First pick
Parc Napoléon III
Park or garden
7.8 ha3.3 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.3 km of path
0.9 km south-westfrom the center
Allée Napoléon III
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: jean-louis Zimmermann · CC BY 2.012%of the land protected
Outdoors in Vichy · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Vichy has more footpaths per km² than 9 in 10 French towns
52 km of footpaths cross Vichy (8.8 km per km²). 1.3% of Vichy is mapped woodland. Protected areas cover 12% of Vichy’s land. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
12%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
1.3%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
52 km
8.8 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
1.8 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
11
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Parc Napoléon III
Throughout this page, the Allier median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median.
What kind of place
What kind of outdoors place is Vichy?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths8.8 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Little mapped woodland1.3% of the land, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Vichy apart: its footpaths. It is shorter on woodland.
Against French towns
How Vichy compares with French towns
Each figure against the 3,798 compared French towns (communes with an overall grade): the marked bar is the town’s, the line the median. Described, not graded.
Protected areas12%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
73out of 100
Woodland1.3%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
8out of 100
Footpaths8.8 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
98out of 100
Hiking routes0.3 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
47out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Vichy has the 3rd most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (23,843 to 26,365 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Les Ulis (10.9 km per km²) to Sainte-Suzanne (0.4 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Les Ulis Essonne | 10.9 | 13% | 0.2% | 156 km |
| 2 | Villeneuve-la-Garenne Hauts-de-Seine | 9.8 | 4.2% | 0% | 141 km |
| 3 | Vichy Allier | 8.8 | 1.3% | 12% | 290 km |
| 4 | Élancourt Yvelines | 8.2 | 26% | 3.5% | 138 km |
| 5 | Les Lilas Seine-Saint-Denis | 6.6 | 4.4% | 0% | 150 km |
| 6 | Fontenay-aux-Roses Hauts-de-Seine | 6.1 | 1.8% | 0% | 153 km |
| 7 | Rodez Aveyron | 5.9 | 5.5% | 0% | 136 km |
| 8 | Le Kremlin-Bicêtre Val-de-Marne | 5.8 | 1.8% | 0% | 154 km |
| 9 | Brunoy Essonne | 5.2 | 18% | 0% | 170 km |
| 10 | Eaubonne Val-d'Oise | 5 | 1.9% | 0% | 134 km |
| 11 | Montbéliard Doubs | 4.9 | 22% | 0% | 418 km |
| 12 | Alençon Orne | 4.8 | 2.3% | 5.5% | 97 km |
| 13 | Marseille 2e Bouches-du-Rhône | 4.8 | 0% | 0% | On it |
| 14 | Lormont Gironde | 4.7 | 12% | 7.4% | 16 km |
| 15 | Montgeron Essonne | 4.6 | 46% | 0% | 168 km |
| 16 | Castelnau-le-Lez Hérault | 4.6 | 4.5% | 1.2% | 11 km |
| 17 | Miramas Bouches-du-Rhône | 4 | 9.2% | 5.7% | 18 km |
| 18 | Béthune Pas-de-Calais | 4 | 4% | 0% | 60 km |
| 19 | Orly Val-de-Marne | 3.9 | 5% | 0% | 162 km |
| 20 | Eysines Gironde | 3.9 | 7.6% | 3.1% | 15 km |
| 21 | Hénin-Beaumont Pas-de-Calais | 3.8 | 5.6% | 0% | 80 km |
| 22 | Biarritz Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 3.5 | 11% | 3.5% | On it |
| 23 | Le Grand-Quevilly Seine-Maritime | 3.4 | 4.9% | 0.1% | 50 km |
| 24 | Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône Val-d'Oise | 3.2 | 7.4% | 0% | 123 km |
| 25 | Vertou Loire-Atlantique | 3.1 | 19% | 0% | 41 km |
| 26 | Le Bouscat Gironde | 3 | 1.4% | 0% | 16 km |
| 27 | Aurillac Cantal | 2.7 | 2.9% | 0.2% | 195 km |
| 28 | Vernon Eure | 2.5 | 56% | 3.5% | 90 km |
| 29 | Libourne Gironde | 2 | 2.5% | 14% | 30 km |
| 30 | Saintes Charente-Maritime | 1.9 | 12% | 9.3% | 26 km |
| 31 | Les Pavillons-sous-Bois Seine-Saint-Denis | 1.9 | 0% | 0% | 151 km |
| 32 | Frontignan Hérault | 1.8 | 0.9% | 29% | On it |
| 33 | Saumur Maine-et-Loire | 1.5 | 15% | 100% | 133 km |
| 34 | Muret Haute-Garonne | 1.5 | 10% | 3.2% | 150 km |
| 35 | Couëron Loire-Atlantique | 1.3 | 6.6% | 33% | 28 km |
| 36 | Cavaillon Vaucluse | 1.1 | 3.2% | 100% | 45 km |
| 37 | Laon Aisne | 1.1 | 16% | 0% | 156 km |
| 38 | Vierzon Cher | 0.8 | 44% | 0% | 265 km |
| 39 | Sèvremoine Maine-et-Loire | 0.6 | 5.3% | 0% | 70 km |
| 40 | Beaupréau-en-Mauges Maine-et-Loire | 0.4 | 5.1% | 0% | 78 km |
| 41 | Sainte-Suzanne Réunion | 0.4 | 31% | 49% | On it |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park or wood. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is the commune’s boundary.
Green: parks, gardens and woods mapped on OpenStreetMap, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · INPN / PatriNat · IGN
Places to walk
Parks and woods to walk in, in and around Vichy
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc Napoléon III leads, at 7.8 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc des Sources
Park or garden
5.2 ha3.5 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.5 km of path
Centralin the middle of Vichy
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Bourins
Park or garden
5.6 ha2.6 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.6 km of path
1.2 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Pont d'Allier
Park or garden · 90 m outside the commune
5.3 ha1.9 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.9 km of path
1.4 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Kennedy
Park or garden
3.6 ha1.8 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.8 km of path
1 km southfrom the center
Allée des Justes Parmi les Nations
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Célestins
Park or garden
1.1 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
0.9 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Anciens chalets de l'Empereur et de l'Impératrice
Park or garden
0.6 ha
0.8 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 11 named parks, gardens and woods
Parc Napoléon IIIPark or garden · 7.8 ha · 3.3 km of path
DirectionsParc des SourcesPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 3.5 km of path
DirectionsParc des BourinsPark or garden · 5.6 ha · 2.6 km of path
DirectionsParc du Pont d'AllierPark or garden · 5.3 ha · 1.9 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc KennedyPark or garden · 3.6 ha · 1.8 km of path
DirectionsParc des CélestinsPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc LardyPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsAnciens chalets de l'Empereur et de l'ImpératricePark or garden · 0.6 ha
DirectionsSquare Louis NeillotPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsPavillon SévignéPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsVerger de MaraudePark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
12% of Vichy lies in protected areas
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Natura 2000 site
Vallée de l’Allier sud
12% of the commune0.8 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area12%
Natura 2000 site12%
Designations overlap (a regional park can hold a Natura 2000 site), so the rows don’t add up; the first counts each piece of land once.
12% of Vichy’s land is protected, more than in 73% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Allier has 3%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
Footpaths and woods in Vichy
Paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, and waymarked hiking routes, mapped on OpenStreetMap inside the commune; woods are mapped forest and woodland, private woods included.
Footpaths
52 km
8.8 km per km²
Hiking routes
1.8 km
waymarked: 0.3 km per km²
Woodland
1.3%
about 0.1 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
VichyAllier medianFrance median
Footpaths8.8
Hiking routes0.3
05.511 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
VichyAllier medianFrance median
Woodland1.3%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 98% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 92% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them. Every home in Vichy is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
3 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
PR4612 km
De Néris-les-Bains à Chabanne11 km
Chemin de Szombathely, Roanne - Vichy0.5 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Vichy: April, June, July and September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Vichy-Ville, 1.5 km away, and the daylight at the town’s latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 15 to 30 °C and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.6 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 53 | 43 | 45 | 68 | 84 | 76 | 73 | 84 | 70 | 76 | 74 | 55 |
February is the driest month (43 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 28 °C). 84 mm of rain falls in August, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 45 nights a year. The climate in Vichy →
Gardens
A garden to visit in Vichy
Named gardens in the commune.
Parc KennedyIn Vichy
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Vichy
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
CussetBellerive-sur-AllierCreuzier-le-VieuxAbrestSaint-YorreSaint-Germain-des-FossésVichy
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vichy | 12% | 1.3% | 8.8 |
| Cusset 13,316 · 2.3 km | 1.4% | 18% | 0.9 |
| Bellerive-sur-Allier 8,943 · 2.3 km | 2.2% | 23% | 2.7 |
| Creuzier-le-Vieux 3,205 · 3.3 km | 3% | 10% | 0.8 |
| Abrest 2,915 · 3.9 km | 14% | 19% | 1.4 |
| Saint-Yorre 2,641 · 7.5 km | 15% | 23% | 1.4 |
| Saint-Germain-des-Fossés 3,579 · 8.3 km | 25% | 11% | 1.4 |
Saint-Germain-des-Fossés has at least twice as much protected land. Bellerive-sur-Allier and Saint-Yorre are more wooded.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Protected areas. National-park cores, national parks’ outer areas, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites, from INPN. A national park’s core is strictly protected; its outer area and a regional park are charters between communes, not bans. Designations overlap, so the total counts each piece of land once.
- Woodland. Forest and woods as OpenStreetMap maps them, private woods included: woods nobody has mapped are missing, and a mapped wood isn’t necessarily open to walkers.
- Footpaths and hiking routes. Footpaths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, then waymarked hiking routes (GR and others) measured apart. A route often follows a path or lane already counted: the two overlap. Paths nobody has mapped are missing.
- Green space nearby. The share of residents (INSEE’s 200 m grid) within 800 m, as the crow flies, of a mapped park, garden or wood edge. It measures nearness, not a way in. Guadeloupe and French Guiana have no grid: their pages say whether the town center is within 800 m.
- The coast. The straight-line distance from the town center to OpenStreetMap’s coastline, which follows the tide line into estuaries. A commune is on the coast when the coastline crosses its boundary.
- No grade yet. U.S. and UK towns have an Outdoors Grade; French towns don’t yet. Each figure is set beside the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade) in the département and in France, each figure its own median.
Questions about the outdoors in Vichy
Is Vichy in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 12% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Vichy?
OpenStreetMap maps 52 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 8.8 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 2 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Vichy is woodland?
1.3% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Vichy near the sea?
No: the coast is 290 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Vichy?
April, June, July and September: long days, mild highs and little rain, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at the nearest suitable station.
Why is there no Outdoors Grade for French towns?
TownRatings grades the outdoors in the U.S. and the UK; the French figures are new and not graded yet. This page sets each one beside the median compared French town instead.
Sources: INPN / PatriNat (protected areas 2026, Natura 2000 2024) · © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL (paths, hiking routes, woods, coast, gardens) · INSEE, Filosofi 2021 200 m grid (residents) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · Météo-France normals 1991–2020 · Medians and percentiles: TownRatings, over compared French towns, updated November 4, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.