MORE ABOUT RUNNING IN WUPPERTAL
The running lifeline is the Nordbahntrasse, a 23-kilometer, car-free former rail line that runs flat straight across the city — rarely is avoiding elevation gain this enjoyable. If you're after trails and climbs instead, Wuppertal delivers: hilly paths through the historic Hardt-Park with its arboretum, the roughly four-kilometer loop through the Barmer Anlagen up to the Toelleturm, demanding trails in the Burgholz state forest, and the wooded Gelpetal. Easy long runs flow well around the Ronsdorfer Talsperre.
Groups meet in nearly every neighborhood — in Elberfeld, Barmen, Cronenberg, Ronsdorf, Vohwinkel, or Oberbarmen. Every group lists when, where, and how fast they run. Plenty of runs are free and explicitly aimed at beginners. Just how much Wuppertal loves to run showed at the 2025 Schwebebahn-Lauf, where more than 6,500 people ran beneath the suspension railway.
Head to a meetup near you, lock in the next event, and just join the run. The best thing about running in Wuppertal isn't a personal best — it's the weekly loop on the Trasse with people who love the hillsides just as much as you do. Lace up and be there.
Last updated 13 July 2026
Sources: de.wikipedia.org · wz.de · schwebebahn-lauf.de · land.nrw · greatruns.com · greatruns.com · outdooractive.com · laufen-in-wuppertal.de