Zurich's best running is found along the flat Lake Zurich shoreline and the Limmat river path, with a genuine climb up Uetliberg, the city's "home mountain," for Alps views on clear days, all overlapping the flat, fast Zurich Marathon course.
Zurich gives runners a straightforward choice between flat lakeside and riverside paths in the city, and a real mountain climb just a short train ride away. Here are the best running routes in Zurich for 2026.
The Utoquai Promenade offers a flat, roughly 5.4 kilometre loop from Zurich Stadelhofen along the eastern shore past the Chinawiese, or Chinese Garden, on a paved lakeside promenade. It is very popular with locals for easy after-work runs, with open Alps views across the water on clear days.
Following the Limmat from the city centre, a mixed paved and packed-gravel riverside path runs about 8.8 kilometres one way to Kloster Fahr, or 17.6 kilometres out and back, with multiple bridges allowing shorter loop options as the route passes through Zurich West's greener, more industrial mix. A longer 21.1 kilometre loop combining Limmat riverside sections with a return leg via the Hönggerwehr Dam is popular with distance runners.
Uetliberg is reached by a roughly 20 minute train ride on the S10 Uetliberg railway from Zurich HB. The classic run follows the ridge trail from the Uetliberg summit to Felsenegg, mostly meadow and forest singletrack, with around 1,180 metres of cumulative elevation gain across the fuller trail network, and panoramic views over Zurich, the lake and the Alps on clear days, the most scenic and challenging option near the city.
The wooded hill trails of Käferberg and Zürichberg, on the city's northern side, are used by locals for elevation training, typically mixed with the flatter lake and river routes for a varied training week.
A roughly 10 kilometre city-centre circuit links the wooden Bahnhof walkway toward the old Botanical Garden with a stretch beneath a highway underpass, gaining and losing elevation along the way for panoramic views over the city and lake, a distinctive urban, mixed-terrain option distinct from the flatter lakeside runs.
The Zurich Marathon, held on 12 April 2026, starts at Quaibrücke and finishes at Sechseläutenplatz, running largely along the Lake Zurich shoreline through downtown on a flat, fast, certified course popular for personal bests, overlapping directly with the everyday lakeside training paths locals use year-round.
The Lake Zurich shoreline and Limmat river path are the most reliable choices for a flat run at any time of day; Uetliberg is worth the short train trip for anyone wanting genuine elevation and Alps views.
This article was compiled by AI and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.
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Published by The Daily Zurich
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