to get tickets
From the Meydan Racecourse site (store.meydan.ae) from £99; alternatively, you can pre-buy grounds passes from the Grandstand (please note that no tickets are sold on March 25). Telegraph Travel offers a travel and ticket package from £1,995pp, see: telegraph.co.uk/tt-dubairace.
Getting there
British Airways (ba.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Royal Brunei (flyroyalbrunei.com) fly from the UK to Dubai, from £255.
April: Masters Golf
April 6-9; Augusta, Georgia, US
The Masters is the first of four major golf championships in the year and, unlike the other three, it is held at the same location each year. More than a quarter of a million visitors come to watch the world’s golf elite navigate around tricky Amen Corner and battle it out for the Green Jacket.
What else to do
With the cold winter a distant memory and intense summer heat yet to arrive, it is the perfect opportunity to explore Augusta’s beautiful waterways. Tour the canals via boat or on foot (jogging is local style).
How to get tickets
Demand far exceeds the number of tickets available, but you can apply for the ballot at tickets.masters.com. Alternatively, Your Golf Travel (yourgolftravel.com) offers a number of package options with guaranteed tickets; also, Telegraph Travel offers a VIP experience, see: telegraph.co.uk/tt-masters2017.
Getting there
American Airlines (aa.com), KLM (klm.com) and Virgin Atlantic (virginatlantic.com) operate flights from the UK to Augusta, via Atlanta airport, from £552.
May: America’s Cup
May 26 (Qualifiers) & June 17 (Main event); Bermuda
Visit in May to watch the America’s Cup Qualifiers, before the main event in June. The eyes of the world will watch as the best sailors on the fastest boats battle it out for the oldest trophy in international sport.
What else to do
Head over to St David’s Lighthouse, atop Gibbs Hill. Steel was not available at the time it was built, so it is one of just a few lighthouses in the world to be made of cast iron.
How to get tickets
There are three ways officially to obtain tickets for the America’s Cup: either through the America’s Cup ticketing site (americascup.com), or via the official travel providers Travel Places (americascuptravel.com) and Helm Events (helmevents.com).
Getting there
British Airways (ba.com) operates the only direct flight from the UK to Bermuda, from £547.
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June: British and Irish Lions Tour
June 3-July 8; All over New Zealand
The next generation of Lions will embark upon their tour to New Zealand in June. There are six warm-up games scheduled around the country before the first of three Test matches begins in Auckland on June 24. The two teams will then play in Wellington and head back to Auckland for the final head-to-head.
What else to do
If you are in Auckland for the first Test, make sure to visit the Auckland Art Gallery (aucklandartgallery.com). It is a large, welcoming space with a good selection of classic and modern artworks.
How to get tickets
Ticket packages are available via the official Lions travel company British & Irish Lions Supporters Tours (tours.lionsrugby.com).
Getting there
British Airways (ba.com), Qatar (qatarairways.com) and Etihad (etihad.com) operate flights from the UK to Auckland, from £509.
July: Tour de France
July 1-23; France, Germany and Belgium
The 104th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages predominantly through France, although stages one and two will begin in Düsseldorf this year and stage three starts in the Belgian city of Verviers. Teams of riders from all over the world compete for the coveted yellow jersey – Britain’s Chris Froome is the reigning champion.
What else to do
The rest day between stages 9 and 10 is in great gourmet country – the Dordogne. Market town Sarlat-la-Canéda to the south is a gastronomic treat: the lively food market bursts into action every morning at 8.30am.
How to get tickets
See the Tour De France’s website for a full list of approved agents offering packages (letour.fr/le-tour/2017/us/tour-operators.html).
Getting there
Lufthansa (lufthansa.com) offers regular flights from Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle to Düsseldorf, from £40.
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August: Women’s Rugby World Cup
August 9-26; Dublin and Belfast, Ireland
Ireland will host the Women’s Rugby World Cup for the first time this year. The tournament usually runs every four years, but has been reset this year to avoid a clash with the Olympic years. Defending champions England will kick off the tournament against Spain on August 9.
What else to do
As in Britain, many of Ireland’s major exhibitions are free. Start in Dublin at the National Gallery of Ireland (nationalgallery.ie), which holds an unmatched selection of Irish artwork.
How to get tickets
Available from ticketmaster.co.uk/wrwc2017; from €10 (£8.50) for adults; €5 for children.
Getting there
Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com), Flybe (flybe.com) and Ryanair (ryanair.com) fly from the UK to Dublin, from £34.
September: US Open
August 28- September 10; New York, US
The fourth, final and biggest Grand Slam of the year, the US Open takes place on the outdoor hard courts in Flushing Meadows, New York. The main court, the Arthur Ashe Stadium, seats around 23,000 spectators, in comparison with the main courts at the other Grand Slams which all seat about 15,000.
What else to do
There are a number of exciting New York restaurant openings for 2017: try Katz’s Delicatessen at DeKalb Market Hall (katzsdelicatessen.com), the second opening of Lower East Side institution Katz’s Deli.
How to get tickets
Available from early June at usopen.org/en. Alternatively, Sports Travel (sportstravel.com) and Tennis Tours (tennistours.com) offer various ticket and accommodation packages.
Getting there
British Airways (ba.com), United (united.com) and Virgin Atlantic (virgin-atlantic.com) offer direct flights from the UK to JFK, La Guardia or Newark airports, from £335.
October: Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
October 1; Oise, France
Scheduled to take place yearly on the first Sunday in October, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is one of the the most prestigious event in the Flat racing calendar. Due to ongoing renovation work at the Hippodrome de Longchamp, the race will again take place in Chantilly this year.
What else to do
Back in the capital city, visit the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, scheduled to open this autumn. The museum will be dedicated to the designer’s life and work. See: fondation-pb-ysl.net for more information.
How to get tickets
Arc village tickets from €4, main area from €35 and terraces from €90. Seated ticket sales at 0033 1 41 57 32 28; france-billet.com, or at the racecourse.
Getting there
British Airways (ba.com) and Air France (airfrance.co.uk) fly from the UK to Paris Charles de Gaulle, from £53.
November: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
November 26; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The sun will set on another Formula One World Championships at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. With reigning champion Nico Rosberg having retired, Britain’s Lewis Hamilton will aim to reclaim the crown.
What else to do
Make the most of the comfortable weather and visit the city’s impressive Corniche, which is the Middle Eastern equivalent of a British seafront.
How to get tickets
Among others, Thomas Cook Sport (thomascooksport.com), Altitude Luxury Travel (altitudeluxurytravel.com) and Gulliver’s Travel (gulliverstravel.co.uk) offer ticket and travel packages.
Getting there
British Airways (ba.com) and Etihad Airways (etihad.com) offer direct flights from the UK to Abu Dhabi, from £279.
December: Ashes Tests
November 23-December 30; Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Australia
The biennial England v Australia Ashes series will take place Down Under this year. The host’s 5-0 whitewash in the 2013-14 Test series will be looming large as England seek to retain the urn.
What else to do
Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art is turning 10 this year. Headlining the celebrations is Sugar Spin, featuring more than 200 artworks, see: qagoma.qld.gov.au.
How to get tickets
Telegraph Tours will run an exclusive package led by former England captain Allan Lamb (telegraph.co.uk/tt-allanlamb). Other operators include Aus Travel (austravel.com) and Gulliver’s Sport Travel (gulliverstravel.co.uk).
Getting there
British Airways (ba.com) offers regular flights to Australia: return flights from the UK to Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne from £558, £535, £490 and £510 respectively.
January 2018: Australian Open
January 15-28; Melbourne, Australia
The tennis season begins Down Under with the first of the four major Grand Slams kicking off in Melbourne. Expect a fantastic atmosphere, with large crowds gathered to see the biggest names on the circuit battling it out on the bright blue outdoor hard courts. It’s too late for this year – but there’s plenty of time to plan for 2018.
What else to do
Make the most of the summer weather with a day in St Kilda, Melbourne’s favourite beachside suburb.
How to get tickets
Tickets go on sale in August for the 2018 tournament. Purchase directly through the main event page (event.ausopen.com/tickets); alternatively, ITC Sports Travel (itcsports.co.uk) and Travel and Sports Australia (travelandsports.com.au) offer travel and ticket packages.
Getting there
Emirates (emirates.com), Qantas (qantas.com) and Singapore Airlines (singaporeair.com) fly from the UK to Melbourne, from £682.
