Top Places For Skateboarding
For many riders, checking out a cool urban landscape and the ‘off-piste’ skateboarding delights on offer has all the hallmarks of an awesome road trip. As well as the formal skateparks, you get the chance to board a whole new landscape and max out on the thrills of an unexplored urban environment. So, if you and your board are looking to mix a vacation with the chance to urban roll, then check out our guide to some of the best places to go skateboarding around the world.
1. Barcelona
Best for: ticking off an absolute classic
With its amazing lines, smooth ground and inspiring ledges, Barcelona is one of the world’s most iconic skateboarding spots and it’s easy to see why. Take a Mediterranean climate and jaw-dropping architecture as your backdrop, then add in a laid-back city vibe and you have a classic skateboard destination that’s still fresh enough to surprise. You’ll also love the skater tribe that’s evident around the city and while the freedoms of the early 2000s are a little more clipped now, Barcelona’s still an essential for your skateboarding bucket list. Check out Macba, Forum, Fondo and the Universitat for the perfect introduction.
2. Los Angeles
Best for: checking out the iconic skateparks
To many, the City of Angels is the birthplace of modern skateboarding and for this reason alone, you should try for some air in LA at least once in your life. From Venice Beach and Downtown to Hollywood and San Pedro, you get the climate and a boarding culture that’s totally at home with the sunshine LA lifestyle. Skating the streets of LA is not as easy as it used to be but is worth the effort, and there are enough iconic skate parks – 21 in fact – and boarding spots to keep you more than entertained. And with LA’s obsession with the outdoor, why not try out one of the newer electric skateboards or off-road skateboards as part of your LA skatepark tour.
3. Berlin
Best for: a cool Euro boarding vibe
The German capital is fast becoming a challenger for Barcelona’s crown as Europe’s go-to boarding city and while it may not have that consistent combination of smooth ground and ledges Barcelona is renowned for, Berlin comes pretty close. The drive to reconstruct the city since its reunification in the late 80s means there are plenty of unique and impressive spots to lay your skateboards down. Summer is the best time to ride in Berlin, with a warm climate, well-structured streets and just enough marble and tiles to play on as well as a great nightlife and thriving alternative scene. Make sure you check out the Kulturforum, Treptower park and Warschauer Straße if your time in this fascinating city is short.
4. Melbourne
Best for: awesome urban planning
When it comes to skateboarding in the land down-under, Melbourne scoops the cool city tag. Over recent years, this southeast coast Antipodean metropolis has effortlessly become the must-do Oz destination for urban boarders who also like a bit of the coastal life. The city layout is awesome, with its open urban planning and smooth ground as well as more than 20 skateparks within its vicinity. Whether it’s on the street or on a wave, riding a board in Melbourne just seems to be the norm. And if you do want to go off-piste, there are some solid places to let rip, from Neill Street Reserve in Carlton to the Docklands Link.
5. NYC
Best for: eat, sleep, skate, repeat!
If you live, sleep and breathe your board 24/7 then NYC – the city that never sleeps – is your boarding trip heaven. New York has a solid skateboarding history, thanks to its epic urban landscape that just cries out to be carved and tricked by the dedicated street skater. And what makes NYC extra special is its public transport, getting you and your skateboard easily around. Skateparks, sidewalks, long avenues and inspiring as well as diverse and challenging trick spots, there’s more than enough in the Big Apple to sink your boarding teeth into.
6. San Francisco
Best for: white-knuckle hill rides
Home to some of the most epic hills in skateboarding, San Francisco is one of the original boarding cities that still offers enough thrills and spills for the intrepid rider who likes their speed. OK, some of the old-school routes have now been redeveloped but there are still some of the classics to keep SF easily in the top 10 best places to skateboard around the world. With its heady mix of Californian bohemian, vibrant city life and awesome architecture, boarding in ‘Frisco is something you will never forget. Get your hill ride on and check out the legends that are 3rd & Army, the 3 Up 3 Down and China Banks.
7. Copenhagen
Best for: the weird and the wonderful
One of the newest must-do destinations for urban skateboarding, the Danish capital of Copenhagen offers a futuristic city landscape that seems as if it was built to be ridden. As a bicycle-friendly city and also one of the world’s greenest, Copenhagen is set up for pedal or foot power and the spaces and streets ride like a dream. Plus, you get some weird and wonderful features to try your luck with, from cubes and fountains to drop-offs, spirals and everything in-between. The squares and parks are also large and open, and hardly ever over-crowded, giving you the space to kick back and board.
8. Shenzhen & Guangzhou (China)
Best for: a totally different skateboard experience
For a skateboard destination curve ball, China has the potential to be the next big thing. So why not beat the crowds and get ahead of the mass skating pack by taking your urban riding to two of the best cities – Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
Located in the Guangdong Province, Shenzhen is a fantastic place to be a skateboarding tourist, using your ride to explore this fascinating city. Oh, and you get an overload of marble ledges and off-the-wall architecture as part of the bargain! Or check out China’s third largest city, Guangzhou, 135km away. A sprawling urban landscape with more marble plazas, alleyways and steps than you can shake an elbow pad at, this massive city offers the traveling skateboarder an urban adventure like no other. Add it to your skateboard bucket list now before it gets too well known!
Sources:
- Find Places To Skateboard – WikiHow
- Alternative Skate Board Trips To Consider – RedBull
