Groningen is the largest city and the cultural centre of the northern part of the Netherlands. It’s now a major university city. Numerous canals (grachten) surround the city, locally called diep. There are easy and scenic choices for running in Groningen, taking full advantage of the canals, lakes, numerous parks, and a good infrastructure of multi-use paths.
Our guide to the best places to run in Groningen includes lots to easily discover on your own, as most of the canals in and near the city have a path or pleasant road alongside. A great way to start is with our inner Groningen ‘runseeing‘ tour, which features canal paths along the inner perimeter, the historic centre, and two major parks. There’s also similar type of route exploring the outer perimeter. Just south is the lakefront paths around the Nijveensterkolk area. For a longer canal-side run, there’s 10+ km along the Eemskanaal Noordzijde. And one of the most scenic places to run in Coningen is the Kardingebult, with many km of paths along canals. around lakes & wetlands, and nice open green spaces.
Runners should note this is the northern Netherlands. It can be rainy and damp. Long days in summer, short days in winter.
