The Best Places In The World For Parkour Lovers

The Best Places In The World For Parkour Lovers

All of us have seen videos online where people perform some crazy stunts due to their love for parkour. This somewhat extreme sport has gained popularity over the years, and you can see plenty of men and women engaging in these crazy stunts.

The Best Places In The World For Parkour Lovers
[ photo: sergio sauza ]

Parkour started in the South of Paris, where a group of friends trained together and combined various fighting styles, athletics, gymnastics, and other disciplines together and created something really unique. 

However, since it is usually performed in the streets, which makes it sometimes hard to engage in parkour, you need to know how to find the acceptable and challenging enough terrain. So, in order to help you choose your terrain for parkour stunts, here are the best places in the world where you can test your abilities.

Santorini, Greece

Greece is beautiful, and its architecture certainly fits all the parkour enthusiasts. Santorini is perched on a cliff and the vertical structure means that you can easily map out your routine. Also, the closely packed rooftops are simply begging for someone to explore them and perform all sorts of crazy stunts on top of them.

What is more, since the walls are all white, rooftops all blue and the sea surrounding the town even bluer, you can snap some amazing pictures and videos of your stunts to show off to the world.

Brighton, UK

Brighton is another seaside town that has a lot to offer for the parkour crews, and they have one of the most famous crews there called Storror. Also, this town is very liberal, its culture is artsy and people there are really tolerant of unusual sports that happen in their streets. 

What is more, Brighton has a long shingle beach, which gives you plenty of space and a forgiving surface for practicing your leaps and drop-offs. Also, this town is the home of dozens of railings, walls, bandstands, and drops along the pier pylons so you can practice your precision.

Central Park, New York

This is probably the most famous park in the world, but another thing that makes it so popular, apart from being in NYC, is that it’s a very popular parkour hub. There are plenty of obstacles waiting for you to explore and overcome, such as trees for climbing, rocks and walls for jumping off. 

Plus, there’s plenty of space to free run and explore, and you just have to make sure to have a pair of adequate running shoes that can tackle all kinds of surfaces. Not to mention how you can get great pictures there and practice your parkour skills in one of the most famous and culturally diverse cities.

Moana Beach, Hawaii

Hawaii, by itself, is one of the most amazing destinations in the world. However, if you need another reason to visit and explore it, let it be its adequacy for parkour. In downtown Honolulu, there is Ala Moana beach park, which has actually become a famous spot for free runners and traceurs. 

Ala Moana beach has over 100 acres of space, painted with different landscapes, waiting for you to explore them. There are also all kinds of surfaces that can make your parkour stunts fun and quite a challenge, including sand, grass and even some water.

Ueno Park, Tokyo

Ueno Park in Tokyo hides great beauty and history and it’s perfect for all parkour enthusiasts. There is plenty of ground to explore and the culture and history of the park dates back to the late 1800s. What is more, you can find plenty of “unusual” sports happening here, such as Tai Chi and yoga, but even though quite peaceful, you can roam around and practice your parkour skills freely. 

Not only is this space perfect for free runners, but you can also snap some fantastic photos and create great footage of you in action. Plus, if you visit it during the cherry blossom season, you are bound to get the most unique and iconic experience. 

There are thousands of people who simply adore parkour. You need great physical skills and perseverance in order to be really good, but don’t just practice in your backyard. Instead, pack your bags and explore these few amazing places for parkour lovers, and come back home with some great footage.