Runs worth travelling for—7 scenic routes to try

Running is one of the purest ways to connect with a place. No tickets, no timetables — just the route and the rhythm of your stride, the destination unfolding step by step. Across Europe, runners are discovering that the most scenic trails — cliff-hugging footpaths, Alpine ridgelines and riverside embankments — are as suited to trainers as they are to hiking boots. Some are forgiving circuits for beginners, others thigh-burning ascents for seasoned athletes, but all offer that unbeatable feeling of footsteps meeting foreign ground. From Berlin’s leafy Tiergarten to Madeira’s Atlantic shores, here are seven routes worth travelling — and sweating — for.

1. Vereda do Larano (Porto da Cruz to Machico) — Madeira, Portugal

Distance: 9 miles (one way)
Terrain: Steep cliff paths and laurel forest tracks
Vibe: Atlantic wilderness
Highlights: Ocean panoramas and wild flora
Difficulty: Challenging

A nine-mile coastal trail linking Porto da Cruz with the old town of Machico, the Vereda do Larano is one of Madeira’s most dramatic paths. The route climbs steeply from Porto da Cruz’s Alagoa Beach through levadas (irrigation channels dating back to the 15th century) and vineyards into the UNESCO-listed Laurisilva forest, a relic of subtropical woodland that once covered much of southern Europe. The switchbacks are sharp, the footing often slick with moss, but shafts of light pierce the canopy and the air lilts with birdsong.

Emerging from the trees, the downward trail threads along cliffs that sheer into the Atlantic, the sea spread restlessly below. The sense of exposure is intoxicating: on one side, volcanic walls; on the other, nothing but air and horizon. Reaching Machico, with its golden-sand beach and harbour cafes, feels like stepping back into civilisation.

2. The Lycian Way (Ölüdeniz to Faralya) — Muğla, Türkiye

Distance: 9 miles (one way)
Terrain: Rocky trail, pine forests
Vibe: Ancient and elemental
Highlights: Turquoise bays and ancient ruins
Difficulty: Challenging

The Lycian Way, a 335-mile trail, is a symphony of sea and stone. Waymarked in the 1990s to link ancient shepherds’ tracks, it follows routes used by the Lycians over two millennia ago. Stage one, from Ölüdeniz to Faralya, condenses the drama into a challenging run. Starting above the Blue Lagoon, shaded pine forests lead to limestone ridges with endless Mediterranean views. Faralya appears suddenly, a scatter of houses on a cliff-edge above Butterfly Valley. It’s uneven ground, never allowing autopilot, but every twist offers something new: a goat track to a hidden cove, a tomb carved into rock, the scent of oregano drifting on the breeze.

Heat is a constant challenge: locals advise early starts before the midday rocks shimmer and runners slow. Demanding? Certainly. And a reminder that pilgrimage and perspiration often go hand in hand.

(Related: See tombs, turquoise seas and trekking along Turkey's Lycian Way.)

3. Path of the Gods — Amalfi Coast, Italy

Distance: 4 miles (one way)
Terrain: Cliffside trail, stone steps
Vibe: Mediterranean drama
Highlights: Sea views and rustic villages
Difficulty: Moderate

If there were prizes for cinematic scenery, the Amalfi Coast would take every statuette going. From the first steps above the village of Bomerano, this limestone trail clings to cliffs that dive into the Tyrrhenian Sea, its waters shifting through infinite shades of blue below.

For centuries, this was a mule track linking scattered farms and communities. Its past lingers in ruined shepherds’ huts and terraces of grapevines carved into the slopes. Between scrambles up stone steps, the trail levels out into balcony-like sections where the views are dizzying, with Capri floating offshore like a mirage. Runners move through scents of lemon blossom and wild thyme, while cicadas offer the soundtrack.

Most runners start just after dawn, chasing cool air and soft light. By mid-morning, the limestone radiates heat. The route ends in Nocelle, a hamlet suspended above Positano, but those craving a finale can descend the 1,500 or so stone steps into town. It’s a quad-burning test, softened by the promise of a plunge at Spiaggia Grande.

(Related: 7 of the best walks in Italy, from day hikes to Roman pilgrimages.)

4. Arthur's Seat — Edinburgh, Scotland

Distance: 3.5 miles (loop)
Terrain: Trail, rocky inclines
Vibe: Urban volcano run
Highlights: Views of Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth
Difficulty: Moderate

Edinburgh’s skyline has a natural crown: Arthur’s Seat, a dormant volcano rising from Holyrood Park. For runners, it’s the city’s most exhilarating loop — wild, rugged and surprisingly close to the Royal Mile. The route starts near Holyrood Palace and climbs fast, cutting across Salisbury Crags before pitching upwards on a rocky incline. At 251 metres (823ft), the summit rewards with pure theatre: Old Town spires decorating the skyline, the orderly Georgian symmetry of New Town and the Firth of Forth shimmering into the distance. In clear weather, you can even trace the line of the Fife hills.

From here, the descent flows past Dunsapie Loch, its surface dotted with swans, and along gentler paths through grassy meadows. Wildflowers paint the slopes in spring; by autumn, the bracken turns copper. It’s not a long route, but the uneven terrain and sharp gradients demand sure footing — and that’s part of the appeal. Few European cities offer such a raw landscape within walking distance of their heart; within minutes, cobbled alleys and whisky bars are traded for a hit of open sky.

5. Lake Bled — The Julian Alps, Slovenia

Distance: 3.7 miles (loop)
Terrain: Flat lakeside path
Vibe: Alpine fairytale
Highlights: Island church and medieval castle
Difficulty: Easy/moderate

Lake Bled has all the ingredients of a fable: a glacial lake ringed by mountains, an island crowned by a white church and a cliffside castle keeping watch. For runners, the loop around its shore is one of Europe’s most scenic circuits — a gentle path that feels anything but ordinary.

The route weaves through stands of willow and chestnut, with benches positioned for long gazes across the glassy waters. On still mornings, the lake captures the reflection of the Julian Alps, broken only by the oars of traditional pletna boats ferrying pilgrims to the island. A short detour takes you up to Ojstrica, a forested viewpoint offering a postcard panorama: church, castle and lake in one frame.

Each season adds character. In spring, cherry trees bloom beside the path; in summer, swimmers slip from jetties into clear water. Autumn burnishes the forest with russet and gold, while winter sometimes sees the surface freeze, a silver plate beneath the mountains.

The loop is accessible for beginners, except in the very depths of winter. Those wanting more can extend along forest paths towards nearby Vintgar Gorge. However you run it, the reward is simple: a return to Bled’s lakeside cafes for Blejska kremsnita, its signature cream cake, enjoyed guilt-free.

6. Tiergarten to Victory Column — Berlin, Germany

Distance: 2 miles (one way)
Terrain: Flat, paved paths
Vibe: Green heart of the city
Highlights: Brandenburg Gate and leafy boulevards
Difficulty: Easy

Berlin’s variety of offbeat galleries and grand monuments can leave travellers breathless. Luckily, at its centre lies a green lung: the Tiergarten. Once a royal hunting ground, today it’s the city’s most beloved park — 520 acres of leafy escape threaded with wide avenues and shaded trails. For runners, it offers a chance to clock miles while brushing past centuries of history.

This route begins at the Brandenburg Gate. Slip beneath its columns and follow the path into the park, leaving behind the central boulevard of Strasse des 17 Juni for the wilder southern sections, where lindens and sycamores form a leafy canopy overhead and squirrels flit through the trunks.Head for Luiseninsel, a landscaped ‘island’ threaded with meandering paths and a bust of Queen Louise of Prussia, pushing onward to the stately rose garden and finally taking in Neuer See, a lake where rowboats drift in summer and ice sometimes forms in winter.

The route ends at the Siegessäule — the gilded Victory Column — perched sentinel on a traffic island. Climb its 285 steps if you dare; the panorama takes in the whole of the Tiergarten and beyond to Potsdamer Platz, the Reichstag dome and Alexanderplatz’s TV tower.

7. Zermatt to Gornergrat — The Alps, Switzerland

Distance: 6 miles (one way)
Terrain: Alpine trail, steep gradients
Vibe: High-altitude summer adventure
Highlights: Matterhorn views and sweeping panoramas
Difficulty: Challenging

Zermatt sits in the shadow of the Matterhorn, its jagged pyramid looming over the valley. But to see the mountain in full context, summertime runners head uphill for Gornergrat, a ridge that offers one of the Alps’ most astonishing panoramas.

The climb is punishing. Over six miles, you’ll gain close to 3,000ft of elevation — a steady grind from edelweiss-flecked meadows and timber chalets into scree and switchbacks. The air thins enough to make lungs heave, yet distractions abound with cowbells tinkling on pastures and marmots whistling from boulder fields.

About halfway through, the path skirts Riffelalp, a plateau where runners can pause to gulp water and gaze at the Gorner Glacier sprawling like a frozen wave. The final climb to the ridge is challenging, but the panorama is transcendent. Twenty-nine 4,000-metre peaks, from Monte Rosa to Lyskamm, circle you — the Matterhorn no longer solitary but part of a glittering amphitheatre. Gornergrat feels like the roof of Europe.

Most descend via the Gornergratbahn, a century-old cog railway, but the hardy can pound downhill to Zermatt on the same trail. This is a run that exacts a price on the legs but repays with one of Europe’s greatest natural stages.

(Related: How to stay safe when hiking in winter.)