Best Marathons to Travel For: Majors & Destination Races

The best destination marathons are not simply the fastest races or the largest fields.

They are races worth building an entire trip around.

A great marathon trip combines:

• a race worth training for
• a city worth visiting
• manageable race-week logistics
• memorable spectators
• good post-race travel
• a finish line that feels worthy of the journey

The Abbott World Marathon Majors dominate that conversation, but they are not the only destination races worth flying for.

This guide compares the eight races in the expanded Major series, plus Paris as one of the strongest non-Major city-marathon trips.

For the detailed medal system, read our World Marathon Majors Star Medal guide.

For logistics, use the race-weekend planning checklist.

Best destination marathons at a glance

How many World Marathon Majors are there?

The expanded Abbott World Marathon Majors series has reached eight races with Cape Town joining for 2027.

They are:

1. Tokyo
2. Boston
3. London
4. Sydney
5. Berlin
6. Chicago
7. New York City
8. Cape Town

Sydney became the seventh Major beginning with the 2025 race.

Cape Town successfully completed its assessment in 2026 and joins as the eighth Major for 2027.

Shanghai is still completing its candidate process.

If Shanghai successfully joins, AbbottWMM plans to introduce the Nine Star Medal.

What happened to the Six Star Medal?

Nothing.

The traditional Six Star Medal remains intact.

You still earn it by completing the original six:

• Tokyo
• Boston
• London
• Berlin
• Chicago
• New York City

Sydney and Cape Town do not make the Six Star target harder.

They are part of the expanded Star journey.

1. Berlin Marathon - best for a personal best

Berlin is the obvious destination race when speed is the priority.

The course is:

• flat
• wide
• historically fast
• built for even pacing

The race starts and finishes around Berlin's Tiergarten, with the famous Brandenburg Gate in the final stretch.

Berlin also scores well as a trip because public transportation is excellent and the city is relatively straightforward to navigate on marathon weekend.

Best for: PB attempts, first-time European marathon trips, runners who value simple logistics.

Read the Berlin Marathon guide →

2. Chicago Marathon - best combination of speed and simplicity

Chicago has many of Berlin's performance advantages with even easier start/finish logistics.

The race begins and ends in Grant Park.

That creates major hotel-planning advantages compared with point-to-point races.

Chicago is also famously flat.

The course moves through many of the city's neighborhoods before returning downtown.

Best for: PB attempts, first-time Major runners, groups where spectators want straightforward logistics.

Read the Chicago Marathon guide →

3. New York City Marathon - best atmosphere

New York is not the easiest race.

That is part of the point.

The five-borough course includes bridges, rolling terrain and complicated race-morning transportation.

But few races can match its atmosphere.

You run:

• Staten Island
• Brooklyn
• Queens
• Manhattan
• the Bronx
• back into Manhattan
• Central Park

This is a race to choose for the experience, not because you want the cleanest possible negative split.

Best for: crowd energy, iconic race experience, combining a marathon with a major city trip.

Read the NYC Marathon guide →

4. London Marathon - best iconic European Major

London combines speed with landmarks.

The course begins around Greenwich and finishes on The Mall.

The 2027 race is especially unusual because London is staging its one-off two-day Double, with races Saturday and Sunday.

That creates 100,000 participant places across the two days.

Best for: iconic scenery, large crowds, European travel, Six Star runners.

Read the London Marathon guide →

5. Tokyo Marathon - best international city experience

Tokyo is the destination marathon where the city may be as exciting as the race.

The marathon offers:

• strong organization
• a fast course
• enormous urban scale
• extraordinary food
• easy public transportation

The harder part is getting the bib.

Tokyo demand is enormous and general entry is highly competitive.

Best for: international travel, food, runners combining the race with a longer Japan trip.

Read the Tokyo Marathon guide →

6. Boston Marathon - best prestige

Boston is different.

The race begins in Hopkinton and follows the historic point-to-point route into Boston.

For many runners, simply earning the right to apply is the achievement.

Boston's course is also deceptively hard.

It is net downhill, but the early descending can damage the legs before the Newton Hills and Heartbreak Hill arrive.

Best for: qualified runners, marathon history, runners who value the accomplishment of reaching the starting line.

Read the Boston Marathon guide →

7. Sydney Marathon - best city scenery

Sydney became a Major beginning with the 2025 edition.

The current course combines two extraordinary landmarks:

• Sydney Harbour Bridge
• Sydney Opera House

It is more rolling than Berlin or Chicago, so it should not automatically be treated as a pure PB course.

But as a destination race, few can compete with the visuals.

Best for: scenery, Australia travel, runners building the expanded Major journey.

Read the Sydney Marathon guide →

8. Cape Town Marathon - best adventure marathon trip

Cape Town joins the Major series with its May 23, 2027 race.

It becomes the eighth Abbott World Marathon Major and the first on the African continent.

Cape Town also gives runners perhaps the strongest opportunity to turn the race into a major vacation.

A trip can include:

• Table Mountain
• Cape Peninsula
• Winelands
• Atlantic coastline
• additional South Africa travel
• safari extension

Best for: runners who want the marathon to anchor a much larger trip.

Read the Cape Town Marathon guide →

9. Paris Marathon - best non-Major city marathon trip

Paris is not an Abbott World Marathon Major.

It still belongs on this list.

The race combines nearly 60,000-runner scale with one of the world's most visited cities.

The 2027 edition is particularly interesting because it begins a new organizational era and is expected to be the 50th edition.

Paris is especially good for travelers who want:

• a spring European marathon
• excellent food
• museums
• easy public transit
• a destination that works equally well for non-running companions

Best for: a marathon-centered European city break without needing a Major entry.

Read the Paris Marathon guide →

Best marathon if you want a personal best

Start with:

1. Berlin

2. Chicago

Tokyo can also be fast, while Paris can produce good times depending on the final course and weather.

Best marathon for atmosphere

Start with:

1. New York

2. London

Both turn an entire city into the event.

Best marathon for scenery

Start with:

1. Sydney

2. Cape Town

One gives you Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

The other gives you Table Mountain and the Atlantic.

Best marathon for food

This is subjective, but a destination shortlist would be:

• Tokyo
• Paris
• New York
• Cape Town

The best choice depends on the type of trip you want after the race.

Best first World Marathon Major

For pure logistics, Chicago is difficult to beat.

You get:

• central start
• central finish
• flat course
• huge hotel inventory
• simple public transportation
• excellent spectator access

Berlin is another strong first Major, especially for runners traveling from Europe.

Hardest Major to plan logistically

New York and Boston require the most thought.

New York

The Staten Island start means race morning can involve:

• ferry
• bus
• long waits
• security
• start village time

Boston

The point-to-point start in Hopkinton means runners travel away from Boston before racing back into the city.

These are races where hotel choice should be based on actual race-day transportation rather than a map pin.

Hardest Major to enter

There is no single answer because entry systems differ.

Boston is difficult because many runners need a qualifying performance.

London and Tokyo attract enormous ballot demand.

New York also has a heavily oversubscribed drawing.

The best Major strategy is often:

apply broadly and plan around whichever race accepts you.

Should you travel internationally for a marathon?

Yes, but build in margin.

For long-haul races, arrive early enough to account for:

• jet lag
• delayed bags
• flight disruption
• race-pack pickup
• unfamiliar food
• transportation setup

Flying internationally on Friday for a Sunday marathon can turn a minor travel problem into a DNS.

How many days should a marathon trip be?

A strong default is:

Thursday: arrive

Friday: Expo and light sightseeing

Saturday: shakeout and race prep

Sunday: race

Monday: recovery

Tuesday: sightseeing

Adjust for:

• travel distance
• jet lag
• Expo requirements
• race day
• whether the event is Saturday or Monday

Where should you stay for a destination marathon?

Do not simply search:

hotel near downtown

Instead ask:

• Where is the start?
• Where is the finish?
• Is it point-to-point?
• Where are athlete buses?
• Where is the Expo?
• What transit operates before sunrise?
• What roads close?
• How will I get back after finishing?

That is why every Claira marathon guide includes neighborhood-specific hotel recommendations.

Marathon travel checklist

Before you book, work through the race-weekend planning checklist.

The most important items are:

• confirmed entry
• flexible hotel
• flights
• Expo deadline
• race-morning transportation
• restaurant reservation
• spectator plan
• post-race meeting point
• recovery day

World Marathon Major guides

Use the full race-specific guides:

• Tokyo Marathon
• Boston Marathon
• London Marathon
• Sydney Marathon
• Berlin Marathon
• Chicago Marathon
• New York City Marathon
• Cape Town Marathon

And if you are chasing the medal itself:

Read the World Marathon Majors Star Medal guide →

Turn your next marathon into a trip

Claira helps connect the pieces that normal race registration does not:

• flights
• hotel
• Expo
• race morning
• restaurants
• spectators
• sightseeing
• recovery

Plan your marathon trip →

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Major membership, candidate status, entry rules, race dates and operational details can change. This guide was updated August 24, 2026. Always confirm race-specific information with the official organizer before booking non-refundable travel. Claira is an independent travel-planning tool and is not affiliated with Abbott World Marathon Majors or any individual race.