First pick
Jardin de la Marine
Park or garden
3.7 ha2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
1 km south-eastfrom the center
Allée du Roi de Rome
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Patrick Despoix · CC BY-SA 3.038%of the land protected
Outdoors in Rochefort · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Rochefort is on the coast
Protected areas cover 38% of Rochefort’s land. Footpaths add up to 76 km across Rochefort (3.5 km per km²). Mapped woodland covers 1.4% of Rochefort. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
38%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
1.4%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
76 km
3.5 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
4.8 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
9
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Jardin de la Marine
The sea
On it
the commune touches the coast, 2.3 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 Rochefort?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
On the coastThe commune touches the sea; the coast is 2.3 km from its center.Protected countryside38% of the land lies in protected areas.A place of footpaths3.5 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Little mapped woodland1.4% of the land, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Rochefort apart: the sea, then its protected countryside. It is shorter on woodland.
Against French towns
How Rochefort 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 areas38%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
84out of 100
Woodland1.4%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
8out of 100
Footpaths3.5 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
80out of 100
Hiking routes0.2 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
39out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Rochefort has the 21st fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (22,303 to 24,672 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Torcy (11 km per km²) to Beaupréau-en-Mauges (0.4 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Torcy Seine-et-Marne | 11 | 17% | 0% | 163 km |
| 2 | Sèvres Hauts-de-Seine | 8.9 | 24% | 0% | 147 km |
| 3 | Gif-sur-Yvette Essonne | 7.8 | 28% | 60% | 153 km |
| 4 | Vélizy-Villacoublay Yvelines | 7.6 | 33% | 0% | 150 km |
| 5 | Hérouville-Saint-Clair Calvados | 7 | 4.9% | 0% | 11 km |
| 6 | Montigny-lès-Cormeilles Val-d'Oise | 7 | 17% | 0% | 130 km |
| 7 | Les Lilas Seine-Saint-Denis | 6.6 | 4.4% | 0% | 150 km |
| 8 | Fontenay-aux-Roses Hauts-de-Seine | 6.1 | 1.8% | 0% | 153 km |
| 9 | Rodez Aveyron | 5.9 | 5.5% | 0% | 136 km |
| 10 | Roissy-en-Brie Seine-et-Marne | 5.9 | 46% | 0% | 168 km |
| 11 | Le Kremlin-Bicêtre Val-de-Marne | 5.8 | 1.8% | 0% | 154 km |
| 12 | Lanester Morbihan | 5.2 | 13% | 0.1% | On it |
| 13 | Loos Nord | 5 | 4.6% | 0% | 63 km |
| 14 | Saint-Jean-de-Braye Loiret | 5 | 16% | 4.3% | 207 km |
| 15 | Montbéliard Doubs | 4.9 | 22% | 0% | 418 km |
| 16 | Marseille 2e Bouches-du-Rhône | 4.8 | 0% | 0% | On it |
| 17 | Deuil-la-Barre Val-d'Oise | 4.6 | 6.1% | 0% | 138 km |
| 18 | Montgeron Essonne | 4.6 | 46% | 0% | 168 km |
| 19 | Combs-la-Ville Seine-et-Marne | 4.4 | 14% | 0% | 176 km |
| 20 | Orly Val-de-Marne | 3.9 | 5% | 0% | 162 km |
| 21 | Rochefort Charente-Maritime | 3.5 | 1.4% | 38% | On it |
| 22 | La Valette-du-Var Var | 3.4 | 23% | 32% | 3.7 km |
| 23 | Tassin-la-Demi-Lune Rhône | 3.2 | 18% | 0% | 250 km |
| 24 | Saint-Louis Haut-Rhin | 2.9 | 8.5% | 18% | 423 km |
| 25 | Dammarie-les-Lys Seine-et-Marne | 2.7 | 35% | 26% | 192 km |
| 26 | Maisons-Laffitte Yvelines | 2.6 | 6.5% | 0% | 133 km |
| 27 | Olivet Loiret | 2.5 | 23% | 0% | 208 km |
| 28 | Mantes-la-Ville Yvelines | 2.5 | 7.2% | 0% | 111 km |
| 29 | Dole Jura | 2.5 | 36% | 37% | 400 km |
| 30 | Oyonnax Ain | 2.4 | 59% | 0% | 312 km |
| 31 | Les Pennes-Mirabeau Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.4 | 11% | 0% | 4.3 km |
| 32 | Manosque Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 2.2 | 26% | 100% | 64 km |
| 33 | Saint-Dizier Haute-Marne | 2.1 | 47% | 0% | 293 km |
| 34 | Frontignan Hérault | 1.8 | 0.9% | 29% | On it |
| 35 | Auch Gers | 1.6 | 18% | 0% | 161 km |
| 36 | Couëron Loire-Atlantique | 1.3 | 6.6% | 33% | 28 km |
| 37 | Abbeville Somme | 1.3 | 11% | 100% | 14 km |
| 38 | Laon Aisne | 1.1 | 16% | 0% | 156 km |
| 39 | Challans Vendée | 0.9 | 10% | 0.9% | 15 km |
| 40 | Villeneuve-sur-Lot Lot-et-Garonne | 0.5 | 11% | 0.9% | 123 km |
| 41 | Beaupréau-en-Mauges Maine-et-Loire | 0.4 | 5.1% | 0% | 78 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 Rochefort
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Jardin de la Marine leads, at 3.7 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Cours d'Ablois
Park or garden
1.9 ha1.6 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.6 km of path
Centralin the middle of Rochefort
Directionsto a point inside
Square Parat
Park or garden
1 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
Centralin the middle of Rochefort
Directionsto a point inside
Square Herriot
Park or garden
0.7 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
Centralin the middle of Rochefort
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de Chartres
Wood or forest · 60 m outside the commune
7.2 ha
3.4 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Square Trivier
Park or garden
0.5 ha0.1 km of path
0.7 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Square Guérineau
Park or garden
0.3 ha0.1 km of path
0.8 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 9 named parks, gardens and woods
Jardin de la MarinePark or garden · 3.7 ha · 2.3 km of path
DirectionsCours d'AbloisPark or garden · 1.9 ha · 1.6 km of path
DirectionsSquare ParatPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsSquare HerriotPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsBois de ChartresWood or forest · 7.2 ha · just outside
DirectionsStade RougePark or garden · 1.6 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsSquare TrivierPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsSquare GuérineauPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsLe Potager du RoyPark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
38% of Rochefort 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
Estuaire et basse vallée de la Charente
33% of the commune1.1 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Vallée de la Charente (basse vallée)
33% of the commune1.1 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Anse de Fouras, baie d’Yves, marais de Rochefort
4.6% of the commune2.3 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Marais de Rochefort
4.6% of the commune2.3 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area38%
Natura 2000 site38%
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.
38% of Rochefort’s land is protected, more than in 84% 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
76 km of footpaths cross Rochefort
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
76 km
3.5 km per km²
Hiking routes
4.8 km
waymarked: 0.2 km per km²
Woodland
1.4%
about 0.3 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
RochefortCharente-Maritime medianFrance median
Footpaths3.5
Hiking routes0.2
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
RochefortCharente-Maritime medianFrance median
Woodland1.4%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 80% 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. 98% of Rochefort’s residents live within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, close to the typical town.
2 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
Tour de Saintonge, accès gare de Rochefort6.9 km
De Saint-Savinien à Saint-Agnant0.7 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Rochefort: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at St Agnant, 6.2 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 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 77 | 57 | 58 | 65 | 58 | 47 | 37 | 44 | 62 | 83 | 98 | 93 |
July is the driest month (37 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 26 °C). 98 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 23 nights a year. The climate in Rochefort →
Neighbors
Next to Rochefort
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
SoubiseÉchillaisTonnay-CharenteSaint-AgnantFourasMarennes-Hiers-BrouageRochefort
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochefort | 38% | 1.4% | 3.5 | On it |
| Soubise 3,316 · 3.9 km | 14% | 8.5% | 1.8 | On it |
| Échillais 3,765 · 4.6 km | 8.5% | 9% | 1.2 | On it |
| Tonnay-Charente 8,289 · 6 km | 17% | 3.3% | 0.6 | 6.9 km |
| Saint-Agnant 2,780 · 8.2 km | 27% | 14% | 0.6 | 5.1 km |
| Fouras 4,148 · 10 km | 43% | 2.8% | 2.8 | On it |
| Marennes-Hiers-Brouage 6,163 · 16 km | 75% | 3.2% | 0.6 | 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 Rochefort
Is Rochefort in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 38% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Rochefort?
OpenStreetMap maps 76 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3.5 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 5 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Rochefort is woodland?
1.4% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Rochefort near the sea?
Yes: the commune touches the coast, 2.3 km from its center.
When is the best time for walking in Rochefort?
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 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.