Marathon de Budapest

Along the Danube, this is a flat and fast run past Buda Castle, Parliament, Margaret Island, the Chain Bridge, Central Market Hall and the National Opera. In its 41st edition, Marathon de Budapest has the feel of a running festival rather than a hard-edged big-city machine, with 30,000 runners from around the world sharing what really is a concentration of history, culture and energy. The route starts under the arch on Pázmány Péter promenade, then keeps serving up big landmarks without asking for much climbing in return. Students, teams, sports clubs, companies, groups and elite runners all mix into the weekend, so it feels busy in the best way. One practical quirk I like: there is no lottery, just first come, first served for bibs, which makes signing up feel straightforward.