First pick
Bois des Brandes
Wood or forest · 10 m outside the commune
340 ha15.3 km of path
3 h 25 minto walk all 15.3 km of path
4.8 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Cobber17 · CC BY-SA 3.09.3%of the land protected
Outdoors in Saintes · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Saintes is within 800 m of a park or wood
Protected areas cover 9.3% of Saintes’ land. 87 km of footpaths cross Saintes (1.9 km per km²). Mapped woodland covers 12% of Saintes. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
9.3%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
12%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
87 km
1.9 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
15 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
26
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Bois des Brandes
The sea
26 km
from the town center to the coast
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.
Against French towns
How Saintes 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 areas9.3%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
71out of 100
Woodland12%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
46out of 100
Footpaths1.9 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
55out of 100
Hiking routes0.3 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
49out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Saintes has the 11th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (24,022 to 26,658 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Les Ulis (10.9 km per km²) to Sainte-Suzanne (0.4 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Les Ulis Essonne | 10.9 | 13% | 0.2% | 156 km |
| 2 | Villeneuve-la-Garenne Hauts-de-Seine | 9.8 | 4.2% | 0% | 141 km |
| 3 | Vichy Allier | 8.8 | 1.3% | 12% | 290 km |
| 4 | Élancourt Yvelines | 8.2 | 26% | 3.5% | 138 km |
| 5 | Fontenay-aux-Roses Hauts-de-Seine | 6.1 | 1.8% | 0% | 153 km |
| 6 | Le Kremlin-Bicêtre Val-de-Marne | 5.8 | 1.8% | 0% | 154 km |
| 7 | Brunoy Essonne | 5.2 | 18% | 0% | 170 km |
| 8 | Eaubonne Val-d'Oise | 5 | 1.9% | 0% | 134 km |
| 9 | Montbéliard Doubs | 4.9 | 22% | 0% | 418 km |
| 10 | Alençon Orne | 4.8 | 2.3% | 5.5% | 97 km |
| 11 | Marseille 2e Bouches-du-Rhône | 4.8 | 0% | 0% | On it |
| 12 | Lormont Gironde | 4.7 | 12% | 7.4% | 16 km |
| 13 | Montgeron Essonne | 4.6 | 46% | 0% | 168 km |
| 14 | Castelnau-le-Lez Hérault | 4.6 | 4.5% | 1.2% | 11 km |
| 15 | Miramas Bouches-du-Rhône | 4 | 9.2% | 5.7% | 18 km |
| 16 | Béthune Pas-de-Calais | 4 | 4% | 0% | 60 km |
| 17 | Orly Val-de-Marne | 3.9 | 5% | 0% | 162 km |
| 18 | Eysines Gironde | 3.9 | 7.6% | 3.1% | 15 km |
| 19 | Hénin-Beaumont Pas-de-Calais | 3.8 | 5.6% | 0% | 80 km |
| 20 | La Garde Var | 3.8 | 7.6% | 25% | On it |
| 21 | Biarritz Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 3.5 | 11% | 3.5% | On it |
| 22 | Le Grand-Quevilly Seine-Maritime | 3.4 | 4.9% | 0.1% | 50 km |
| 23 | Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône Val-d'Oise | 3.2 | 7.4% | 0% | 123 km |
| 24 | Vertou Loire-Atlantique | 3.1 | 19% | 0% | 41 km |
| 25 | Le Bouscat Gironde | 3 | 1.4% | 0% | 16 km |
| 26 | Brétigny-sur-Orge Essonne | 3 | 9.5% | 0% | 169 km |
| 27 | Aurillac Cantal | 2.7 | 2.9% | 0.2% | 195 km |
| 28 | Vernon Eure | 2.5 | 56% | 3.5% | 90 km |
| 29 | Lunel Hérault | 2.2 | 0.4% | 0.6% | 14 km |
| 30 | Libourne Gironde | 2 | 2.5% | 14% | 30 km |
| 31 | Saintes Charente-Maritime | 1.9 | 12% | 9.3% | 26 km |
| 32 | Les Pavillons-sous-Bois Seine-Saint-Denis | 1.9 | 0% | 0% | 151 km |
| 33 | Frontignan Hérault | 1.8 | 0.9% | 29% | On it |
| 34 | Saumur Maine-et-Loire | 1.5 | 15% | 100% | 133 km |
| 35 | Muret Haute-Garonne | 1.5 | 10% | 3.2% | 150 km |
| 36 | Couëron Loire-Atlantique | 1.3 | 6.6% | 33% | 28 km |
| 37 | Cavaillon Vaucluse | 1.1 | 3.2% | 100% | 45 km |
| 38 | Laon Aisne | 1.1 | 16% | 0% | 156 km |
| 39 | Vierzon Cher | 0.8 | 44% | 0% | 265 km |
| 40 | Sèvremoine Maine-et-Loire | 0.6 | 5.3% | 0% | 70 km |
| 41 | Sainte-Suzanne Réunion | 0.4 | 31% | 49% | 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 Saintes
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Bois des Brandes leads, at 340 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Bois de la Casse à Robin
Wood or forest
409 ha14.7 km of path
3 h 15 minto walk all 14.7 km of path
7.8 km south-westfrom the center
Chemin de la Foulliasse
Directionsto a point inside
Bois du Chantreau
Wood or forest · 290 m outside the commune
231 ha4.1 km of path
55 minto walk all 4.1 km of path
7.6 km westfrom the center
Allée des Buis
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de la Chasse
Wood or forest
53 ha0.5 km of path
5.1 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de Mongré
Wood or forest · 100 m outside the commune
38 ha
4.6 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin Public Fernand Chapsal
Park or garden
3.6 ha2.1 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.1 km of path
Centralin the middle of Saintes
Directionsto a point inside
All 26 named parks, gardens and woods
Bois des BrandesWood or forest · 340 ha · 15.3 km of path · just outside
DirectionsBois de la Casse à RobinWood or forest · 409 ha · 14.7 km of path
DirectionsBois du ChantreauWood or forest · 231 ha · 4.1 km of path · just outside
DirectionsBois des CinglesWood or forest · 59 ha
DirectionsBois de la ChasseWood or forest · 53 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsBois des MarsaisWood or forest · 42 ha
DirectionsBois de MongréWood or forest · 38 ha · just outside
DirectionsJardin Public Fernand ChapsalPark or garden · 3.6 ha · 2.1 km of path
DirectionsBois de la FragnéeWood or forest · 23 ha · just outside
DirectionsParc des ArènesPark or garden · 3.9 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsBois de DiconcheWood or forest · 8.5 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsBois des VacheronsWood or forest · 17 ha
DirectionsBois du Buisson BéniWood or forest · 15 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsBois de MarignacWood or forest · 11 ha · just outside
DirectionsBois RulaudWood or forest · 9.7 ha
DirectionsParc de VoivilleWood or forest · 7.3 ha
DirectionsBois des MouniersWood or forest · 6 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsBois de LagordWood or forest · 7.2 ha
DirectionsBois de ChadignacWood or forest · 6.8 ha
DirectionsBois de GatératWood or forest · 6.5 ha
DirectionsBois BoursaudWood or forest · 6 ha
DirectionsBois de la GrangeWood or forest · 5.6 ha
DirectionsBois du PrieurWood or forest · 5.1 ha
DirectionsBois BlussonWood or forest · 4.7 ha
DirectionsBois de la PicauderieWood or forest · 4.5 ha
DirectionsSquare André-MaudetPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
9.3% of Saintes 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
Vallée de la Charente moyenne et Seugnes
9.3% of the commune0.2 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Moyenne vallée de la Charente et Seugnes et Coran
9.3% of the commune0.2 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area9.3%
Natura 2000 site9.3%
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.
9.3% of Saintes’ land is protected, more than in 71% 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
87 km of footpaths and 15 km of hiking routes cross Saintes
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
87 km
1.9 km per km²
Hiking routes
15 km
waymarked: 0.3 km per km²
Woodland
12%
about 5.5 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
SaintesCharente-Maritime medianFrance median
Footpaths1.9
Hiking routes0.3
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
SaintesCharente-Maritime medianFrance median
Woodland12%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 55% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 54% 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 Saintes is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
2 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
Saint-Jean-d'Angély - Saintes6.9 km
De Saint-Léger à Rétaud2.3 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Saintes: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Saintes, 2.3 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) | 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 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 19 | 13 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 92 | 68 | 65 | 74 | 66 | 61 | 42 | 53 | 73 | 95 | 108 | 110 |
July is the driest month (42 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 27 °C). 110 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 29 nights a year. The climate in Saintes →
Gardens
A garden to visit in Saintes
Named gardens in the commune.
Jardin public Fernand-ChapsalIn Saintes
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Saintes
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
ChaniersSaint-Georges-des-CoteauxPonsGémozacVal-de-CognacSaint-Jean-d'AngélySaintes
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saintes | 9.3% | 12% | 1.9 | 26 km |
| Chaniers 3,651 · 5.9 km | 11% | 19% | 0.4 | 31 km |
| Saint-Georges-des-Coteaux 2,843 · 6.4 km | 0% | 16% | 0.8 | 21 km |
| Pons 4,343 · 20 km | 13% | 10% | 0.8 | 22 km |
| Gémozac 3,052 · 20 km | 0% | 8.4% | 0.1 | 13 km |
| Val-de-Cognac 3,471 · 21 km | 8.1% | 23% | 0.7 | 45 km |
| Saint-Jean-d'Angély 6,784 · 24 km | 0% | 8% | 1 | 35 km |
Val-de-Cognac is 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 Saintes
Is Saintes in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 9.3% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Saintes?
OpenStreetMap maps 87 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 1.9 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 15 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Saintes is woodland?
12% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Saintes near the sea?
No: the coast is 26 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Saintes?
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 8, 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.