What are the best marathons in Germany in 2026?

Among runners, the Berlin Marathon is known for breaking records. But the route ain’t such a looker. How does the race in the capital compare to others in Germany and Europe?

What are the best German marathon routes?

The Berlin Marathon certainly has its draws, it is almost entirely flat, the route takes runners past many of the city’s most famous sights, they get to run through the Brandenburg Gate at the finish line, and many of the world’s fastest runners set their records there.

But in this year’s The Most Beautiful Marathons in Europe and Worldwide ranking from SportShoes.com, the race in the capital has fallen to 40th place. Marathons in other German cities performed much better, with the Munich Marathon making it into 14th place and the Cologne Marathon into 19th place.

All things considered, SportShoes.com adopted a curious method to compile its ranking. 300 study participants were shown photos of the 50 most popular marathon routes in the world. The shoe company then used eye-tracking technology to determine which pictures held participants' attention for the longest. Nobody went to explore any of the marathon routes in question or did any running.

What are the most beautiful marathons in Europe?

So if you’re thinking about running a marathon in Europe in 2026, you want to feel the wind in your hair, your heart beat fast while looking at a stunning view, and are happy to choose one based on findings from a shoe company’s eye-tracking technology? Where should you head?

To Scotland! The Loch Ness Marathon, which bends around the country’s largest loch with bonnie views of the Highlands, came in at the number one spot. Marathon du Mont Blanc, a trail marathon in Chamonix, and the Barcelona Marathon came in second and third place respectively. 

Then it was back to Scotland, where the Edinburgh Marathon came in fourth place - brace for some serious hills and wind. The London Marathon rounded out the top five.