Alphabet parkrun: Be a Global parkrun Tourist

Read time - 6 minutes

What is a parkrun tourist? It’s anyone who enjoys a parkrun which isn’t their immediate local run - simple as that!

If you're a globetrotting jogger, then the global success of parkrun means there's a whole host of incredibly exciting routes waiting for you. But it makes no sense to travel all that way and not see some of the country whilst you're there... 

Every one of these parkruns can be combined with an Exodus adventure, making the most of your airfare with a week or two-weeks' in-depth exploration of the country you’re visiting. Our dedicated sales experts can easily arrange flights and extra nights' accommodation so you can arrive a day early. 

A – Ally Pally, London, UK

Ally Pally Parkrun

It all began in London, which is why we’ve set A as Ally Pally or Alexandra Palace in North London. There are more than 600 parkrun events in the UK, which means it’s easy to find a local one. And if not, Ally Pally parkrun is just slightly over an hour away from Heathrow airport on the Piccadilly line - the starting point for many of our adventures.

Find out more about Ally Pally parkrun

B – Big Bay parkrun, Cape Town, South Africa

Big Bay Parkrun

On to the global scale now. Big Bay parkrun has it all – history, culture, stunning natural scenery and wildlife! You’ll run on the gorgeous sandy beach for this one, with views of both Robben Island and Table Mountain. In season you might even spot seals or whales from the shore.

Combine with: South Africa Wildlife & Wine

Find out more about Big Bay parkrun

C – Crissy Field parkrun, San Francisco, USA

Crissy Field parkrun

One of the oldest parkruns in the USA, Crissy Field parkrun has iconic status for other reasons too. Imagine your weekly parkrun but this time the backdrop is the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge, swooping over San Francisco Bay. If you’re looking for the perfect scenery, this is it.

Combine with: Western Explorer 

Find out more about Crissy Field parkrun

D – (Lac de) Divonne parkrun, France

Lac de Divonne parkrun

This lovely lakeside course was too pretty to miss – though we’ve taken some liberties with the lettering. Your route is an out-and-back horseshoe around one of the prettiest lakes, in easy reach of Geneva from where our Tour du Mont Blanc treks start. You'll actually cross the border into France for this one, but the lake is beautiful enough to spend the day there and there's a local swimming pool too. The easy, flat route along the promenade is a gentle introduction compared to the alpine trek to come!

Combine with: Tour du Mont Blanc Camping Trek

Find out more about Lac de Divonne parkrun

Image credit: By Henk Monster, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56726711

E – Etna parkrun, Sicily, Italy

Etna parkrun

How do you fancy your weekly parkrun on the ash-black slopes of an active volcano, followed by a local wine tasting? 

Combine with: Sicilian Volcanoes

Find out more about Etna parkrun.

F – Firenze parkrun, Florence, Italy

Firenze parkrun

This three-lap clockwise course around Florence’s biggest park runs like clockwork too – with easy tram links, Le Cascine park is a piece of cake to get to. And pieces of cake are widely available afterwards, with rollerbladers, city strollers, swimmers and even horse riders also frequenting the park’s many little kiosks selling coffee and sweet treats.

Combine with: Walking in Tuscany

Find out more about Firenze parkrun

Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/45768960094/in/pool-firenze-parkrun/

G – Green Point parkrun, Cape Town, South Africa

Greenpoint parkrun

Another Cape Town route – this city is spoilt for choice when it comes to beautiful runs to choose from. This one passes the famous Greenpoint Lighthouse and the stadium made famous in the men’s FIFA World Cup 2010. 

Find out more about Greenpoint parkrun.

Join: Exodus’ parkrun South Africa & Garden Route designed for parkrunners

H – Haga parkrun, Stockholm, Sweden

Haga parkrun

Hagaparken is a leafy, green park in Stockholm, but what makes this 5km a little unusual is the distinctive multicoloured tents along the route. It’s so picturesque that even the Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has been known to enjoy a royal run here!

Combine with: Stockholm & The Baltics in Winter 

Find out more about Haga parkrun

Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/42247286342/in/dateposted-public/

I – Inverness parkrun, Scotland

Inverness parkrun

Stunning Inverness is the start or end of the famous Caledonian Canal. Augment your adventure along this engineering marvel that links four famously beautiful lochs with stretches of canal for a coast-to-coast walk with a difference. 

Combine with: Loch Ness & the Caledonian Canal Self-Guided Walk

Find out more about Inverness parkrun

J – Jamaica Pond parkrun, Boston, USA

Jamaica Pond parkrun

If running alongside the water is your thing, then Jamaica Pond in beautiful Boston is a sure-fire hit. J is another rare letter, but this route is a rare treat too: looping around the lovely pond several times. Boston is a lovely sight, and this fascinating city is the start and end point for our sister company Grand American Adventure’s superb Appalachian Trail & New England Walk.

Find out more about Jamaica Pond parkrun

K – Krakow parkrun, Poland

Krakow parkrun

What makes Krakow brilliant is that it is a single lapper – that’s right, just one long route with no repetition. Unlike many courses it doesn’t go back on itself or involve a loop, meaning every step of the way through this leafy urban park is unique. You're also a stone's throw from the historic castle.

Combine with: The High Tatras

Find out more about Krakow parkrun

L – Løvstien parkrun, Bergen, Norway

Løvstien parkrun

Beautiful Bergen, with its wooden wharf area and picturesque pastel homes, has a fittingly pretty parkrun. You’ll follow the Løvstien Nature Trail at the foot of Løvstien mountain, just minutes from the city centre, on a broad path through Norway’s mossy forested natural splendour. Be warned though, this is a hilly course!

Combine with: Walking the Fjords

Find out more about Løvstien parkrun

M – Melkbosstrand parkrun, Cape Town, South Africa

Melkbosstrand parkrun

This stunning out-and-back beach parkrun is entirely on the soft sands of Melkboss beach, on the outskirts of beautiful Cape Town. With sea breezes keeping you cool and the crash of the waves as your soundtrack, this is probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing parkruns around and understandably popular, welcoming over 500 participants.

Combine with: Cape Town & the Garden Route

Find out more about Melkbosstrand parkrun

N – Natashinky parkrun, Moscow, Russia

Natashinky parkrun

This route around the mirror-like edges of Natashinksy Ponds of Lyubertsy on the outskirts of Moscow is a pleasant two-lapper through a suburban park, away from the crowds of Red Square – a chance to see modern life for Russians, a contrast to the grandiose history of the Tsars.

Combine with: Russia: Last Journey of the Tsars

Find out more about Natashinsky parkrun

P – Pegasus parkrun, Christchurch, New Zealand

Pegasus parkrun

Pegasus parkrun doesn’t just have a unique name, it’s also a unique parkrun. Your route follows the shores of Lake Pegasus, crossing over a scenic suspension bridge passing a waterfall and a mix of little beaches round the lake. It's just north of Christchurch on the South Island, where our Trails of New Zealand adventure ends – it’s a lovely place to extend your stay in New Zealand, which you’ll need to do by a few days in order to join on a Saturday morning. 

Combine with: Trails of New Zealand

Find out more about Pegasus parkrun

Q – Queenstown parkrun, New Zealand

Queenstown parkrun

Staying in the land of the long white cloud, our next parkrun is Queenstown. This beautiful route from the pocket-sized town takes you out along the paved shoreline of Lake Wakatipu, the lake that Maori legend says is the well of a giant’s heart. With a free day in Queenstown included on our Trekking in New Zealand adventure, you’ll have time to do a freedom parkrun – a self-timed run at any time that suits you, to fit in with any other Queenstown adrenaline activities you have on your bucket list. Perfect time to go is as the sun goes down over the mountains. 

Combine with: Trekking in New Zealand

Find out more about Queenstown parkrun

R – Richmond Olympic parkrun, Vancouver, Canada

Richmond Olympic parkrun

Follow the Fraser River, with the splendid mountains as your backdrop on this Canadian parkrun. It’s an out-and-back route along the riverside walkway. With a flat route and good paved surfaces along the way, you could be in store for a PB.

Combine with: Canadian Wildlife and Vancouver Island

Find out more about Richmond Olympic parkrun

S – Sosnovka parkrun, St Petersburg, Russia

Sosnovka parkrun

Another route from Russia but this time St Petersburg. This city has three parkruns to choose from, but we’ve selected Sosnovka for the lovely long stretch through the Beech Alley, an avenue of tall trees on each side, and the monument to the Great Patriotic War that you can see at the end of the route. The memorial is to honour the airmen who lost their lives, with its graceful wing shape.

Combine with: Moscow to St Petersburg

Find out more about Sosnovka parkrun

T – Treviso parkrun, Prosecco Hills, Italy

Treviso parkrun

Sandwiched between Venice and the Prosecco Hills is Treviso parkrun, a pretty pathway through the woods. We’ve designed the perfect long weekend to enjoy this Italian parkrun and the nearby Prosecco Hills, with wine tasting included. 

Read more: spotlight on Treviso parkrun.

Find out more about Treviso parkrun

 

U – Uditore parkrun, Palermo, Sicily

Palermo sweet treats

This tight little course is an unusual four-lapper, which follows the perimeter of the park. It’s the perfect guilt-free run because it sets you up perfectly to indulge in Palermo’s excellent food scene – head down towards the waterfront to enjoy arancini, sfincione, pane e panelle sandwiches, or for those with a sweet tooth the gelato is simply sublime.

Combine with: Sicily Food Tour

Find out more about Uditore parkrun

V – Vääksyn parkrun, Finland

Vääksyn parkrun

Two hours north of Helsinki, you’ll find Vääksyn parkrun – a picturesque route along the sweeping bends of the canal. Being beside the waters not only means lovely views but also a flat course – making for a fast finish time, or if you’re brave enough, a safe course for a winter run. Our most popular winter trip Finnish Wilderness Week flies via Helsinki, and our team would be able to help you arrange to fit in this lovely parkrun. 

Combine with: Finnish Wilderness Week

Find out more about Vääksyn parkrun

W – Warszawa-Praga parkrun, Warsaw, Poland

Warszawa-Praga parkrun

Skaryszewski Park in Warsaw is an absolute delight. It is 55 hectares of perfectly manicured landscaped gardens, fountains and flowerbeds. This two and a half lap route ends with a 400m straight perfect for squeezing every last drop of effort out for a final dash across the finish line.

Combine with: Discover Poland

Find out more about Warszawa-Praga parkrun

X

Currently there are no parkruns beginning with an X, but with new courses opening every year there’s every chance one will be born. Watch this space! 

Y – Yzerfontein parkrun, South Africa

Yzerfontein parkrun

For a challenge with a beautiful twist, Yzerfontein has it in the bag. This tiny parkrun is rural, and the community focus is paramount – you’ll run on the land of a local farmer through a working farm, a tough 2km uphill start past soaring wind turbines to stunning views over to Table Mountain, Dassen Island, Meeurots and Langebaan Lagoon.

Combine with: Johannesburg to Cape Town

Find out more about Yzerfontein parkrun

Z – Zelenograd parkrun, Moscow, Russia  

Zelenograd parkrun

On the outskirts of mighty Moscow, an hour's journey away on the Leningradsky rail, Zelenograd parkrun is one for the determined. Almost nothing stops this parkrun from going ahead, with their Instagram filled with heart-warming images of dedicated parkrunners completing their 5km in the snow! 

Combine with: Russia: Last Journey of the Tsars

Find out more about Zelenograd parkrun

Join Exodus and parkrun

Exodus is a proud partner of parkrun UK. We've got an exciting year of special events coming up, so keep an eye out for our takeovers in your parkrun newsletter. As part of our partnership with parkrun, we've also created our parkrun specials: dedicated adventures designed specifically for parkrunners to fit seamlessly with some of the most exciting parkruns around the world. 

See tours you can combine with all of our parkruns below.