First pick
La Prairie
Park or garden
53 ha3.3 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.3 km of path
1 km southfrom the center
Cours Général Koenig
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Chaitanya · CC BY-SA 4.02.4%woodland
Outdoors in Caen · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Caen has more footpaths per km² than 9 in 10 French towns
207 km of footpaths cross Caen (8.1 km per km²). Waymarked hiking routes add up to 50 km in Caen. 2.4% of Caen is mapped woodland. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
0%
of the commune’s land
Nearest: Anciennes carrières de la vallée de la Mue, 11 km
Woodland
2.4%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
207 km
8.1 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
50 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: La Prairie
The sea
14 km
from the town center to the coast
Throughout this page, the Calvados 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 Caen?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths8.1 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.On waymarked routes50 km of GR and other hiking routes cross the commune.Little mapped woodland2.4% of the land, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Caen apart: its footpaths, then its hiking routes. It is shorter on woodland.
Against French towns
How Caen 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 areas0%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
22out of 100
Woodland2.4%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
12out of 100
Footpaths8.1 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
98out of 100
Hiking routes1.9 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
96out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Caen has the 8th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (82,902 to 142,346 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 Saint-Pierre (0.9 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 10e Paris | 15.2 | 0.1% | 0% | 148 km |
| 3 | Créteil Val-de-Marne | 13.8 | 2% | 0% | 161 km |
| 4 | Paris 14e Paris | 10.6 | 0.4% | 0% | 151 km |
| 5 | Nanterre Hauts-de-Seine | 9.2 | 0.9% | 0% | 141 km |
| 6 | Courbevoie Hauts-de-Seine | 8.8 | 0.1% | 0% | 142 km |
| 7 | Versailles Yvelines | 8.1 | 28% | 0% | 146 km |
| 8 | Caen Calvados | 8.1 | 2.4% | 0% | 14 km |
| 9 | Tours Indre-et-Loire | 7.8 | 6.3% | 4.7% | 184 km |
| 10 | Nancy Meurthe-et-Moselle | 6.9 | 2.7% | 0% | 366 km |
| 11 | Metz Moselle | 6.8 | 8% | 0% | 329 km |
| 12 | Marseille 8e Bouches-du-Rhône | 6.4 | 11% | 47% | On it |
| 13 | Orléans Loiret | 6.3 | 5.4% | 4.3% | 206 km |
| 14 | Boulogne-Billancourt Hauts-de-Seine | 6 | 2% | 0% | 147 km |
| 15 | Brest Finistère | 5.9 | 6.7% | 0% | On it |
| 16 | Lyon 3e Rhône | 5.9 | 0.5% | 0% | 251 km |
| 17 | Aubervilliers Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.8 | 1.3% | 0% | 146 km |
| 18 | Mulhouse Haut-Rhin | 5.7 | 4.3% | 0% | 441 km |
| 19 | Paris 11e Paris | 5.4 | 0% | 0% | 150 km |
| 20 | Besançon Doubs | 5.3 | 37% | 0.6% | 402 km |
| 21 | Montreuil Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.2 | 1.8% | 4.7% | 153 km |
| 22 | Rouen Seine-Maritime | 5.1 | 6.2% | 0% | 53 km |
| 23 | Roubaix Nord | 5 | 0.8% | 0% | 61 km |
| 24 | Dunkerque Nord | 4.8 | 1.8% | 1.5% | On it |
| 25 | Annecy Haute-Savoie | 4.6 | 29% | 0.2% | 260 km |
| 26 | Lyon 8e Rhône | 4.6 | 0.7% | 0% | 249 km |
| 27 | Vitry-sur-Seine Val-de-Marne | 4.5 | 1.7% | 0% | 157 km |
| 28 | Poitiers Vienne | 4.5 | 8.8% | 0% | 118 km |
| 29 | Lyon 7e Rhône | 4.5 | 0.1% | 0% | 250 km |
| 30 | Colombes Hauts-de-Seine | 4.3 | 1.4% | 0% | 139 km |
| 31 | Aulnay-sous-Bois Seine-Saint-Denis | 4.1 | 5.1% | 6.2% | 148 km |
| 32 | Tourcoing Nord | 3.9 | 1.1% | 0% | 57 km |
| 33 | Marseille 13e Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.8 | 3.3% | 32% | 5.5 km |
| 34 | Amiens Somme | 3.8 | 3% | 0.7% | 55 km |
| 35 | Asnières-sur-Seine Hauts-de-Seine | 3.7 | 0% | 0% | 141 km |
| 36 | Avignon Vaucluse | 3.3 | 2.9% | 27% | 54 km |
| 37 | Limoges Haute-Vienne | 3.3 | 15% | 0% | 163 km |
| 38 | Argenteuil Val-d'Oise | 3.2 | 5.5% | 0% | 136 km |
| 39 | Perpignan Pyrénées-Orientales | 2.2 | 0.2% | 0.3% | 12 km |
| 40 | Saint-Paul Réunion | 1.4 | 20% | 64% | On it |
| 41 | Saint-Pierre Réunion | 0.9 | 9.1% | 18% | 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 Caen
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: La Prairie leads, at 53 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc de la Colline aux Oiseaux
Park or garden
18 ha8.1 km of path
1 h 50 minto walk all 8.1 km of path
2.3 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Vallée des Jardins
Park or garden
11 ha2.7 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.7 km of path
1.4 km northfrom the center
Vallée des Jardins
Directionsto a point inside
Coteaux Saint-Julien
Park or garden
5.9 ha2.7 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.7 km of path
1.5 km north-westfrom the center
Promenade Jacques Tati
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Michel d'Ornano
Park or garden
5.7 ha2.6 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.6 km of path
1.6 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Les Côteaux des Sablons
Park or garden
5.7 ha1.8 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.8 km of path
1.6 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Coulée verte de Venoix Beaulieu
Park or garden
4.3 ha2.1 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.1 km of path
2.7 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin des Plantes
Park or garden
3.6 ha2 km of path
25 minto walk all 2 km of path
0.7 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 30 named parks, gardens and woods
La PrairiePark or garden · 53 ha · 3.3 km of path
DirectionsParc de la Colline aux OiseauxPark or garden · 18 ha · 8.1 km of path
DirectionsVallée des JardinsPark or garden · 11 ha · 2.7 km of path
DirectionsCoteaux Saint-JulienPark or garden · 5.9 ha · 2.7 km of path
DirectionsParc Michel d'OrnanoPark or garden · 5.7 ha · 2.6 km of path
DirectionsLes Côteaux des SablonsPark or garden · 5.7 ha · 1.8 km of path
DirectionsCoulée verte de Venoix BeaulieuPark or garden · 4.3 ha · 2.1 km of path
DirectionsJardin des PlantesPark or garden · 3.6 ha · 2 km of path
DirectionsParc urbain Georges MaillardPark or garden · 3.3 ha · 1 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc Claude DecaenPark or garden · 2.3 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsParc de la FossettePark or garden · 3.2 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsCoulée verte de SecquevillePark or garden · 2.4 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsJardin des PoètesPark or garden · 1.7 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsEsplanade Jean-Marie LouvelPark or garden · 1.6 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc des BénédictinesPark or garden · 2 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsLa Grande PelousePark or garden · 2 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsEspace TourainePark or garden · 2 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc de la Blanche-HerbePark or garden · 1.3 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin des AcadiensPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsParc des TisserandsPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsParc Saint-PaulPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsParc de la Grâce-de-DieuPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsSquare Lucien SébirePark or garden · 1 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsJardin de la préfecturePark or garden · 1.2 ha
DirectionsParc Edmond PruèdePark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc Venelle aux ChampsPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSquare de la CavéePark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSquare de la Croix GuérinPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSquare de NashvillePark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare Nicolas-CopernicPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Anciennes carrières de la vallée de la Mue is the nearest protected area, 11 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Natura 2000 site
Anciennes carrières de la vallée de la Mue
11 km from the town center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area0%
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.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
Footpaths and woods in Caen
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
207 km
8.1 km per km²
Hiking routes
50 km
waymarked: 1.9 km per km²
Woodland
2.4%
about 0.6 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
CaenCalvados medianFrance median
Footpaths8.1
Hiking routes1.9
0510 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
CaenCalvados medianFrance median
Woodland2.4%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 98% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 88% 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 Caen is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
8 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)Other named walk
GR 3611 km
GR 221C5.6 km
Le Sentier Grand-Ouest17 km
Parcours dans Caen, version longue11 km
Le Sentier Nord-Ouest9.8 km
Chemin de Caen6.6 km
Parcours dans Caen, version courte6 km
Parcours Découvrir les vieux hameaux Couvrechef et de la Folie3.1 km
2 GR routes pass within 2 km of Caen: GR 36 and GR 221C.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Caen: May to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Caen-Carpiquet, 6.3 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) | 8.6 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.3 | 16.2 | 15.8 | 14.4 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.0 | 8.2 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 63 | 53 | 50 | 53 | 59 | 58 | 51 | 60 | 54 | 79 | 79 | 81 |
March is the driest month (50 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 23 °C). 81 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 29 nights a year. The climate in Caen →
Gardens
4 gardens to visit in Caen
Named gardens in the commune.
CaenpousseIn Caen
DirectionsJardin de la Luna RossaIn Caen
DirectionsJardin des plantes de CaenIn Caen
DirectionsJardin du Musée d'initiation à la NatureIn Caen
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Caen
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Hérouville-Saint-ClairLouvignyFleury-sur-OrneBretteville-sur-OdonCormelles-le-RoyalMondevilleCaen
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caen | 0% | 2.4% | 8.1 | 14 km |
| Hérouville-Saint-Clair 23,470 · 3.4 km | 0% | 4.9% | 7 | 11 km |
| Louvigny 2,612 · 3.5 km | 0% | 5.4% | 2.9 | 17 km |
| Fleury-sur-Orne 5,941 · 3.7 km | 0% | 3.3% | 3.6 | 17 km |
| Bretteville-sur-Odon 4,494 · 3.7 km | 0% | 4.3% | 3.2 | 17 km |
| Cormelles-le-Royal 5,377 · 3.9 km | 0% | 2.2% | 7.2 | 15 km |
| Mondeville 10,331 · 3.9 km | 0% | 5.4% | 5.2 | 13 km |
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 Caen
Is Caen in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Anciennes carrières de la vallée de la Mue, 11 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Caen?
OpenStreetMap maps 207 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 8.1 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 50 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Caen is woodland?
2.4% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Caen near the sea?
No: the coast is 14 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Caen?
May 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.