Europe

Brussels, Belgium

See Also Our Running Guide to Nearby Leuven

Brussels, Belgium is an under-rated city from a travel perspective. There are some wonderful examples of older European architecture, grand squares and charming neighborhoods, important institutions such as NATO and the EU, terrific museums, and a cosmopolitan flair, mixing French cuisine, a Dutch influence, and a growing North African population. This is our guide to running in Brussels, Belgium. If you’d like to have an in-person guided running experience in Brussels, we highly recommend our friends at Go! Running Tours.  And, runners — the city has great chocolate and even a chocolate museum!

The running scene is defined by a series of lovely parks. String a few of them together to get a longer jaunt in. A 3–4 mile route through the compact city center will provide a ‘running tour’ of some of the city’s most important sites, between Parc Bruxelles and the Cinquantenaire. One of the best places to run in Brussels is the Sonian Forest, with its vast network of trails, Royal Walk, & Arboretum. There’s some great running along the canals, and in several Forest Parks near the city: Parc de Forest/Parc Duden, and Bois de la Cambre.  Another nice linear park run is between Rodebeek and Auderghem, showcasing Parc de Woluwe. And don’t forget our ‘chocolate‘ run!

The city’s 4 metro lines and excellent tram and bus system make it easy to get anywhere and to running spots a bit further afield.

Editor's Picks

Some of our favorite runs in Brussels, Belgium

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  • Weather & Climate
  • Where To Stay
  • Stores & Group Runs
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Destination Run: Leuven

Brussels, Belgium

We've put together several great running routes in the beautiful city of Leuven. Only 25 km from Brussels or a 20 minute train ride. Tour the Old Town, run along the River Dye, or enjoy its parks, preserves, & wooded paths.
Explore

Brussels weather is similar to Paris and Amsterdam. Winters are cool and damp but rarely frigid or snowy. Summers are mild to warm and fairly humid, with long days and cool-ish nights.brussels-weather

Stay anywhere in the center city or near the old city, and you can do a nice ‘tourist’ run of Brussels, or access some of the main parks such as Cinquantenaire and the Parc de Bruxelles. Your other best bet is to get a hotel near Bois de la Cambre, which also provides access to the Forêt de Soignes. In the northern section near the Expo, try to stay near Laeken, which has good access to parks.

Running Stores and Group Runs

There are several running specialty stores located in Brussels. Jogging Plus, Trakks, and Training7 are the most notable. They don’t appear to do group runs.

Jogging Plus Centrally located on 10, rue de Luxembourg, near Parc de Bruxelles.

Puma Store.  Also near Parc de Bruxelles.

Training7. Main runners shop of Brussels. Near the Soignes Forest trailhead on the Chaussée de Wavre.

Trakks. Great running and outdoor store at Parc de Cambre.

Clubs and Group Runs

CityRuns offers great running tours of Bruseels.

Friskis & Svettis. 25 year old volunteer run organization. Group runs with schedule that changes frequently.

Hash House Harriers. Since 1980. Group runs Saturdays 3pm.

Brussels Runners Meetup group. Lots of group runs.

Club L’enjambée Woluwé located at SPORTCITY. They organize 2 training sessions a week including Sunday 10am in the Forest.

Le Cepal. A more serious training club.

 


Brussels Marathon. October. Every city has a marathon. This is Brussels’ version.

The Brussels 20k. May. One one of the biggest races in Europe. 40k people. Great run touring Brussels.

La Bruxelloise. Exclusively for women. 3,6,9k versions on the banks of the Ixelles ponds.

The Color Run. September. Brussels version of this increasingly popular event.

Mannekin Pis-Corrida. Fun race between Christmas and New Years. 4.5 and 7.5k races.