Top 10 places to run in Brussels
Everywhere from the Cinquantenaire to the canal to the fun Sightjogging experience – you will have a plethora of choices!
10. Cinquantenaire and the Royal Park
The community of Brussels joggers has spoken! These two parks are by far the most popular jogging spots in the capital. If you are itching for a new atmosphere, opt for one of the next nine suggestions…
9. Bois de la Cambre
Less popular than the last two and a lot bigger, the Bois de la Cambre is perfect if you are easing back into exercise and don’t want people staring you down. You can go around the lake, near ULB or close to the Jeux night club. There are tons of possible routes. The Bois de la Cambre is actually just the beginning of the Forêt de Soignes, so there’s definitely room to increase your distance as you gain endurance. Since 2013, the Bois de la Cambre has been the start of the Ecotrail of Brussels.
8. Sightjogging
Brussels Sightjogging represents an opportunity to explore Brussels while jogging. How does it work? You meet up with your guide who will bring you all around the city on the jog. All along the way, the guide will share with you the history, the stories and legends about the city.
7. Bois du Laerbeek
It wasn’t an accident that the Joggans (jogging club of Ganshoren) started up around the beginning of the Laerbeek Woods. These 33 hectares of beech trees in north Brussels make up one of the nicest places for all sports. In the spring, the undergrowth adds a sensory experience with the flourishing of wild garlic, Lily of the Valley, hyacinths and other violet flowers. Let’s walk around the woods, before the highway is widened and takes it over!
6. Courses in the Forêt de Soignes
Starting at the ADEPS center (Administration de l'Éducation physique, du Sport et de la Vie en Plein Air), you have the choice between 3 courses marked with arrows – a 5, 10 or 20 kilometers. All three go through forestry, sometimes through bucolic scenes, sometimes through sections of bigger straight paths lined with trees. This is good for your feet as the ground is softer and of course good for your lungs to breath in the fresh air. You can also have the luxury of a shower at the athletic center if you pay the modest participation fee.
5. Woluwe Park
The Woluwe Park distinguishes itself from others of the same genre. Know that there is a huge parking lot on the same level as the tennis club (access via the Boulevard du Souverain). For training, there is something for all levels of joggers: the most fit will find hilly courses all over the park, and beginners can take the course that follows where the old railroad went. On the edge of the park there is a path designed on the Ravel model that spans the avenue de Tervuren and offers many possibilities for a picturesque detour. Go wherever the wind takes you!
4. Canal
Just like with Brussels, joggers have a tumultuous relationship with the canal. On the abattoir side, cars reign supreme, and joggers (along with the pedestrians and the bikers) are left by the wayside. You’ll have to wait for lock number 10 in Anderlecht to have good running space. The towing line is the best part. You can go up to the first bridge and back… But be careful, the wind can blow pretty hard. One jogger has it good if they can hide behind another!
3. Green path
No need to introduce the Green Path anymore. This 70 kilometer loop goes up mountains and down valleys all over Brussels and has some especially charming parts.
Our favorites?
-Between Herman-Debroux (Auderghem) and the chaussée de Neerstalle (Forest). A pretty, slightly hilly path offering a good balance between green space and residential areas.
-Between Erasme and the avenue du Hunderenveld. Right outside the hospital starts the green fields, incursion along a golf course and along the Westland before going across the Scheutbos.
-Between the Van Praet bridge and the Fallon Stadium. We discover a different side of the municipalities of Evere and Woluwe. If you keep your head up, you might even seen a mill!
We leave out the sections between the avenue du Hunderenveld (Berchem) and the Van Praet bridge via the Atomium - a little too urban for our taste. The same applies for the part between the chaussée de Neerstalle (Forest) and Erasme.
2. Your own sidewalk
This is a positive stride towards sustainable development. The training course that respects the environment the most is the one that starts and ends on your doorstep. Have you ever considered running home from work?
1. Forêt de Soignes
Apart from the three courses here delineated, the Forêt de Soignes offers many more possibilities. The many parking lots in the Forêt de Soignes are perfect for your monthly, weekly or daily run. From the Africa Museum to Jezus-Eik to the Groenendaal and the Rouge-Cloître, Brussels’ green lung offers dozens of kilometers of paths to length your stride!
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