Where to run in Brussels
On January 23, we went to Brussels to host our very first Sub Rosa race of the year in this unbelievably pretty city. The race was spectacular, fun and very demanding - every component of the Sub Rosa mentality. Below the running guide, you can enjoy some of the pictures from the race and you can head over to our Facebook page to see the entire album.
Immediately, we decided to provide you with a running guide from this memorable city. Not only is Brussels the capital for the European Union, but it is quite historic and have many architectural landmarks as well. Some of which are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Brussels running guide
For this guide, we have teamed up with Brussels Running Crew. They have promised to take us through the city and will bring you their absolute best advice on the below:
- Best scenic/tourist run
- Best long run
- Best tempo run
- Best interval run
- Best park run
- Best soft surface run
- Best hill run
Read the full guide below the picture.
1. Best scenic/tourist run
You should start your run in the city center, at the old Stock Exchange in the car free pedestrian zone. Run to the Grans Place and all the way up to Mont Des Arts, the Royal palace, run further to the European Institutions, Place Luxembourg and run back to Parc Warande, along Louise to the Palais de la Justice, down through the Marollen, find Manneken Pis, close to the Grand Place and head back to the Stock Exchange. You’ll enjoy every moment of this run.
2. Best long run
Brussels is actually a green city. For a long run you can enjoy yourself if you start at Bois de La Cambre at Chalet Robinson. You can head into Forest de Soignes and follow trails as long as you want. Forest de Soignes has a surface of 44 km². It’s beautiful and peaceful
3. Best tempo run
Brussels is a hilly city. Everywhere you go, you’ll have some hills to beat. But if you want to go for a flat fast run, start at Kanal, a soon to be museum & Kaaitheater. Run along the Brussels canal all the way to Anderlecht and even further. You can run for hours along the water and you cross a bridge and run back on the other side. Good for a speedy run.
Also a nice spot to check out for a good tempo run is the Hippodrome in Watermaal - Bosvoorde / Watermael - Boitsfort. The old Hippdrome has a soft underground where you can speed up laps. It's close to Bois de la Cambre and Forest de Soignes. It's a great place for doing some laps or a fartlek run. One lap is 1,9K.
4. Best interval run
Join the runners in Parc du Cinquantenaire. You can run a soft trail around the park for a fartlek run. There is also a track in the park itself for speedy runs. A lot of runners go here and you even have some clubs over there that focus on track racing.
5. Best park run
One of my favorite runs: Start at Simonis, at the entrance of Parc Elisabeth in Koekelberg. Run uphill to the Basilique. Enjoy yourself a ‘Rocky’-moment on the stairs of the Basilique. At the backside of the Basilique run downhill to Laerbeek Bos for a few kilometers and run to Marais de Jette/Ganshoren & Parc Baudouin. If you have some breath left, run all the way to Parc de Laeken and visit The Atomium. And find your way back to Parc Elisabeth.
6. Best soft surface run
They are constructing a new park close to the city center behind the old Gare Maritime at Tour & Taxis. You can start your run there, run around the park for a while and find your way to the closeby Parc Elisabeth, where you can proceed your run on a soft surface. Parc du Cinquantenaire is also a great place to run on soft surface.
7. Best hill run
Brussels is a hilly city. But if you want to challenge yourself even more, head to Parc de Forest et Parc Duden. Uphill and downhill all the time. Great for hilly training sessions.
