First pick
Bois Madame
Wood or forest
72 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
2.6 km eastfrom the center
Chemin du Bois MadameChemin rural du Clos
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Patrick Despoix · CC BY-SA 3.043%of the land protected
Outdoors in Fouras · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Fouras is on the coast
43% of Fouras’ land lies in protected areas. Mapped woodland covers 2.8% of Fouras. Footpaths add up to 28 km across Fouras (2.8 km per km²). France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
43%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
2.8%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
28 km
2.8 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
0 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
4
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Bois Madame
The sea
On it
the commune touches the coast, 0.6 km from its center
Throughout this page, the Charente-Maritime 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 Fouras?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
On the coastThe commune touches the sea; the coast is 0.6 km from its center.Protected countryside43% of the land lies in protected areas.A nature reserveRéserve Naturelle Nationale de la baie et du marais d’Yves nature reserve covers 5.7% of the commune.Little mapped woodland2.8% of the land, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Fouras apart: the sea, then its protected countryside. It is shorter on woodland.
Against French towns
How Fouras 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 areas43%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
85out of 100
Woodland2.8%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
14out of 100
Footpaths2.8 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
70out of 100
Hiking routes0 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
12out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Fouras has the 9th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (4,116 to 4,181 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Chanteloup-en-Brie (6.5 km per km²) to Vieillevigne (0.2 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chanteloup-en-Brie Seine-et-Marne | 6.5 | 24% | 0% | 166 km |
| 2 | Montferrier-sur-Lez Hérault | 5.3 | 33% | 8.3% | 16 km |
| 3 | Indre Loire-Atlantique | 4.7 | 7.9% | 41% | 30 km |
| 4 | Le Pouliguen Loire-Atlantique | 4.4 | 1.6% | 5.1% | On it |
| 5 | Herserange Meurthe-et-Moselle | 3.9 | 47% | 0% | 276 km |
| 6 | Mareil-Marly Yvelines | 3.8 | 24% | 0% | 136 km |
| 7 | Thumeries Nord | 3.3 | 37% | 12% | 77 km |
| 8 | Le Plessis-Pâté Essonne | 3.2 | 4.8% | 0% | 170 km |
| 9 | Fouras Charente-Maritime | 2.8 | 2.8% | 43% | On it |
| 10 | Turckheim Haut-Rhin | 2.7 | 56% | 7.9% | 469 km |
| 11 | Salouël Somme | 2.6 | 2% | 0% | 54 km |
| 12 | Yvré-l'Évêque Sarthe | 2.2 | 26% | 0% | 138 km |
| 13 | Aulnat Puy-de-Dôme | 2.1 | 0.1% | 0% | 258 km |
| 14 | Tourrettes-sur-Loup Alpes-Maritimes | 2.1 | 40% | 100% | 11 km |
| 15 | Aigrefeuille-sur-Maine Loire-Atlantique | 2 | 5.8% | 0% | 44 km |
| 16 | Le Houlme Seine-Maritime | 1.7 | 37% | 0% | 44 km |
| 17 | Brie Charente | 1.5 | 35% | 19% | 86 km |
| 18 | Veigy-Foncenex Haute-Savoie | 1.5 | 38% | 0.3% | 293 km |
| 19 | Saint-Romain-le-Puy Loire | 1.4 | 16% | 17% | 222 km |
| 20 | Val d'Oingt Rhône | 1.3 | 20% | 0% | 266 km |
| 21 | Ghyvelde Nord | 1.3 | 0.2% | 6.9% | 3.7 km |
| 22 | Pont-de-l'Arche Eure | 1.2 | 72% | 1.4% | 59 km |
| 23 | Gondecourt Nord | 1.2 | 4.8% | 0% | 68 km |
| 24 | Sainte-Menehould Marne | 1.2 | 70% | 35% | 263 km |
| 25 | Nissan-lez-Enserune Hérault | 1.1 | 4.6% | 38% | 12 km |
| 26 | Chaingy Loiret | 1 | 21% | 2.3% | 202 km |
| 27 | La Destrousse Bouches-du-Rhône | 0.9 | 11% | 6.2% | 19 km |
| 28 | Condé-sur-Vire Manche | 0.9 | 3.4% | 0% | 33 km |
| 29 | Arsac Gironde | 0.9 | 59% | 100% | 6.4 km |
| 30 | Hérin Nord | 0.9 | 1% | 99% | 103 km |
| 31 | Neuilly-en-Thelle Oise | 0.8 | 7.9% | 0% | 114 km |
| 32 | Saint-Lubin-des-Joncherets Eure-et-Loir | 0.7 | 19% | 0% | 97 km |
| 33 | Anneyron Drôme | 0.6 | 14% | 0% | 201 km |
| 34 | Pusignan Rhône | 0.6 | 2.9% | 0% | 256 km |
| 35 | Saint-Florentin Yonne | 0.6 | 10% | 0% | 284 km |
| 36 | Pézilla-la-Rivière Pyrénées-Orientales | 0.5 | 1.8% | 0% | 22 km |
| 37 | Sées Orne | 0.3 | 5.5% | 100% | 79 km |
| 38 | Guignen Ille-et-Vilaine | 0.3 | 11% | 1.2% | 61 km |
| 39 | Solesmes Nord | 0.3 | 0.7% | 0% | 121 km |
| 40 | Courpière Puy-de-Dôme | 0.2 | 36% | 100% | 248 km |
| 41 | Vieillevigne Loire-Atlantique | 0.2 | 4% | 0% | 42 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 Fouras
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Bois Madame leads, at 72 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Le Bois Vert
Wood or forest
8.4 ha2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
1.4 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Square Raymond Corbin
Park or garden
0.6 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
0.7 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Square des Anciens Combattants d'Afrique du Nord 1945-1962
Park or garden
0.5 ha
1.3 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
43% of Fouras lies in protected areas
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Nature reserve
Réserve Naturelle Nationale de la baie et du marais d’Yves nature reserve
5.7% of the commune1 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Estuaire et basse vallée de la Charente
32% of the commune0.6 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Vallée de la Charente (basse vallée)
32% of the commune0.6 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Anse de Fouras, baie d’Yves, marais de Rochefort
11% of the commune0.8 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Marais de Rochefort
11% of the commune0.8 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area43%
Nature reserve5.7%
Natura 2000 site42%
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.
43% of Fouras’ land is protected, more than in 85% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Charente-Maritime has 12%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
28 km of footpaths cross Fouras
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
28 km
2.8 km per km²
Hiking routes
0 km
waymarked: 0 km per km²
Woodland
2.8%
about 0.3 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
FourasCharente-Maritime medianFrance median
Footpaths2.8
Hiking routes0
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
FourasCharente-Maritime medianFrance median
Woodland2.8%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 70% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 86% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them. 99% of Fouras’ residents live within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, close to the typical town.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Fouras: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at St-Laurent Pree-Inrae, 4.5 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 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | 10 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 11 |
| Rain (mm) | 78 | 55 | 56 | 63 | 54 | 44 | 43 | 44 | 67 | 86 | 100 | 90 |
July is the driest month (43 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 25 °C). 100 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 29 nights a year. The climate in Fouras →
Neighbors
Next to Fouras
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
SoubiseChâtelaillon-PlageRochefortAngoulinsÉchillaisLe Château-d'OléronFouras
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fouras | 43% | 2.8% | 2.8 | On it |
| Soubise 3,316 · 9.3 km | 14% | 8.5% | 1.8 | On it |
| Châtelaillon-Plage 6,653 · 9.7 km | 22% | 0.5% | 4.6 | On it |
| Rochefort 23,460 · 10 km | 38% | 1.4% | 3.5 | On it |
| Angoulins 4,240 · 13 km | 3.8% | 0.3% | 2.7 | On it |
| Échillais 3,765 · 14 km | 8.5% | 9% | 1.2 | On it |
| Le Château-d'Oléron 4,366 · 15 km | 50% | 7.5% | 1.5 | On it |
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 Fouras
Is Fouras in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 43% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Fouras?
OpenStreetMap maps 28 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 2.8 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²).
How much of Fouras is woodland?
2.8% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Fouras near the sea?
Yes: the commune touches the coast, 0.6 km from its center.
When is the best time for walking in Fouras?
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.