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EUROPE


Lake Bled THE JU L IAN AL P S , S LOVENIA


Distance: 3.7 miles (loop) Terrain: Flat lakeside path Vibe: Alpine fairytale Highlights: Island church and medieval castle Difficulty: Easy/moderate


Lake Bled has all the ingredients of a fable: a glacial lake ringed by mountains, an island crowned by a white church and a cliffside castle keeping watch. For runners, the loop around its shore is one of Europe’s most scenic circuits — a gentle path that feels anything but ordinary. The route weaves through stands of willow and


chestnut, with benches positioned for long gazes across the glassy waters. On still mornings, the lake captures the reflection of the Julian Alps, broken only by the oars of traditional pletna boats ferrying pilgrims to the island. A short detour takes you up to Ojstrica, a forested viewpoint offering a postcard panorama: church, castle and lake in one frame. Each season adds character. In spring, cherry


trees bloom beside the path; in summer, swimmers slip from jetties into clear water. Autumn burnishes the forest with russet and gold, while winter sometimes sees the surface freeze, a silver plate beneath the mountains. The loop is accessible for beginners, except in


the very depths of winter. Those wanting more can extend along forest paths towards nearby Vintgar Gorge. However you run it, the reward is simple: a return to Bled’s lakeside cafes for Blejska kremsnita, its signature cream cake, enjoyed guilt-free.


64 NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/TRAVEL


Tiergarten to Victory Column B E R L IN, GE RMANY


Distance: 2 miles (one way) Terrain: Flat, paved paths Vibe: Green heart of the city Highlights: Brandenburg Gate and leafy boulevards Difficulty: Easy


Berlin’s variety of ofeat galleries and grand monuments can leave travellers breathless. Luckily, at its centre lies a green lung: the Tiergarten. Once a royal hunting ground, today it’s the city’s most beloved park — 520 acres of leafy escape threaded with wide avenues and shaded trails. For runners, it offers a chance to clock miles while brushing past centuries of history. This route begins at the Brandenburg Gate.


Slip beneath its columns and follow the path into the park, leaving behind the central boulevard of Strasse des 17 Juni for the wilder southern sections, where lindens and sycamores form a leafy canopy overhead and squirrels flit through the trunks.Head for Luiseninsel, a landscaped ‘island’ threaded with meandering paths and a bust of Queen Louise of Prussia, pushing onward to the stately rose garden and finally taking in Neuer See, a lake where rowboats drift in summer and ice sometimes forms in winter. The route ends at the Siegessäule — the


gilded Victory Column — perched sentinel on a traffic island. Climb its 285 steps if you dare; the panorama takes in the whole of the Tiergarten and beyond to Potsdamer Platz, the Reichstag dome and Alexanderplatz’s TV tower.


Zermatt to Gornergrat THE AL P S , SWI T Z E R L AND


Distance: 6 miles (one way) Terrain: Alpine trail, steep gradients Vibe: High-altitude summer adventure Highlights: Matterhorn views and sweeping panoramas Difficulty: Challenging


Zermatt sits in the shadow of the Matterhorn, its jagged pyramid looming over the valley. But to see the mountain in full context, summertime runners head uphill for Gornergrat, a ridge that offers one of the Alps’ most astonishing panoramas. The climb is punishing. Over six miles, you’ll


gain close to 3,000ft of elevation — a steady grind from edelweiss-flecked meadows and timber chalets into scree and switchbacks. The air thins enough to make lungs heave, yet distractions abound with cowbells tinkling on pastures and marmots whistling from boulder fields. About halfway through, the path skirts Riffelalp,


a plateau where runners can pause to gulp water and gaze at the Gorner Glacier sprawling like a frozen wave. The final climb to the ridge is challenging, but the panorama is transcendent. Twenty-nine 4,000-metre peaks, from Monte Rosa to Lyskamm, circle you — the Matterhorn no longer solitary but part of a glittering amphitheatre. Gornergrat feels like the roof of Europe. Most descend via the Gornergratbahn, a


century-old cog railway, but the hardy can pound downhill to Zermatt on the same trail. This is a run that exacts a price on the legs but repays with one of Europe’s greatest natural stages.


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