Running in Vienna
Jogging, walking, hiking
Baroque parks, bustling promenades by the water, old lanes and hilly vineyards make Vienna a unique location for outdoor sports. Getting to the starting point by Vienna public transport is quick and easy. From the idyllic Vienna Woods in the west to the natural Lobau in the east, the city is criss-crossed by many different running and hiking routes of various qualities.
Let’s go!
The Prater is located very centrally and is one of the most popular jogging destinations for the city’s residents. Especially in summer, athletes can find protection from the sun in the shady Auwald or on the 4 km-long, chestnut tree-line Prater Hauptallee. You’ll never be alone here – joggers, cyclists and even horses can be seen here almost around the clock, all year long. And if an avenue isn’t enough, you’ll find may branching paths that offer new routes in the Augarten.
Running by the water
Running along the water offers the best by way of motivation. Endurance runners will find flat, asphalted routes for a higher speed on the 21 km-long Danube Island. Jogging along the promenade of the Danube Canal might be all straight ahead, but you do get to see the occasional boat go by. And on the Old Danube, you can simply jump into the cool water if need be. Running is even possible at night, because the routes are fully illuminated.
Good views
Never has sightseeing been so sporty: Impressive structures along the Ringstrasse boulevard motivate people to simply continue running and let time pass in a flash.
The Arsenal and the Upper Belvedere can be particularly well combined in one route as they are only 1.5 km apart. A special tip is the botanical garden in summer, because where else in Vienna can you run through a bamboo grove?
Joggers can find out what running with a view means in Schönbrunn. At the Gloriette, a view of Vienna instantly wipes aways the exertion. A review of Vienna's history awaits athletes in Türkenschanzpark: Monuments and fountains here remind visitors of times gone by.
Vienna's metropolitan area also has a few things in store: Run uphill and downhill through Vienna's vineyards, where the award-winning Viennese wine grows. From spring through late autumn, you can taste it on a well-earned break at a real Viennese heuriger.
Variety sought
Fitness fanatics yearning for routes off the beaten track can get their money's worth at special places in Vienna. The Laaer Wald park with the adjacent Bohemian Prater is a real secret tip. You can run in the Cemetery of the Nameless, St. Marx Cemetery or Vienna's Central Cemetery, where there are even two signed running routes.
Running to schedule
From the Prater to the Old Danube, many places have specially signed routes. At the respective starting point and end point of each route, there are "Running Checkpoints" with details on the length, course and peculiarities of that respective route, as well as useful running tips. You can find information about the routes at www.wienläuft.at.
- Sightseeing on the run
- www.runmap.net
- Women's running meets in Vienna: free, year-round, in every kind of weather and without registration
Running events
- Vienna City Marathon: more than 40,000 participants and 300,000 spectators come to Vienna for the mega-event every year in the spring. More information
- Laufen hilft - Österreichs Laufopening:- charity run in March
- Vienna Urban Trail: Run through the city in March
- Vienna City Marathon: in April
- Loverun: in April
- Austrian Women's Run: run by women for women. More information
- Wings for Life World Run: charity run for spinal cord research. More information
- Ich helfe laufend: charity run for children in the spring
- X-Cross Run:obstacle course in June in the Krieau and in the Prater
- Pride Run Vienna: "Run for Acceptance" in June
- Mammoth March (Mammutmarsch) in Vienna: 50-kilometer march
- Vienna City Gallery Walk: a gallery tour in September
- Vienna Night Run: in September/October
- Charity run of the Friends of Running Austria: Running for a good cause
- Sie+Er Lauf (She+He Run): in November
- New Year's Eve Run: December 31
