Viajar vs. recorrer
While both viajar and recorrer can be translated as to travel in English, they describe different aspects of a journey. Viajar refers to the general act of going from one place to another, while recorrer implies moving through or exploring a specific area extensively.
Viajar
A1Viajar is the most general and common word for to travel. It focuses on the act of making a trip or journey, especially over a long distance, without specifying the path taken within the destination.
El próximo verano vamos a viajar a Perú.
(Next summer we are going to travel to Peru.)
A mi padre le encanta viajar en tren.
(My father loves to travel by train.)
Ella tiene que viajar a otra ciudad por trabajo.
(She has to travel to another city for work.)
Si pudiera, me gustaría viajar por todo el mundo.
(If I could, I would like to travel all over the world.)
Es importante planificar bien antes de viajar solo.
(It is important to plan well before traveling alone.)
Recorrer
B1Recorrer means to travel through, across, or around a specific place or route. It emphasizes the idea of covering an area, exploring it thoroughly, or traversing a path from one point to another.
Recorrimos la costa de Italia en coche.
(We traveled along the coast of Italy by car.)
El guía nos hizo recorrer el museo en dos horas.
(The guide had us go through the museum in two hours.)
Me gusta recorrer las calles de mi barrio por la mañana.
(I like to walk through the streets of my neighborhood in the morning.)
El río Amazonas recorre una gran parte de Sudamérica.
(The Amazon River runs through a large part of South America.)
El maratón va a recorrer los puntos más importantes de la ciudad.
(The marathon is going to cover the most important points of the city.)
Summary
In essence, use viajar for the general act of making a trip to a destination. Use recorrer to describe the action of moving through, covering, or exploring a specific area or route within that destination. You would viajar to Spain, and then you would recorrer the streets of Barcelona.