If you’ve got the running bug, you know that participating in long distance running – especially if it is a marathon –  is not only one of those bucket-list moments, but a beautiful location is a major lure to start planning the next one. There’s no better way to see a city or a town than by running through it, combining  the pleasure with some eye-candy. Runseeing is running a sightseeing tour of the beautiful Budapest, leading through the center of the city, all the way down the famous Andrassy Boulevard and across the Chain Bridge. During the distance, you can admire the view of the Buda Castle from the Pest side, all the way down the Danube bank, passing Europe´s third largest Parliament building.

The best places to run in Budapest are all centrally located. The highlight is Margaret Island, a recreational mecca with several km of trails with great river and city views. There is also excellent running along the Danube, on both sides, there are also some great parks for running: City Park (Varosliget), Bikás Park, and Orczy Park. And for some hills, head to Gellért Hill in Buda and run up to the Citadel (fort), or enjoy the more expansive Normafa park, a few km west of the city. One thing that’s unique about running in Budapest is that there are many places with rubberized running tracks, which are dedicated paths for runners. The longest is 5.3 km on Margaret Island.

This long run has been divided it into a couple of runs, or cut some sections. The tour starts in City Park (Városliget), and follows the famous Andrássy Boulevard, passing by the House of Terror, the Opera House, and other downtown landmarks, along József Attila Street to cross the Chain Bridge to Buda. The next 2-3k are a tour of the Buda Castle and other landmarks in that area, using the perimeter roads. Next, head 1km south along the river, passing by the Museum of Folk Art and the Calvinist Church. The route then turns around at the church, heading north along the river for 5+km to the Rákóczi Bridge, skirting Gellért Hill, the Citadel and other Buda landmarks, with good views over to Pest. Turn around at the bridge, and run ~2.5km to the Liberty Bridge, crossing to Pest. Run nearly 2km along the water on the Pest side, back to the Chain Bridge and take a right on József Attila Street and then left on Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Street, for the final 3km, passing St. Stephen’s Basilica, and other landmarks, with great views to the Parliament Building, returning to City Park.

Reduce the distance by leaving the Buda option for a another day, and enjoy the main streets of Pest, with a riverside section. You can also do a great 10k by starting in City Park, and just using the river sections between Liberty Bridge and Chain Bridge, saving the other Danube sections for another day.

So do you reckon, you’ve got what it takes? The biggest half marathon in Central Europe will be back on 8th September, 2019, you can run the 21 km individually or with your friends in a team of two or three. There are usually over 15.000 participants on all the distances, with more than 10.000 half marathon runners and 1500 teams.

More info and other upcoming marathons, registration: https://entry.budapestmarathon.com

Text via www.greatruns.com

Photo: 123rf.com