First pick
Oberwald
Wood or forest · 120 m outside the commune
157 ha
3.9 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.057%of the land protected
Outdoors in Seltz · protected areas, woods and footpaths
57% of Seltz’s land is protected for nature
Mapped woodland covers 36% of Seltz. Footpaths add up to 13 km across Seltz (0.6 km per km²). France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
57%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
36%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
13 km
0.6 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
0.7 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
3
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Oberwald
Throughout this page, the Bas-Rhin 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 Seltz?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
Protected countryside57% of the land lies in protected areas.A wooded commune36% mapped woodland, more than in 82% of compared French towns, against 13% for the median compared town.A nature reserveDelta de la Sauer nature reserve covers 7.5% of the commune.Few mapped footpaths0.6 km per km², against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.
What sets Seltz apart: its protected countryside, then its woods. It is shorter on footpaths.
Against French towns
How Seltz 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 areas57%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
88out of 100
Woodland36%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
82out of 100
Footpaths0.6 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
19out of 100
Hiking routes0 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
27out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Seltz has the 9th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (3,184 to 3,225 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Fonbeauzard (4.4 km per km²) to Verneuil-l'Étang (0.2 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fonbeauzard Haute-Garonne | 4.4 | 10% | 0% | 151 km |
| 2 | Saint-Quay-Portrieux Côtes-d'Armor | 4.1 | 0% | 0% | On it |
| 3 | Saint-Michel Aisne | 3.4 | 55% | 62% | 170 km |
| 4 | Gagnac-sur-Garonne Haute-Garonne | 3 | 15% | 38% | 156 km |
| 5 | Ville-di-Pietrabugno Haute-Corse | 2.7 | 25% | 0% | On it |
| 6 | Saint-Michel Charente | 2.3 | 12% | 3.2% | 71 km |
| 7 | Ormoy Essonne | 2 | 25% | 0% | 180 km |
| 8 | Magland Haute-Savoie | 1.9 | 44% | 19% | 257 km |
| 9 | Dolus-d'Oléron Charente-Maritime | 1.9 | 31% | 40% | On it |
| 10 | Knutange Moselle | 1.9 | 64% | 0% | 303 km |
| 11 | Fretin Nord | 1.8 | 3.1% | 0% | 72 km |
| 12 | Montagny Rhône | 1.7 | 25% | 0% | 235 km |
| 13 | Proville Nord | 1.6 | 15% | 9.5% | 109 km |
| 14 | Châteaugay Puy-de-Dôme | 1.6 | 4.7% | 5.2% | 265 km |
| 15 | Nay Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 1.6 | 14% | 8.5% | 109 km |
| 16 | Fontoy Moselle | 1.5 | 48% | 0% | 300 km |
| 17 | La Machine Nièvre | 1.5 | 65% | 58% | 357 km |
| 18 | Bréviandes Aube | 1.4 | 26% | 0% | 277 km |
| 19 | Rochecorbon Indre-et-Loire | 1.3 | 21% | 7.3% | 190 km |
| 20 | Saint-Geniès-de-Malgoirès Gard | 1.3 | 32% | 0% | 44 km |
| 21 | Saint-Parres-aux-Tertres Aube | 1.2 | 8.7% | 0.6% | 274 km |
| 22 | Marsac-sur-l'Isle Dordogne | 1.2 | 33% | 0% | 99 km |
| 23 | Davézieux Ardèche | 1.2 | 4.3% | 0% | 195 km |
| 24 | Saint-Paul-de-Vence Alpes-Maritimes | 1.1 | 32% | 0% | 5 km |
| 25 | Saône Doubs | 1.1 | 43% | 28% | 397 km |
| 26 | Druelle Balsac Aveyron | 1.1 | 22% | 0% | 140 km |
| 27 | Veynes Hautes-Alpes | 1.1 | 51% | 63% | 137 km |
| 28 | La Loupe Eure-et-Loir | 1 | 9.5% | 100% | 118 km |
| 29 | Souillac Lot | 1 | 67% | 6.9% | 163 km |
| 30 | Haveluy Nord | 0.8 | 4.2% | 99% | 101 km |
| 31 | Creuzier-le-Vieux Allier | 0.8 | 10% | 3% | 293 km |
| 32 | Saint-Sauveur-Villages Manche | 0.8 | 2% | 35% | 13 km |
| 33 | Seltz Bas-Rhin | 0.6 | 36% | 57% | 447 km |
| 34 | Flixecourt Somme | 0.6 | 26% | 0% | 34 km |
| 35 | Crêches-sur-Saône Saône-et-Loire | 0.6 | 5.5% | 16% | 303 km |
| 36 | Mayet Sarthe | 0.5 | 38% | 40% | 155 km |
| 37 | Montendre Charente-Maritime | 0.4 | 17% | 15% | 23 km |
| 38 | Saint-Siméon-de-Bressieux Isère | 0.3 | 15% | 0% | 211 km |
| 39 | Montsûrs Mayenne | 0.3 | 15% | 19% | 80 km |
| 40 | Illiers-Combray Eure-et-Loir | 0.3 | 8.1% | 0% | 142 km |
| 41 | Verneuil-l'Étang Seine-et-Marne | 0.2 | 9.8% | 0% | 189 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 Seltz
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Oberwald leads, at 157 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Füllergrund
Wood or forest · 260 m outside the commune
150 ha
4 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Hüttenköpfel
Wood or forest · 130 m outside the commune
104 ha
3.4 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Protected land in and around Seltz
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Nature reserve
Delta de la Sauer nature reserve
7.5% of the commune1 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Vallée du Rhin de Lauterbourg à Strasbourg
47% of the commune0.4 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Secteur Alluvial Rhin-Ried-Bruch, Bas-Rhin
18% of the commune1 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Forêt de Haguenau
10% of the commune0.7 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area57%
Nature reserve7.5%
Natura 2000 site57%
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.
57% of Seltz’s land is protected, more than in 88% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Bas-Rhin has 0.1%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
13 km of footpaths cross Seltz
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
13 km
0.6 km per km²
Hiking routes
0.7 km
waymarked: 0 km per km²
Woodland
36%
about 7.5 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
SeltzBas-Rhin medianFrance median
Footpaths0.6
Hiking routes0
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
SeltzBas-Rhin medianFrance median
Woodland36%
0%50%100%
That is less than in 81% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 82% 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 Seltz is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
A named hiking route within 2 km
Other named walk
Balade dans le delta de la Sauer5.9 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Seltz: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Preuschdorf, 22 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) | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.3 | 16.2 | 15.8 | 14.4 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°C) | 5 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 22 | 16 | 9 | 6 |
| Rain (mm) | 77 | 65 | 64 | 51 | 76 | 64 | 69 | 59 | 62 | 75 | 79 | 92 |
April is the driest month (51 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 27 °C). 92 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 66 nights a year. The climate in Seltz →
Neighbors
Next to Seltz
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
SoufflenheimBetschdorfSoultz-sous-ForêtsDrusenheimWissembourgOberhoffen-sur-ModerSeltz
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seltz | 57% | 36% | 0.6 |
| Soufflenheim 4,740 · 13 km | 0.8% | 46% | 1.8 |
| Betschdorf 4,231 · 14 km | 49% | 41% | 0.2 |
| Soultz-sous-Forêts 3,121 · 16 km | 100% | 37% | 1.1 |
| Drusenheim 5,388 · 18 km | 17% | 29% | 0.8 |
| Wissembourg 7,566 · 19 km | 67% | 54% | 1.6 |
| Oberhoffen-sur-Moder 3,992 · 21 km | 11% | 25% | 1.7 |
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 Seltz
Is Seltz in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 57% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Seltz?
OpenStreetMap maps 13 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 0.6 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²).
How much of Seltz is woodland?
36% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Seltz near the sea?
No: the coast is 447 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Seltz?
April to 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.