Best Running Routes in Paris 2026

Paris pairs genuine landmark density along the Seine with two enormous wooded parks at either edge of the city, giving runners both scenic short loops and real distance. Here are the best running routes in Paris for 2026.

The Seine Riverbanks

The Berges de Seine, flat paved and cobbled quays running through the city centre, pass the Eiffel Tower, the Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre and Notre-Dame, with the Left Bank sections largely car-free. Distances are flexible, from a short loop to 15 kilometres or more one way, and it is arguably the most scenic urban run anywhere in Europe.

Bois de Boulogne

In the 16th arrondissement, the Bois de Boulogne offers 56 kilometres of trails across a park roughly two and a half times the size of Central Park. The signature loop runs 10.7 kilometres, or a shorter 5.5 kilometre loop circles Lac Inférieur from Porte Dauphine to the Cascade, on mostly packed gravel and dirt, gently rolling and wooded.

Bois de Vincennes

Paris's largest park at 995 hectares, the Bois de Vincennes has a full outer-perimeter loop of about 13.4 kilometres with roughly 180 metres of elevation gain, or a shorter perimeter option of about 7.2 kilometres. Gravel and packed-dirt paths pass the medieval Château de Vincennes and an arboretum, and the park forms part of the official Paris Marathon course.

Canal Saint-Martin and the Promenade Plantée

Canal Saint-Martin's flat, paved towpath runs a popular 5.3 kilometres one way past 19th-century iron footbridges and locks, with a genuine local, unhurried atmosphere especially on weekend mornings. The Promenade Plantée, also known as the Coulée Verte René-Dumont, is an elevated garden walkway of about 4 kilometres built on a disused 19th-century rail viaduct, the same concept that inspired New York's High Line, planted with lime trees and climbing roses.

Running the Paris Marathon Route

The Paris Marathon, held each April, starts near the Arc de Triomphe, runs down the Champs-Élysées, circles Place de la Concorde, passes the Louvre and Tuileries, loops through the Bois de Vincennes, follows a 9 kilometre Seine-side stretch past Notre-Dame and the Musée d'Orsay, then crosses into the Bois de Boulogne before finishing near the Arc de Triomphe, stitching together several of the routes above.

Practical Guide to Running in Paris

The Seine riverbanks are the most reliable choice for a scenic, flat run at any time of day; the Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes are the better options for anyone wanting genuine distance and trail terrain.

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