First pick
Le Bois des Dames
Wood or forest
114 ha3.5 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.5 km of path
3 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Myrabella · CC BY-SA 3.03.6%of the land protected
Outdoors in Angoulême · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Angoulême has more footpaths per km² than 8 in 10 French towns
Footpaths add up to 88 km across Angoulême (4.1 km per km²). Protected areas cover 3.6% of Angoulême’s land. Mapped woodland covers 14% of Angoulême. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
3.6%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
14%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
88 km
4.1 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
8.4 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
14
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Le Bois des Dames
Throughout this page, the Charente 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 Angoulême 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 areas3.6%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
63out of 100
Woodland14%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
51out of 100
Footpaths4.1 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
85out of 100
Hiking routes0.4 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
53out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Angoulême has the 19th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (39,096 to 45,102 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Puteaux (18.9 km per km²) to Saint-Joseph (0.6 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Puteaux Hauts-de-Seine | 18.9 | 1.5% | 0% | 142 km |
| 2 | Bagneux Hauts-de-Seine | 9.6 | 1.1% | 0% | 154 km |
| 3 | Paris 6e Paris | 8.4 | 1.7% | 0% | 149 km |
| 4 | Bron Rhône | 7.1 | 6.1% | 0% | 251 km |
| 5 | Villepinte Seine-Saint-Denis | 7 | 15% | 16% | 149 km |
| 6 | Chalon-sur-Saône Saône-et-Loire | 6.7 | 4.2% | 0% | 364 km |
| 7 | Neuilly-sur-Marne Seine-Saint-Denis | 6.6 | 9.5% | 11% | 157 km |
| 8 | Rezé Loire-Atlantique | 6.6 | 7% | 3.6% | 37 km |
| 9 | Arras Pas-de-Calais | 6.5 | 3.4% | 0% | 78 km |
| 10 | Colomiers Haute-Garonne | 6.4 | 5.5% | 0% | 155 km |
| 11 | Stains Seine-Saint-Denis | 6.3 | 6.9% | 14% | 142 km |
| 12 | Boulogne-sur-Mer Pas-de-Calais | 5.8 | 1.3% | 0% | On it |
| 13 | Bagnolet Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.5 | 1.4% | 3.6% | 151 km |
| 14 | Saint-Brieuc Côtes-d'Armor | 5.3 | 14% | 2.1% | On it |
| 15 | Valenciennes Nord | 5.2 | 6.6% | 0.2% | 105 km |
| 16 | Caluire-et-Cuire Rhône | 5.1 | 9.1% | 0.1% | 255 km |
| 17 | Gagny Seine-Saint-Denis | 4.3 | 9.6% | 0.5% | 155 km |
| 18 | Pontault-Combault Seine-et-Marne | 4.1 | 27% | 0% | 166 km |
| 19 | Angoulême Charente | 4.1 | 14% | 3.6% | 75 km |
| 20 | Anglet Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 4 | 18% | 4.5% | On it |
| 21 | Garges-lès-Gonesse Val-d'Oise | 4 | 8.7% | 0% | 141 km |
| 22 | Mantes-la-Jolie Yvelines | 3.7 | 12% | 7.1% | 109 km |
| 23 | Bourg-en-Bresse Ain | 3.5 | 16% | 0% | 307 km |
| 24 | Douai Nord | 3.5 | 5.3% | 1.1% | 88 km |
| 25 | Marcq-en-Barœul Nord | 3.4 | 3.7% | 0% | 60 km |
| 26 | Compiègne Oise | 3.4 | 74% | 76% | 119 km |
| 27 | Tarbes Hautes-Pyrénées | 3.4 | 2.8% | 0.8% | 131 km |
| 28 | Wattrelos Nord | 3.1 | 3.3% | 0% | 60 km |
| 29 | Poissy Yvelines | 3 | 12% | 0% | 131 km |
| 30 | Le Cannet Alpes-Maritimes | 2.8 | 9.9% | 0% | 2.4 km |
| 31 | Thionville Moselle | 2.7 | 33% | 0% | 307 km |
| 32 | Villenave-d'Ornon Gironde | 2.4 | 7% | 14% | 26 km |
| 33 | Gap Hautes-Alpes | 2.3 | 28% | 33% | 133 km |
| 34 | Châteauroux Indre | 2.3 | 3.8% | 4.8% | 224 km |
| 35 | Châlons-en-Champagne Marne | 2.2 | 0.7% | 0% | 237 km |
| 36 | Montélimar Drôme | 1.8 | 8% | 0.9% | 123 km |
| 37 | Draguignan Var | 1.5 | 29% | 0% | 26 km |
| 38 | Salon-de-Provence Bouches-du-Rhône | 1.4 | 4.8% | 59% | 26 km |
| 39 | Istres Bouches-du-Rhône | 1.1 | 3.3% | 49% | 9.7 km |
| 40 | Castres Tarn | 1.1 | 9.7% | 1.2% | 90 km |
| 41 | Saint-Joseph Réunion | 0.6 | 50% | 85% | 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 Angoulême
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Le Bois des Dames leads, at 114 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc de loisir de Frégeneuil
Park or garden
22 ha3.3 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.3 km of path
1.6 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois et terres de Crage
Wood or forest
40 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
2.1 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Le Jardin Vert
Park or garden
5.5 ha4.6 km of path
1 hto walk all 4.6 km of path
0.8 km westfrom the center
Jardin Vert
Directionsto a point inside
Île Marquet
Wood or forest
7.5 ha1.7 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
0.7 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Square de l'Adjudant-Chef J. Martin
Park or garden · 200 m outside the commune
1.3 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
2.7 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Petite Plaine de Jeux
Park or garden
0.9 ha0.1 km of path
2.3 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 14 named parks, gardens and woods
Le Bois des DamesWood or forest · 114 ha · 3.5 km of path
DirectionsParc de loisir de FrégeneuilPark or garden · 22 ha · 3.3 km of path
DirectionsBois et terres de CrageWood or forest · 40 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsLe Jardin VertPark or garden · 5.5 ha · 4.6 km of path
DirectionsÎle MarquetWood or forest · 7.5 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsSquare de l'Adjudant-Chef J. MartinPark or garden · 1.3 ha · 0.7 km of path · just outside
DirectionsLe Petit FresquetPark or garden · 1.3 ha
DirectionsPetite Plaine de JeuxPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsParc Saint-GelaisPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare Robert GuichardPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsPlace Pablo NerudaPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsLes Jardin'SpiréesPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsSquare Frédéric MistralPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsPlace Joseph GarnierPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
3.6% of Angoulême 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 entre Angoulème et Cognac et ses principaux affluents (SOLOIRE, BOEME, ECHELLE)
3.6% of the commune0.5 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area3.6%
Natura 2000 site3.6%
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.
3.6% of Angoulême’s land is protected, more than in 63% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Charente has 7.4%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
Footpaths and woods in Angoulême
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
88 km
4.1 km per km²
Hiking routes
8.4 km
waymarked: 0.4 km per km²
Woodland
14%
about 3 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
AngoulêmeCharente medianFrance median
Footpaths4.1
Hiking routes0.4
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
AngoulêmeCharente medianFrance median
Woodland14%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 85% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 51% 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 Angoulême 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
De la Manche aux Pyrénées 14, Touvre - Puymoyen5 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Angoulême: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at La Couronne, 4.9 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) | 9.1 | 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 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 24 | 19 | 13 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 77 | 59 | 60 | 69 | 69 | 70 | 55 | 56 | 69 | 78 | 93 | 91 |
July is the driest month (55 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 28 °C). 93 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 42 nights a year. The climate in Angoulême →
Neighbors
Next to Angoulême
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
SoyauxGond-PontouvreL'Isle-d'EspagnacSaint-Yrieix-sur-CharenteSaint-MichelFléacAngoulême
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angoulême | 3.6% | 14% | 4.1 |
| Soyaux 10,087 · 2.7 km | 9% | 35% | 3.3 |
| Gond-Pontouvre 5,862 · 3.1 km | 16% | 15% | 1.4 |
| L'Isle-d'Espagnac 5,682 · 3.4 km | 0% | 13% | 3.4 |
| Saint-Yrieix-sur-Charente 7,539 · 3.6 km | 8.7% | 20% | 2.5 |
| Saint-Michel 3,196 · 3.8 km | 3.2% | 12% | 2.3 |
| Fléac 3,861 · 5.6 km | 3.7% | 12% | 1.4 |
Gond-Pontouvre has at least twice as much protected land. Soyaux 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 Angoulême
Is Angoulême in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 3.6% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Angoulême?
OpenStreetMap maps 88 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 4.1 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 8 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Angoulême is woodland?
14% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Angoulême near the sea?
No: the coast is 75 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Angoulême?
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.