Wuppertal is a city in the North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. Straddles the densely populated banks of the River Wupper, Wuppertal is among the greenest cities in Germany, known for its steep slopes, woods and parks. Although there isn’t a longer path along the river, there’s wonderful variety of running in Wuppertal’s numerous parks, with a nice variety of forested & more open options, and two longer multi-use trails.
A great way to get oriented is our ‘runseeing’ tour of Elberfeld (not that much older architecture, as the city was heavily bombed in WWII), which has some nice pedestrian sections, some riverfront, and the Schwebebahn suspension railway. Hardt Park can be run standalone or as part of our Elberfeld tour. Other good parks for running in Wuppertal include Nützenberg, Friedrichsberg, & Arboretum Burgholz. For a longer, less hilly run, choose a section of the 23 km Nordbahntrasse multi-use path, with its illuminated tunnels and views over the rooftops of the city. In the southern part of Wuppertal, the Sambatrasse is another paved rail-trail with a more pastoral, linear park feel. In Barmen, there’s a large network of green spaces highlighted by Scharpenacken & Barmer Anlagen.
Runner Notes: Wuppertal is hilly! Best ‘flatter’ option is the Nordbahntrasse. Also, Wuppertal is among the rainier cities in Germany. The city is well-served by transport, though a car might be needed to access some of the nature parks.
