Best Paris Running Routes and Trails

Top 12 Paris Routes
Arriving in Paris, it can look like a very unpleasant place to run. There are lots of wide, traffic-clogged streets, sidewalks full of people, uneven pavement, and lots of noise. In all, it's pretty daunting. But I love running in Paris. It's easy to avoid the loudest streets and to discover interesting neighborhoods all over this city full of character. The parks aren't as big as in London, but you can still find green areas and waterside runs to highlight your day.

Tuileries boat rentals

The Best Paris Routes
Seine/Champs Elysees Loop:  This is the classic Paris run. If you have just one chance to run, try this: following part of the Seine, running through the Louvre and Tuileries gardens, and then up the Champs Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe, then to the Eifel Tower and back, past the Invalides and along the Seine again.

Seine Riverside Run:  This run traces the newly cleared-of-traffic riverside sections, turning the Seine into a running paradise. This is the place for a morning jog if you're staying in the center of town.

Left Bank Route:  Discover the backstreets in the Latin Quarter around the Sorbonne University with this run.

Montmartre / Pigalle: Montmartre is maybe the most romantic neighborhood in Paris: hilltop views, Sacré-Cœur basilica, artists painting portraits on every corner, charming restaurants. Who can resist?

Canal St. Martin:  Here's a quiet, scenic run that follows the old Canal St. Martin, with its arched pedestrian bridges and boat locks.

Saint Germain: This short Left Bank run explores the quintessential neighborhood, St. Germain, with its galleries, cafés and bookstores, along with the Luxembourg Garden and the Seine.

Parc Chaumont:  This park is a hidden gem on the north side of town. An ex-quarry, it's full of cliffs, water and an island citadel. Also a great place to do some hill work.

Bois de Boulogne:  This is the place to go on a summer evening. This wooded parkland on the west edge of town is a paradise for runners, with lakes and gardens, streams and trees.

La Défense/Nanterre: This interesting route takes you through a whole different side of the French soul, discovering the modernistic architecture of the La Défense area. 

St. Louis/St. Paul/Jardin des Plantes:  This route explores the eastern side of the town center, and this beautiful section of the Seine, with its islands. It starts at the Île de la Cité, at Notre Dame, and crosses Île Saint-Louis with its old houses, then loops through the old Marais neighborhood before crossing the Seine to the botanical gardens, the Jardin des Plantes. A loop through this beautiful little park precedes the run back along the south bank of the Seine.

Bois de Vincennes: Like the Bois de Boulogne, but for the east side of Paris: wooded parkland with lakes, athletic fields, streams and garden. A great place to run!

Versailles Palace Gardens: The extensive gardens are free to the public, full of trails and offer impressive contrasts from the opulent palace to vegetable fields and sheep pastures. Definitely a run you'll never forget.

Best London Running Routes and Trails

Top London Running Routes
London is a big city, and some neighborhoods look definitely anti-runner: buses and cars pouring through, concrete as far as you can see, and your route blocked by traffic lights at every intersection. But, if you look off into the quieter side-streets, you'll find an astounding variety of big, beautiful parks, and lots of riverside and canal-side trails to provide you with a new inspiring run every day.

There is no city that can beat London's network of parks -- in size or quality. So I've compiled my own list of favorite runs here, that I hope will brighten your day as much as they have many of my own.

Green Park near Buckingham Palace

The Best London Routes
3-Parks Running Route:  This central London route takes you through a chain of three wonderful parks: Hyde Park, Green Park and St. James' Park.
Hyde Park Route:  This is the classic London route: looping through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.
Embankment Run: Take this riverside view through the heart of London.
Notting Hill / Holland Park:  This elegant neighborhood near Bayswater, with its Georgian-era homes, is always an inspiration.
Regents Canal / Camden Town:  Regents Canal winds through several quiet, nice neighborhoods, from Paddington to funky Camden Town, with a crossing of Regent's Park.
Regent's Park Running Route:  This route loops the park and its many sports fields, and heads up Primrose Hill for a great view over the city.
Chelsea Route: This elegant neighborhood combines quiet side streets full of homey row-houses, lively Kings Road and a nice stretch of the Chelsea Embankment along the Thames.
Richmond Park Route:  Richmond Park is a sprawling piece of countryside on the southern edge of London, with lots of ancient trees and thousands of deer. And posh Richmond adds a nice contrast.
Greenwich:  This route winds through the storied center of Britain's nautical history, and hilltop Greenwich Park.
Hampstead East-Heath:  Hampstead is a Georgian-era village tucked into metro London, and it's bordered by its beautiful and hilly heath, criss-crossed with running trails.
Docklands / Limehouse: Here's a route directly along the Thames and past the various old harbor basins in this rejuvenated area of East London.
Heathrow, Harmondsworth Moor:  If you're stuck out at Heathrow Airport, try this run through Harmondsworth Moor and its variety of trails. A surprising oasis right past the runways!
Victoria Park / Regents Canal East: This route ventures into London's East End, with a fun combination of canal-side tow-paths and a loop around Victoria Park, one of the biggest green areas in the East End.
Wimbledon Common Trail Run: This rambling stretch of heath, woods, hills and ponds is a great place to explore a bit of British countryside and enjoy a nice trail run.
Royal Docks/ExCeL: The old Royal Docks on the far-eastern end of the city, have been redeveloped for such things as the ExCeL conference center, plus tourist attractions, flats, parks, industrial lots, the City Airport, and the Thames Barrier. Lots of variety on this run!

London Notting Hill/Holland Park Running Route

Click here for route map
Length 5.3 km (3.3 miles), terrain: a few light hills

London Running Routes:
Best London Running Routes: Overview 
Thames Embankment
Docklands-LimehouseRegent's Canal and Camden Town  
Hampstead Heath  
3-Parks Route: Hyde Park, Green Park, St. James' Park  
Regent's Park  
Hyde Park   
Chelsea
Heathrow Harmondsworth Moor  
Greenwich 
Richmond Park
Notting Hill
Victoria Park
Wimbledon Common Trail Run
Royal Docks/ExCeL Route 
Kew / Brentford Thames Run  
For more running routes, see Route List.
Here's a nice run if you're staying in the Bayswater area of London: a loop through the elegant Notting Hill neighborhood and nearby Holland Park. Notting Hill is an interesting mix of Georgian-style homes and the famous street market along Portobello Road. And an added loop through Holland Park adds some nice green-space to the run, immersing you in some soothing nature, which is a real life-saver in busy London. Without a dose of nature each day, London can soon exhaust any visitor. This run is pretty much an even mix of busy streets, quiet neighborhoods and parkland trails.

Elegant homes in Notting Hill

NOTE: see the Destinations Tips page for tips about spending your free time in this great town!
 
We'll start the run at Notting Hill Gate, close to many hotels, and it's a stop on the Central-, District- and Circle tube lines, so it's easy to get to.

To start the run, face north at Pembridge Road and run for two blocks, where you turn left onto Portobello Road. The first part of the road is residential, lined with colorful cottages, then more shops fill the houses after you cross Cheepstow Villas. 

Along the first part of Portobello Road

The market stands begin here, too. The market runs daily except Sundays. Some days the market sells new goods or fruits and vegetables, and on Saturdays the flea-market stands sell used stuff. It has gotten pretty touristy, so you probably won't see anything along here that has a connection to the real London daily life, mainly souvenirs.

Portobello Road market

Luckily, during most peoples' running times -- mornings and evenings -- the market is closed, and you won't have to deal with the crowds milling slowly between the stands.

NOTE: If you're a big Notting Hill film fan, Hugh Grant's bookstore was located at 142 Portobello Road, a shop with a blue facade on the right side of the street.

When you get to Westbourne Park Road, at about the 1-km mark, turn left to run one block to Kensington Park Road, and then turn left again to run back south along the street, parallel to the way you just ran. This street is quieter than Portobello Road, and the Georgian residential homes begin here, as you head uphill a bit.

After about four blocks, you'll come to Ladbroke Gardens, where we'll turn right to run along this elegant street. The name changes to Landsdowne Crescent as it curves to the left, heading south. In springtime, some house-fronts are covered with blooming wisteria.

Landsdowne Crescent

When you reach St. John's Church, at the top of the hill, turn right at the back of the church and run downhill a block to Landsdowne Road, where you turn left and run south past more elegant homes to Holland Park Road. There is a tube station here, and some nice cafés and shops.

Turn left on busy Holland Park Road and run to the next corner, where you turn right to cross the street and run south up Holland Park, past the statue of a Ukranian saint. This is the half-way point of the run.

A look at the Mews, not bad!

You'll run a bit uphill, as the street curves to the right. You might want to look into the second side-street on the right, Holland Park Mews, this cool street is a typical alley created for servants and deliveries for the villas along the main streets. Nowadays, the servants' quarters and stables have been turned into nice little homes of their own.

At the top of the curve, you'll see a white wall with a gate into Holland Park. Turn left to run through the gate and run up into the park. We'll now begin a 2-km loop of the park.

Run south to the seated statue of Lord Holland (whose land this once was), and turn right to run westward along the paved path through the woods until you see the sign for the Kyoto Gardens trail, where you turn left and run past (or loop through) the beautiful little Japanese Gardens.

Kyoto Gardens: a bit of paradise in Holland Park

At the south end of the gardens, keep running south, and in 100 meters you'll come to another formal gardens.

Run to the sundial in the gardens and turn south to run past the café and rose garden. 

The sundial in the formal garden: run to the right side here

When you hit the playground, turn left and then right onto the trail heading south along the athletic fields. Don't follow the street as it leaves the park, but get onto the paved footpath right along the edge of the field, going past the workout machines (very cool!) and then curving to the left along the south edge of the field.

Along the athletic field

You'll pass the Commonwealth headquarters building on your right side, with its pointed roof. When you reach the southeast corner of the park, go through the little swinging gate and turn north (left) onto the paved path going north along the east edge of the park.

You'll then pass the remains of the old Holland mansion, now used as a youth hostel. Much of the house was destroyed by bombs in the war, and an ugly new addition was stuck on it for the hostel.

Front of Holland House

When you get back to the north end of the park, follow the path as it turns to the left and takes you back to the spot where you entered the park.

Now head north back out the gate in the white wall, turn right, and run back along Holland Park to Holland Park Road.

Now just turn right onto Holland Park Road and follow this street the last 500 meters back to Notting Hill Gate. The street is loud, but still quite scenic, with a lot of nice old houses.