First pick
Colline du Château
Park or garden
15 ha6.8 km of path
1 h 30 minto walk all 6.8 km of path
2.2 km south-eastfrom the center
Protestant InférieurMontée Auguste KerlCamin dau Pòrt+5 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Moody Dreiza ( Moody751 at English Wikipedia ) · CC BY 2.56.2%of the land protected
Outdoors in Nice · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Nice is on the coast
Footpaths add up to 186 km across Nice (2.5 km per km²). Nice has 45 km of waymarked hiking routes. 20% of Nice is mapped woodland. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
6.2%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
20%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
186 km
2.5 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
45 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
30
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Colline du Château
The sea
On it
the commune touches the coast, 1.5 km from its center
Throughout this page, the Alpes-Maritimes median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median.
Against French towns
How Nice 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 areas6.2%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
67out of 100
Woodland20%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
62out of 100
Footpaths2.5 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
67out of 100
Hiking routes0.6 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
68out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Nice has the 5th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (118,489 to 514,819 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Paris 12e (16.7 km per km²) to Nîmes (1.3 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris 12e Paris | 16.7 | 30% | 0% | 153 km |
| 2 | Paris 16e Paris | 11.9 | 25% | 0% | 147 km |
| 3 | Grenoble Isère | 11.6 | 4.6% | 0% | 204 km |
| 4 | Paris 19e Paris | 11.1 | 2.1% | 0% | 148 km |
| 5 | Paris 20e Paris | 10.9 | 0.1% | 0% | 151 km |
| 6 | Rennes Ille-et-Vilaine | 10.8 | 6.4% | 0% | 49 km |
| 7 | Paris 14e Paris | 10.6 | 0.4% | 0% | 151 km |
| 8 | Paris 15e Paris | 9.6 | 0% | 0% | 149 km |
| 9 | Paris 13e Paris | 9.2 | 0.4% | 0% | 152 km |
| 10 | Tours Indre-et-Loire | 7.8 | 6.3% | 4.7% | 184 km |
| 11 | Lille Nord | 7.7 | 2.3% | 0% | 62 km |
| 12 | Villeurbanne Rhône | 7.4 | 2.8% | 0.3% | 253 km |
| 13 | Nantes Loire-Atlantique | 7.3 | 7.3% | 6.3% | 39 km |
| 14 | Saint-Denis Seine-Saint-Denis | 7 | 2.4% | 1.8% | 142 km |
| 15 | Metz Moselle | 6.8 | 8% | 0% | 329 km |
| 16 | Strasbourg Bas-Rhin | 6.4 | 17% | 22% | 451 km |
| 17 | Montpellier Hérault | 6.3 | 5.5% | 0.6% | 11 km |
| 18 | Angers Maine-et-Loire | 6.3 | 5.6% | 17% | 118 km |
| 19 | Boulogne-Billancourt Hauts-de-Seine | 6 | 2% | 0% | 147 km |
| 20 | Dijon Côte-d'Or | 6 | 6.5% | 0% | 402 km |
| 21 | Brest Finistère | 5.9 | 6.7% | 0% | On it |
| 22 | Toulouse Haute-Garonne | 5.9 | 3.7% | 3.3% | 147 km |
| 23 | Le Mans Sarthe | 5.5 | 6.6% | 0% | 135 km |
| 24 | Paris 11e Paris | 5.4 | 0% | 0% | 150 km |
| 25 | Besançon Doubs | 5.3 | 37% | 0.6% | 402 km |
| 26 | Paris 17e Paris | 5.1 | 0.2% | 0% | 145 km |
| 27 | Bordeaux Gironde | 4.9 | 1.2% | 10% | 18 km |
| 28 | Reims Marne | 4.8 | 2.1% | 1.1% | 199 km |
| 29 | Annecy Haute-Savoie | 4.6 | 29% | 0.2% | 260 km |
| 30 | Paris 18e Paris | 4.4 | 0.5% | 0% | 146 km |
| 31 | Amiens Somme | 3.8 | 3% | 0.7% | 55 km |
| 32 | Clermont-Ferrand Puy-de-Dôme | 3.7 | 4.6% | 0.7% | 258 km |
| 33 | Le Havre Seine-Maritime | 3.6 | 5.8% | 3.3% | On it |
| 34 | Toulon Var | 3.6 | 23% | 26% | On it |
| 35 | Saint-Étienne Loire | 3.5 | 31% | 33% | 210 km |
| 36 | Limoges Haute-Vienne | 3.3 | 15% | 0% | 163 km |
| 37 | Nice Alpes-Maritimes | 2.5 | 20% | 6.2% | On it |
| 38 | Perpignan Pyrénées-Orientales | 2.2 | 0.2% | 0.3% | 12 km |
| 39 | Aix-en-Provence Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.1 | 18% | 9.1% | 21 km |
| 40 | Saint-Denis Réunion | 1.6 | 62% | 73% | On it |
| 41 | Nîmes Gard | 1.3 | 29% | 4.6% | 37 km |
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 Nice
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Colline du Château leads, at 15 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc Phoenix
Park or garden
6.1 ha1.6 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.6 km of path
5.4 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de la Clua
Park or garden
5.3 ha1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
2.6 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Promenade du Paillon
Park or garden
3.6 ha1.7 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
1.5 km south-eastfrom the center
Allée Albert Camus
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Chateau de Valrose, Coté Batiments Université
Park or garden
4.2 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
1.4 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Municipal Castel des Deux Rois
Park or garden
3.6 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
2.8 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin Albert 1er
Park or garden
2.6 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
1.5 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de l'Éco-Vallée
Park or garden
3 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
5.2 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 30 named parks, gardens and woods
Colline du ChâteauPark or garden · 15 ha · 6.8 km of path
DirectionsParc PhoenixPark or garden · 6.1 ha · 1.6 km of path
DirectionsParc de la CluaPark or garden · 5.3 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsPromenade du PaillonPark or garden · 3.6 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsParc du Chateau de Valrose, Coté Batiments UniversitéPark or garden · 4.2 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsParc Municipal Castel des Deux RoisPark or garden · 3.6 ha · 1 km of path
DirectionsJardin Albert 1erPark or garden · 2.6 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'Éco-ValléePark or garden · 3 ha · 1 km of path
DirectionsJardin des Arènes de CimiezPark or garden · 3.4 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsJardin BotaniquePark or garden · 2.4 ha · 1 km of path
DirectionsJardin du MonastèrePark or garden · 1.4 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsParc Carol de RoumaniePark or garden · 2.3 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc du Chateau de Valrose, Coté Grand ChateauPark or garden · 1.9 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc Valrose - MontebelloPark or garden · 3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc du RayPark or garden · 1.8 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin du Bois de BoulognePark or garden · 1.8 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsParc VigierPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsParc François LAYETPark or garden · 1.2 ha · 0.4 km of path · just outside
DirectionsJardin d'Alsace-LorrainePark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsMusée MassénaPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin de la Légion d'HonneurPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin des Hoirs de CessolePark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsParc ChambrunPark or garden · 1.2 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc ParadisioPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsEspace naturel du DauphinéPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsGrand Chateau de ValrosePark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'IndochinePark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc Valrose - ChimiePark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsJardin KennedyPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsJardin du Général ThiolePark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
6.2% of Nice 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
Corniches de la Rivièra
2.7% of the commune3.3 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Basse Vallée du Var
2% of the commune5.6 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Vallons obscurs de Nice et de Saint Blaise
1.5% of the commune3.3 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area6.2%
Natura 2000 site6.2%
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.
6.2% of Nice’s land is protected, more than in 67% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Alpes-Maritimes has 10%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
186 km of footpaths and 45 km of hiking routes cross Nice
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
186 km
2.5 km per km²
Hiking routes
45 km
waymarked: 0.6 km per km²
Woodland
20%
about 14.7 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
NiceAlpes-Maritimes medianFrance median
Footpaths2.5
Hiking routes0.6
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
NiceAlpes-Maritimes medianFrance median
Woodland20%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 67% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 62% 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 Nice 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
Lou Camin Nissart41 km
Via Aurelia, Roquebrune - Mandelieu18 km
Mieux comprendre le gypse - Colline de Cimiez1.9 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Nice: April to August
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Nice, 7.6 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°C) | 13 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 21 | 17 | 14 |
| Rain (mm) | 74 | 54 | 51 | 69 | 40 | 36 | 14 | 17 | 81 | 128 | 138 | 90 |
July is the driest month (14 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 28 °C). 138 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 1 night a year. The climate in Nice →
Gardens
4 gardens to visit in Nice
Named gardens in the commune.
Jardin Albert-IerIn Nice
DirectionsJardin botanique de la ville de NiceIn Nice
DirectionsLe Jardin du petit PessicartIn Nice
DirectionsSquare PrimeroseIn Nice
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Nice
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Villefranche-sur-MerSaint-André-de-la-RocheBeaulieu-sur-MerLa TrinitéColomarsSaint-Laurent-du-VarNice
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nice | 6.2% | 20% | 2.5 | On it |
| Villefranche-sur-Mer 5,008 · 4.2 km | 26% | 19% | 4.2 | On it |
| Saint-André-de-la-Roche 5,896 · 4.7 km | 0% | 28% | 1.6 | 4.4 km |
| Beaulieu-sur-Mer 3,874 · 5.8 km | 0.9% | 0.2% | 4.2 | On it |
| La Trinité 10,602 · 6.2 km | 25% | 59% | 1.8 | 3.6 km |
| Colomars 3,409 · 6.4 km | 12% | 45% | 1.6 | 7.7 km |
| Saint-Laurent-du-Var 32,172 · 6.9 km | 8.8% | 6.3% | 2.2 | On it |
Villefranche-sur-Mer and La Trinité have at least twice as much protected land. La Trinité and Colomars 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 Nice
Is Nice in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 6.2% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Nice?
OpenStreetMap maps 186 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 2.5 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 45 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Nice is woodland?
20% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Nice near the sea?
Yes: the commune touches the coast, 1.5 km from its center.
When is the best time for walking in Nice?
April to August: 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 9, 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.