Over his 45+ year career, skating icon and cult hero Tony Hawk has skated in some of the best places on earth. Now to celebrate the re-master of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1&2, he has curated a list of the top places to skate in Europe and explained what makes them the best.
Skatehalle Berlin – Germany
About: Skatehalle, Berlin is a great indoor park which offers both street and vert skaters a spot to perfect their tricks. Boasting the largest indoor vert ramp in Europe it is no surprise it’s one of Tony’s favourite places to skate.
Tony’s Verdict: Germany has a lot of great places to skate, but Berlin is one place which I’ve loved going, and I always stop at Skatehalle when I’m in town! It’s got a little bit of everything (street & bowl with vert, but the actual vert ramp is gone). The locals rip too.
Faelledparken – Denmark
About: Born and raised local, Rune Glifberg says Faelledparken in Denmark is one of the best parks in the world, with a nice variety of street and vert elements to it. He says it’s really the place that helped develop skating in Denmark as a whole.
Tony’s Verdict: Copenhagen has one of the strongest skate scenes in Europe, and one of the best parks to match their enthusiasm. Rune [Glifberg] is a local hero (obviously) and I can’t believe some of the stuff he’s done on the over-vert section! I brought my kids here a few years ago and they loved it.
Streetdome – Denmark
About: Streetdome is a creation born from a collaboration between Rune Glifberg’s design studio Glifberg-Lykke and Morten Hansen, a skateboard enthusiast from the local area in Haderslev, Denmark. Streetdome is one of the most beautiful indoor-outdoor parks you can find. The park is a 65,000 square footcommunity complex, which not only boasts skateparks but basketball courts, climbing walls and everything in between!
Tony’s Verdict: It is incredible what Rune [Glifberg] and his team have managed to build. It’s one of the most beautiful and expansive parks in the world, and caters to all skill levels and interests.
Radlands Plaza – United Kingdom
About: Starting out as the first in-door skate facility in Britain back in 1992, Radlands was created by the Ince family but had to unfortunately close in 2004 after seeing over 250,000 skater’s visiting over the years. Skate legend Geoff Rowley noted the original Radlands as a place that changed UK skateboarding and made it so people from around the world would want to come to the UK to skate. Since its closure in 2004, Radlands has since been re-opened in 2012 as an outdoor street skate facility.
Tony’s Verdict: I think I only got to visit the original Radlands maybe once, but I know how much it meant to Geoff [Rowley] and many UK skaters. It’s great that they’ve managed to re-open it now for a new generation of skaters.
Plainpalais Skatepark – Switzerland
About: Geneva is one of the more underrated areas to come to skate, but with the natural beauty of the city and the latest Plainpalais Skatepark the city has become a top spot for skaters. Opened in 2012, Plainpalais filled a hole for the skate community with a great mix of vert and street spots to test out.
Tony’s Verdict: I love Geneva but I have yet to skate Plainpalais since it is a newer park. All the footage I’ve seen form there looks insane. A few of the guys on the team have been out here and loved it.
Bowl de Marseille – France
About: Bowl de Marseille is the biggest skatepark in France and has become a mecca for skaters on the international circuit. With an incredible beach view alongside it, many great skaters have graced this incredible bowl including Steve Caballero back in the 90’s.
Tony’s Verdict: Marseille skatepark is iconic, and has been a foundation of European skating for the last 30 years. We included it in THPS 2 game to celebrate its legendary status.
Milano Train Station – Italy
About: Perhaps not your everyday skate spot, but one of the most popular and famous skate spots in Italy is the Milano Train Station. It has been labelled one of the best natural street spots in Europe. With various ledges and stairs, it is a great place to practice street skating.
Tony’s Verdict: I haven’t skated here but I’ve seen plenty of epic footage of people ripping it up. It looks like it was built with skating in mind. Other train stations should take note.
Southbank – United Kingdom
About: Listed as the most iconic skate spot in the UK, Southbank is the beating heart of London’s skateboarding scene. Tyshawn Jones has made it across the pond to skate this iconic spot several times, making it one of his first spots to go to when coming for the first time. The park is comprised of a variety of ledges, banks, stairs, and railings for street skaters to test themselves on.
Tony’s Verdict: Southbank is the perfect example of a DIY park that became legitimized because of the interest it generates. It has become a hub for UK skaters, and a destination park for tourists from all over. My kids were more interested in going there when we were in London than seeing any mainstream tourists attractions.
Church of Skate – Spain
About: This place of worship with a difference first opened its doors in 1912 in Llanera, Asturias but fell into disrepair after the Spanish Civil War. Years later, skaters in the community were without a decent place to skate indoors – a neccessity in a town where it rains 200 days out of the year. And so, skateboarder Fernández Rey and his organisation was able to transform the space into what it is today, all thanks to some enthuiastic crowdfunding, a bit of corporate support and tons of imagination.
Tony’s Verdict: This place is incredible and is an amazing example of when art and skating collide – I’ve never been but looking forward to it once we are able to travel freely again.
