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favorite urban parks, trails and hikes.

There is a thread about people's favorite parks and squares from years ago, but how about a more green oriented list of favorite urban (city or town) parks, trails, or even hikes. By urban, I mean accessible by local public transport, so it could be on the outskirts, or just outside of said urban area. Personally, I'll go with Parque Retiro in Madrid, Boboli Gardens in Florence, and the walking trails bordering my neighborhood in Freiburg Germany when I was there as a student.
I'm intrigued about walking the Philosophenweg in Heidelberg, and I love the concept of a near forest environment in an populated city that one can easily reach via public transport. Out of Europe, but I really liked the Ramble part of Central Park on my visit there last July.

Posted by
2430 posts

I loved hiking the top of the wall around Lucca. Also, Merano has Promenades along the Passer River, and Waalweg trails all over the place.

Posted by
3961 posts

Agree Parque Retiro, as well as Lake Plitvice National Park in Croatia, Peloponnese in Greece, Sedona, AZ., Kubota Japanese Garden in Seattle, Cape Reinga in NZ.

Posted by
3874 posts

I really like Parque del Laberinto de Horta in Barcelona, I like it even more so than Parque Güell. It's a 18th-century neoclassical garden on a former palatial estate. It's not very well known with tourists so it doesn't have the crowds (yet) like Parque Güell. It's very green with numerous sculptures of Greco-Roman mythology along with a number of fountains, springs, and pools. In the center of the gardens is an English style hedge maze. I used to go there a lot growing up in Barcelona... ahh, the memories :)

Posted by
2527 posts

Similarly to my favorite pub, it's the one I am experiencing at the moment.

Posted by
11247 posts

Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome is criss-crossed with walking paths and accessible by bus.

Near Vevey and Montreux, Les Pleiades and Rochers de Naye feel a world away and yet are on a trainline used for commuting by folks high above the lake as well we day trippers.

Part Monceau in a Paris is small but enticing.

Portland’s Wildwood Park goes from urban to wild as one walks the network of paths.

Posted by
13800 posts

I enjoyed Prior Park Landscape Garden in Bath which has one of the few remaining examples of a Palladian landscape bridge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prior_Park_Landscape_Garden

I also thought the green space along the River Stour out to the Water Meadows in Canterbury was quite nice. My brother and I had an excellent early morning birding walk along here.

I've had the London Wetlands Centre on my "to-do list" for a couple of trips but haven't made it yet.

Posted by
8565 posts

Charlie Turner Trail pre dawn Griffith Park Los Angeles, Hampstead Heath, Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens, Richmond Park ( all in London) , Gulhane Park, Istanbul, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.
Killarney National Park, Gap of Dunloe, Ireland.

Posted by
3985 posts

Central Park -- New York

Stanley Park -- Vancouver

Tiergarten -- Berlin

Regent's Park -- London

Public Garden -- Boston

Stadtpark -- Vienna

Posted by
96 posts

Mani peninsula region for me (Kardimyli, in particular) really wowed me on my RS Greece tour this past October 2018. Pretty much everywhere outside of Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan is amazing for hiking opportunities.

Posted by
2165 posts

"Prague's Most Beautiful Walk." Find it on bbqboy.net

Posted by
32505 posts

Plantage in Paris

St James's Park in London

Posted by
2349 posts

Chicago- the lake shore path along Lake Michigan.

Posted by
15677 posts

Rome - Parco Regionale dell'Appia Antica
Munich - Englischer Garten
Balboa Park - San Diego
Coastal Trail - San Francisco
Bruges - City Ramparts

I don't know if they qualify in every tourist's book but cemeteries are very often interesting and reasonably peaceful park-type spaces to explore. I try to hit at least one in every city/town we visit.

Posted by
3938 posts

Munich, Germany—Englisher Garten

Merino, Italy—Wasserweg

Vienna, Austria—Wienerwald

Bath, UK—Canal towpath

Berlin, Germany—Schlachtensee

London, UK—Kew Gardens

Posted by
1286 posts

One of our favourites for an urban park walk is Valencia's Turia gardens, starting at the Biopark and, eventually, reaching the City of Arts & Sciences. I think it's only about 5 or 6 miles direct walking, but we took most of the day there, stopping at the sights along the way - those in the park itself, but also because its along the old riverbed you can "pop up" regularly to see city sights on either side. Highly recommended! However, although called "gardens" it's not designed as a beautiful garden like you get in England's country houses, more a corporate park like in Italy or Spain.

This year we found there is something similar in Krakow where you can walk through parkland circling the old town, stopping to pop in or out as you go around.

Posted by
12172 posts

Rather than restate earlier ones, I don't think anyone has mentioned Mirabell gardens in Salzburg yet.

Can't believe Luxembourg Garden in Paris isn't already here. Did I miss it? For a smaller experience, I love Arenes de Lutece.

Posted by
10177 posts

Good suggestions so far. If anyone finds themselves in Hannover, Germany you will find Eilenriede Park. It is twice the size of Central Park. I've had many wonderful walks there as it is a half block away from my Aunt's house.

Posted by
12172 posts

Add the Killarney National Park. I really enjoyed the walk between St. Mary's in town, through the park for a couple miles to Ross Castle. That's only a tiny bit of the park but it was nicely treed with big well-marked trails (big enough for horse carts).

Posted by
9403 posts

Luxembourg Gardens in Paris is my favorite place on the planet... : )

Posted by
1103 posts

My favorite spot in Paris is Parc Monceau (8th arrondissement).

Posted by
97 posts

Luxembourg Gardens in Paris ❤️

Also love St. James Park and Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens in London

Posted by
4684 posts

The Buttes-Chaumont in Paris has some pretty spectacular landscaping, although it might be too small and artificial for you.

In London, you can get to authentic forest quite easily by taking the Central Line, or the Overground line from Liverpool Street to Chingford, out to Epping Forest, which is owned by the City of London as public recreation and a nature reserve.

Posted by
32505 posts

The walk around the park and spa at Mondorf-les-Bains in Luxembourg, just down from Schengen. Rewarded at the top by a lovely rose-garden. A few redwoods along the way too - Coast, Giant, and Dawn.

Posted by
1542 posts

I was pleasantly suprised by the trails above Freiburg town centre. I've had the fortune to walk a couple of the other parks mentioned, to which I'll add Wissahickon in Philadelphia and the Tappeinerweg in Merano. My brother reckons there are a lot of good walks in and around Stuttgart.

Posted by
14481 posts

Paris...The Luxembourg Gardens...serene, tranquil, lovely, impressive

Fontainebleau...the Chateau's gardens...lovely

London....St James Park.

Hannover....the Herrenhäuser Gardens (Herrenhäusergärten)...impressive.

Posted by
2417 posts

I concur on the Camden Lock towpath in London and the Valencia re-landscaped riverbed walks :-)

Both of the hills in Lyon have urban park paths to climb.

Right beside (west of) Castro St. in San Francisco is Corona Heights Park, with a nifty children's nature center on top.

You can make the walls of Girona into a workout pretty easily, and they also have some interesting exhibits for schoolkids.

And of course every place you go in Toledo is uphill both ways.

Posted by
14481 posts

Parks in towns and cities serve as a place for serenity and tranquility, an oasis, be they in Paris or elsewhere. That's one reason for me to go back to Paris.

Those parks I have rested, relaxed in, ie, down time, located in North German towns, Lübeck, Eutin/Holstein (north of Hamburg), and Luneburg were exactly the right places...lovely, green, peaceful.