Atomium Running Route, Brussels

Click here for route map
Length 4.4 km (2.7 miles), terrain: small hills

Brussels Running Routes:
Avenue Louise/Bois de la Cambre  
Center Loop 
Old-Town Sights
Atomium/Laeken
EU Quarter/Woluwe Park
For more running routes, see Route List

NOTE: see the Destinations Tips page for tips about spending your free time in this great town!
 
A lot of the Brussels tourist sights are clustered together at the north edge of town, in Laeken (Laken in Dutch, in this bilingual town). This is where you'll find lots of the stuff from the tourist brochures: the Atomium, Brupark, Mini-Europe, the Kinepolis, the Exhibition Center, royal palaces (3 of them!), oriental towers, the Art and Design Museum and Heysel -- the main soccer stadium.

But what you might not have heard is that there is also a big park there, Laken Park (Parc de Laeken), a great running spot that links the various attractions together. During one fairly short run you can enjoy some nature and see (from the outside, anyway) a lot of what the Brussels tourism industry has set up for you.

The Atomium

The dominant attraction is the Atomium, a glittering relic from the heady days of the Atomic Age. It was built for the 1958 World's Fair, back when everyone expected to be soon flying through town in atomic-powered rockets. Viewed from below, it's really impressive, with its metalic facade glinting in the sunlight. You can even go inside and take escalators from globe to globe, but I like it best just to view it from various angles from outside.

So, if you feel like doing this scenic little run, take either Metro line 6 or tram line 7 to Heysel and get out there. You'll find yourself standing between the stadium to the west, the Expo to the north and the Kinepolis (IMAX cinema and 29 screens) to the south.

The Grand Palais at Expo

Directly across the street, Avenue Impériatrice Charlotte, you'll see the art-deco-era Expo halls. They are impressive in their own right: built for the 1935 World's Fair, they were re-used for the Expo 58, the 1958 World's Fair, and continue to be used for all kinds of expositions and trade shows.

In fact, this whole area, including Laken Park, was part of both of the World's Fair-grounds, now open as a public park.

Heysel Stadium

From the pond out front of the imposing Grand Palais Expo hall, turn south on Boulevard du Centenaire, running slightly downhill towards the Atomium. The sidwalk pavement is pretty bad, so watch your footing.

You'll pass the IMAX theater on the right, and -- right next to it -- the Brupark amusement park with its big water slide.

And just past that on the right is Mini Europe, a little exhibition that has many of the most famous spots in Europe recreated for visitors.

To the left, you'll pass the ADA design museum.

Atomium runner

The Atomium, though is the star of the scenery here, and it gets more impressive with every step. It's actually supposed to represent an iron molecule, not a single atom, but not many people care exactly. It's fascinating just to see the giant, glittering globes hovering in the sky above.

You can run directly under the Atomium, then exit to the left, where the green woods and meadows of Laken Park await.

Along the lake: looks like a river

Head eastwards into the woods along the dirt trail, keeping the narrow lake to your right. It's a nice bit of Belgian nature: the beech woods on rolling hills are typical of the area.

You'll see an outdoor amphitheater across the water to the right. When you come to the bridge over the lake, cross it, heading southeast towards a lookout over the lawn-filled valley to the south.

The local beechwoods

A little road, Avenue du Gros Tilleul, follows the valley floor, and you'll see a little roundabout there. We'll now head down that way: first turn right and take the first trail to the left to run downhill towards the roundabout.

From now on, all the trails are paved.

RAF memorial and American Theater

On Avenue du Gros Tilleul, pass the roundabout with its memorial to downed British RAF planes, heading eastwards towards a strange, rounded structure ahead. This fairly abandoned-looking place was the American pavilion in 1958, now used as broadcasting studios and as a concert venue, the American Theater.

Just before the pavilion, you'll see a divided trail to the right, heading uphill to the south. Take that trail.

NOTE: The Chinese and Japanese pagodas would be straight ahead, past the pavilion, if you want to see them. But they straddle a loud street, so I left them out of this route.

You'll pass a bit of woods behind a wooden fence, and then see another trail to the left, continuing up the hill towards a gothic spire. Take that trail.

Heading towards the spire

This trail will wander upwards along the hill, with the fence to the left, passing the spire, which is on the hilltop behind the woods.

Keep running until the trail comes to a paved street, Avenue des Narcisses (there is no traffic here, though). Turn left here and continue running uphill straight towards the gothic spire. The spire is a monument to the royal dynasty and King Leopold I.

Last stretch to the tower, guarded by trained watchdogs

You're now at the hilltop, with a good view over the city to the south. Behind the monument, a stone fence blocks off a big part of the park, with the Château du Belvédère behind it. There are three royal palaces here, which are private and are walled off to the public. Most of the park is inside the private Royal Domain.

But the biggest palace is south of here, so let's run downhill along Avenue de la Dynastie towards the iron fences guarding the main royal palace, the Château de Laeken.

Château de Laeken

A busy road, Avenue du Parc Royal, runs past the palace right in front of the fence.

So now, turn right to run parallel to the fence, then turn back into the public park to the right on paved Avenue des Seringas, a wide footpath.

Start of Seringas

You're now back in the quiet expanses of lawn, heading north through the park towards the Atomium again. Just to the left, downhill, there is a little chapel and springs of St. Anne.

Chapel of St. Anne

Now just follow Seringas as it twists its way northward. On the left is the west edge of the public park, with Château du Stuyvenberg behind the brick walls, the third of the three royal palaces in Laken.

Stuyvenberg

Follow the trail as it heads downhill, with a fenced-off area to the left where a tram line tunnels under the park.

Along Seringas, with Atomium in distance

The trail ends at a little basketball court. Turn left to run the few steps back to Boulevard du Centenaire. This is at a roundabout called Place Louis Steens, with a little monument on the side.

Now just follow the dirt trail just inside the park to run northwards towards the Atomium, and from there continuing straight towards the Expo and the start of the run.

That was a lot to see in one little area!

Brussels EU Quarter/Woluwe Running Route

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Length 7.3 or 12.3 km (4.5- or 7.6 miles), terrain: hilly with 122-meter gain

NOTE: Brussels is bilingual, for Dutch and French, and street signs are sometimes in one language, the other or both. I'll include both names when I mention streets here. Sorry about the bad pictures but it was raining when I did this run!

Brussels Running Routes:
Avenue Louise/Bois de la Cambre  
Center Loop 
Old-Town Sights
Atomium/Laeken
EU Quarter/Woluwe Park
For more running routes, see Route List

NOTE: see the Destinations Tips page for tips about spending your free time in this great town!

Brussels is a compact city that is graced with some exceptional roles: as the Belgian capital city, European Union capital, NATO headquarters, capital of its own small province, as well as being the chocolate capital of the universe. There are interesting things to see everywhere you go.

Woluwe Park

Here's a run that takes you from the city center out through the EU quarter, along an elegant boulevard and then through the rolling hills of Woluwe Park out in the wealthy suburbs before returning on a parallel path. Actually this route can also be shortened by almost half by returning before getting out to Woluwe.

I used to run fairly often to Woluwe, in the days when I worked several months each year in Brussels. But that was decades ago. And when I headed out there again on a business trip this week, I realized that I had forgotten how hilly Woluwe was! But it's still as beautiful as I remembered. So let's get going on this varied and beautiful route!

The fountain in Brussels Park, with the Belgian Parliament in background

So get yourself to the fountain in Brussels Parc, across from the entrance to the Belgian Parliament. This shady square is lodged between the parliament and the royal palace, and is one of the most popular jogging spots in town.

Turn east and start running east, out Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat. As you enter the EU quarter, you'll already be able to see the gigantic triumphal arch in Cinquantenaire/Jubel Park in the distance, right where we're heading.

Along Loi, let's get by here fast!

This first part of the run is the least pleasant, actually, with loud traffic and office buildings for the first kilometer. You'll run downhill, then up again, past various EU buildings and other offices. On the uphill section, the new European Commission building is on the left side before the Robert Schuman roundabout.

European Commission building in the rain

But once you get past the roundabout, the street gets nicer, with a narrow park as a median strip.

Then, you run straight into Cinquantenaire/Jubel Park, a nicely maintained park dominated by its huge arch, built to celebrate modern Belgium's 50th anniversary.

Cinquantenaire Park

At each side of the arch are some old exhibition buildings now used as museums for art, cars and the military, at the 2-km mark. You can look into the windows of the big airplane hall on the left side to see a lot of cool old planes.

At the arch

Now exit the park, still heading eastwards.  Continue following the street, now called Avenue de Tervueren/Tervurenlaan, which will become increasingly more elegant, lined with nice stone row-houses.

Rowhouses along Tervuren

The further out of the city you run, the nicer it gets. As you come into the wealthy Woluwe suburbs, you're in another world, with huge homes and landscaped gardens.

Montgomery Square

At the three-kilometer mark, you'll come to a huge traffic circle, Montgomery Square. From now on, you'll run past big mansions as you come into Woluwe. 

Amazing art-deco mansion

NOTE: if you want to cut off 5 kilometers from this fairly long run, turn right at Montgomery onto Boulevard Saint-Michel/Sint-Michielslaan and run a few blocks till Rue de l'Escadron, where you turn right and follow the return way back as described later in this route.

Turn in here to the park!

When Avenue de Tervueren comes to a green valley sloping away to the right, take that first cobblestone road down (Montagne aux Ombres/Lommerberg) into the valley, into Woluwe Park. Before the road turns to the right, take the stepped shortcut down towards the ponds below.

The park trail: head uphill, then left

Now, head uphill between the lake and the pond to follow the trail eastwards on the far side of the lake as it turn left, keeping you further from the street noise. This also means, though, that you have to climb the hills over there.

When you come to the paved road after the first lake, cross the street to continue along the trail lining the second lake.

The fake-stone bridge

When you see the little fake-boulder path leading across the lake, cross it to the east to get a nice view of the lake, then turn right to continue southwards, uphill.

When you get to the paved street with car traffic (Avenue du Parc de Woluwe/Woluwelaan), turn right and follow it as it snakes its way westwards up the wooded hill towards the park exit.

NOTE: The rest of the way back involves a lot of zig-zagging from street to street. If you want to keep it simple, just turn around here and re-trace the first part of the run from here. But the route as it continues lets you experience a bit more of this interesting town.

Coming into Woluwe

You'll now enter a quiet Woluwe neighborhood, at the 6-km mark, full of nice villas, running northwards. The street name changes to Avenue des Franciscains/Franciskanenlaan. When you pass the church ahead, the road curves to the right as it goes by a few small stores. Turn left at the little square to run past the bank and continue running north along Avenue des Eglantines/Eglantierenlaan. A really pleasant neighborhood around here!

When you get to Legrain, the street-crossing with the triangular planters in the street, turn right to run downhill, heading north. This street is lined with fairly normal apartments. The further we run back into the center, the less elegant things will get.

After Legrain starts to head uphill again, turn left onto Avenue des Volontaires/Vrijwilligerslaan for just a block, and then turn right to continue northwards along Baron de Castro.

In a few blocks, at the 8-km mark, you'll come to where Castro crosses Boulevard Saint-Michel/Sint-Michielslaan, with its tram line and lots of traffic. Cross the street and continue straight ahead for two blocks.

African archer

When you come to a roundabout surrounded by shops and a supermarket, turn left to keep following the street with the median-strip, passing a statue of an African shooting a bow along Avenue du Front/Frontlaan.

This neighborhood has some fairly modern apartments lining it, and you'll run through a park-like square and continue (the streetname changes to 11 November) till you cross Avenue de la Chasse/Jachtlaan.

After Jachtlaan, take the second right-hand turn and run north along Baron Lambert in Etterbek. The houses look a lot simpler around here, and more urban as we get closer to central Brussels. Keep running along  Baron Lambert until it ends at Chaussée Saint-Pierre/St.-Peter.

Etterbek street

Turn left onto St. Peter, and run until you reach one of the of the coolest spots in Brussels, Jourdan Square, with its outdoor restaurants and cafes. You'll immediately wish you weren't wearing your smelly running gear, and could sit down to enjoy a good Belgian beer at one of those outdoor tables.

Jourdan Square: I want to stay here!

Turn right on the far side of the square to follow the tram tracks northwards to the next intersection with a traffic light, at Chaussée d'Etterbeek, the 10-km mark.

You'll see a park across the street, Leopold Park. So let's get away from the street noise and head into the park, keeping left to run past its little lake, and run past the Lycee school sitting above you on the left.

EU Parliament from Leopold Park: keep right!

Head west through the park, heading towards the giant glass EU buildings ahead, for the European Parliament. We're now back in EU country, and almost done.

When you get to the oval-shaped parliament building, keep right to run past the right side of the glass building next to it (another parliament building). You'll see stairs going up along the side of the building (look for the big, colorful arrows!), taking you up to the higher square in front of the EU buildings, Luxembourg Square. There are giant banners hanging all over, illustrating the insides of the parliament for visitors, a bit of pro-EU propaganda.

Luxembourg Square: EU Parliament entrance

Now turn right to run westwards through the square and along Rue Luxembourg, which will take you a few blocks through some downtown buildings until you come to Troon, a traffic-clogged square and its Metro station. The cross street here follows the course of the old city walls.

Cross Troon and then follow the street to the right (Rue Ducale), past the side of the Royal Palace, then straight into Brussels Park again, where you'll see the fountain across the park where you started. You've made it!

Entering Brussels Park again

Gent Watersportbaan Lake Running Route

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Length 5 km (3.1 miles), terrain: flat

Gent Running Routes:
Old Town Route
Waterside Route
Watersportbaan Lake Route
For more running routes, see Route List. 

By far, the most popular running route in Gent, Belgium (spelled Ghent in Dutch) is a loop around the Watersportbaan lake. The lake looks more like a canal: long and straight, stretching east-west, and a loop around it is exactly 5 kilometers long.

The lake is artificial, as you can imagine, created as a rowing competition site, and it is still in constant use by rowing clubs, and there are several big regattas each year. The lake is on the west edge of the city center.

Runner along Watersportbaan

I ran this route on a rainy autumn evening, so it didn't enchant me all that much, but I tried to imagine it in the summer sun, and it certainly does have its possibilities, with connections to extensive nature trails to the north and south.

A route like this is pretty simple and doesn't need much description. It is run in both directions. This route sets out counter-clockwise around the lake.

We'll start at the east end of the lake, along busy Verenigde Natieslaan (United Nations Lane). This is the widest spot of the lake, with a little park and water-polo areas.

Start of the run, in the little park

There is a little sidewalk in the park next to the water and another near the street. Most runners stay next to the street: the park area can be full of litter and bottles.

OK, so let's get going! Face westwards, with the water to your left side and off we go!

You'll immediately run by two rowing clubs on your left, then come to the straight part of the lake. Now just keep running along the water, heading westwards. You'll probably see some rowing teams out on the lake at this end.

There is a street that follows the complete edge of the lake, called Noorderlaan on this (north) side and Zuiderlaan on the other (south) side. But there isn't much traffic.

After a kilometer, the last buildings in town end, and there are fields along the right side of the lake. And further off to the north begins the vast Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen nature preserve.

You'll round the west end of the lake at the 2.5-km mark.

Running along the south side on a rainy evening

Now you head back to the start along the south side of the lake.

Around the 3-kilometer mark, you'll run past a huge indoor sports hall, the Topsporthal.

NOTE: If you want to add some distance and some more interesting scenery to the run, you can turn south at the street just after the Topsporthal. This will take you to a little, scenic lake called Blaarmeersen, which is lined by foot-trails, and even has a beach! You can follow the Vissersdijk trail along a little stream back to Watersportbaan.

Vissersdijk runs into Watersportbaan here

During the last kilometer, the road leaves the side of Watersportbaan to go around a little boat-club harbor and some sports fields. There's a traffic circle when this street runs into Verenigde Natieslaan.

Now just turn left and run the 100 meters back to the start.

Gent Old Town Running Route

Click here for route map
Length 7.2 km (4.5 miles), terrain: flat

Gent Running Routes:
Old Town Route
Waterside Route
Watersportbaan Lake Route
For more running routes, see Route List. 
Having traveled to several Belgian towns in the last few months, the beauty of the old neighborhoods, the many canals and rivers, the elegant squares all combine to form a harmonic whole that infuses Flemish towns. So when you're there, make sure you run at least once through the old town.

So that's just what I did in Gent (Ghent in Dutch). I found a route that connected a lot of the most interesting spots in the old town. And, similar to Leuven, Gent also features two Begijnhof neighborhoods (medieval womens' religious communities), which lie at each end of the run.

Sint-Elisabeth church in the great Begijnhof

We'll start at the west side of the old town, at the Sint-Elisabeth Begijnhof, also called the Groot (great) Begijnhof. The small neighborhood of little homes surrounds a church and churchyard. The walls that once surrounded the community have been torn down, so it's hard to tell where it really begins nowadays.

NOTE: see the Destinations Tips page for tips about spending your free time!
 
Get yourself to the front door of the church on Begijnhofdries, and we'll start this very scenic run. First, we'll loop around the block to get a feel for the Begijnhof neighborhood, and we'll see a bit more when we get back later.

In the Great Begijnhof

So, facing the church entrance, turn left to run north past the homey little houses of Sophie van Akenstraat. At the end of the block, turn right, then right again on Gravin Johannastraat to run back to the churchyard.

Cross the churchyard park, behind the church, and now turn left to exit the Begijnhof towards the east. You'll see tram tracks at the next corner. Now, just follow the tracks as they curve eastwards down Burgstraat (Castle Street).

This isn't the most scenic street of the run, but there is the Carmelite monastery along the left side (behind the parking lot).

Gravensteen castle

When you get to the east end of Burgstraat, the houses get older and more beautiful, then you'll cross the Lieve River, with the impressive Gravensteen castle on the left side, and the fish market on the right. This is the one-kilometer mark.

Now the tram tracks turn right to head into the heart of the old town, crossing the Leie River at the old riverfront meat warehouse, and turning right again at the vegetable market.

The Korenmarkt

You are now running south, right into the Korenmarkt (grain market) square. The square is now lined by restaurants, and the trams drive through every few minutes.

The gothic Sint-Niklaas church marks the south end of the square, at the liveliest tram transfer spot in town, so there is always traffic here.

At the end of the church, turn left to follow the tram tracks eastwards past the Three Towers: Sint Niklaas, the town bell tower and Sint Baafs.

The three towers in morning light

This area is one of the most amazing medieval ensembles in Europe. The gothic cloth-hall sits next to the bell tower, giving the false impression that it is a church, and the huge, renaissance-era town hall occupies a block behind the tower.

When you get to the front door of Sint Baafs cathedral, turn right to leave the tram tracks and run south along Lang Kruisstraat.

This takes you into Gent's shopping precinct. You'll run through a little square with a fountain. At the far end of the square, follow the pedestrians along Koesstraat (there's a way-sign pointing to the Opera there, follow that).

The shopping streets

Keep running south as the street name changes to Kortedagsteeg and then crosses another river (really, a canal called Ketelvaart). This is the 2-kilometer mark.

You're now heading uphill, in the university neighborhood. There are a lot of fun-looking student hangouts.

Up the hill, you'll see the massive, palace-like Vooruit building. This was once the cultural center of the Vooruit (Forwards) labor organization and its co-op movement. Now it's a cultural center for the whole city, with a ballroom, cinema, cafés, etc.

Just before reaching Vooruit, though, turn left on Lammerstraat, passing some very interesting Latin-American-style restaurants, crossing the canal again, and coming to busy Woodrow Wilson square, with the public library.

Turn right just before the modern, rounded library facade, and head south along Franklin Rooseveltlaan. You'll see a long, thin park coming into view behind the library, Koning Albertpark. Try to run on one of the paths in the middle of the park

In Albertpark

After just 100 meters, you'll come to a mounted statue of King Albert, where you turn left and cross busy Orbanlaan to run into the side-street, Sint-Annastraat.

We're now getting close to the turn-around spot of the run. So now just turn right onto Lange Violettestraat and head south for a block. You'll see the brick wall of the Klein Begijnhof along the left. When you see the arched entryway through the wall, turn left to enter the grounds of this quiet little oasis.

Like all the Begijnhofs, this one also surrounds a churchyard, with the baroque Onze-Lieve-Vrouw church visible from every direction. Red-brick houses behind white walls line the perimeter of the Begijnhof.

In the Klein Begijnhof

It's nice here to just run a loop along the periphery of the grounds, past the many little gateways in the white walls.

When you get back to the main (and only) entrance of the grounds, run out to Lange Violettestraat again and turn right to head back home. But we'll run back a different way, and see some more Gent landmarks.

Lange Violettestraat runs into a busy spot around the green square of Sint-Annaplein, at the 4-km mark. At Sint Anna church, cross the square, using the zebra stripes on both sides, then turn right to head north on Filips van Arteveldestraat. The street turns into a riverside road along the Leie River up ahead.

Autumn colors along the Leie River

The road now takes you northwards along the river. Stay on the riverside trail, passing the public swimming pool, and a small-boat marina in the water.

There's a little park behind the pool, and you cross a little stainless-steel pedestrian bridge to continue along the river for another block.

You'll see Volmolenstraat heading through a quiet, working-class neighborhood to the left, so let's take that. After a few blocks, we're back in the old-town again, facing the back end of the gigantic Sint-Jacobs church. This is one of my favorite churches in Gent: it is so long, it seems to go on for miles.

Follow the zebra-stripes and run past the church along the right side (north). At the front door, turn right onto Wijzemanstraat and head into my favorite square, the Vrijdagmarkt (Friday Market).

Vrijdagmarkt and the Wise Man

This beautiful square is lined with a great collection of old houses, many with restaurants and pubs. The gothic building with the round tower is the oldest on the square, and there is a statue of Jacob van Artevelde, known as the Wise Man of Gent.

The square is the place where the city's pageantry took place: foreign rulers were greeted here and public feasts were held.

The northern corner of the square is dominated by two more huge labor-union/co-op buildings, looking like palaces.

The great cannon

Leave the square at the northwest end and run the short block to the huge orange cannon parked at the Leie River. The cannon is a medieval "supergun" built to blast apart town walls during a siege. This one broke while firing and has been living a decorative existence ever since.

Turn right to run to the little drawbridge near the cannon, where you turn left to cross the river and head into my favorite neighborhood in Gent: Patershol.

This small neighborhood is full of little lanes and old houses, and is a favorite place for locals to go out in the evenings. You'll first come to the main shopping street, Oudburg, and its great old houses.

In Patershol

But keep running straight into the neighborhood, along Rodekoningstraat, to the 'tklokhuys restaurant, where you turn left to do a loop through part of the neighborhood.

At the end of the block, turn right on Hertogstraat, and follow it until you exit the neighborhood at Geldmunt street, with its tram tracks. Turn right here to run a block, where you turn left again, onto Lievestraat.

Crossing the Lieve, looking along Abrahamstraat

This street takes you, as you can imagine, across the Lieve river, where you keep running straight (under the name Abrahamstraat) until it ends at Bonifantenstraat. The Carmelite monastery that we passed at the beginning of the run is behind the walls straight ahead, but we have to go around it by following Bonifantenstraat south to Burgstraat.

Now we just have to turn right and follow Burgstraat back to the Begijnhof.

Provenierstersstraat, back in the Great Begijnhof

To see a bit more of the Begijnhof, turn left onto the lane of Provenierstersstraat to see a block of the little walled homes before getting back to our starting spot at Sint-Elisabeth church.