First pick
Parc paysager des Gibjoncs
Park or garden
10 ha3 km of path
40 minto walk all 3 km of path
2.5 km north-eastfrom the center
Rocade Verte
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Benjamin Smith · CC BY-SA 4.04.9%woodland
Outdoors in Bourges · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Bourges is within 800 m of a park or wood
4.9% of Bourges is mapped woodland. No protected area reaches Bourges; the nearest, Vallée de l’Yèvre (Natura 2000), is 1.9 km from the town center. 158 km of footpaths cross Bourges (2.3 km per km²). France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
0.4%
of the commune’s land
Nearest: Vallée de l’Yèvre, 1.9 km
Woodland
4.9%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
158 km
2.3 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
10 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
11
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Parc paysager des Gibjoncs
Throughout this page, the Cher 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 Bourges 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 areas0.4%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
53out of 100
Woodland4.9%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
23out of 100
Footpaths2.3 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
63out of 100
Hiking routes0.1 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
33out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Bourges has the 7th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (56,799 to 72,978 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Cergy (11.2 km per km²) to Saint-André (0.6 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cergy Val-d'Oise | 11.2 | 13% | 0% | 120 km |
| 2 | Issy-les-Moulineaux Hauts-de-Seine | 10.9 | 2.2% | 0% | 149 km |
| 3 | Marseille 10e Bouches-du-Rhône | 10.6 | 23% | 37% | 4 km |
| 4 | Maisons-Alfort Val-de-Marne | 10.3 | 2.1% | 0% | 158 km |
| 5 | Ivry-sur-Seine Val-de-Marne | 8.5 | 0.6% | 0% | 155 km |
| 6 | Évry-Courcouronnes Essonne | 8.4 | 9.5% | 0% | 174 km |
| 7 | Clamart Hauts-de-Seine | 8.4 | 26% | 0% | 151 km |
| 8 | Pantin Seine-Saint-Denis | 8.3 | 1.9% | 0% | 148 km |
| 9 | Levallois-Perret Hauts-de-Seine | 7.7 | 0% | 0% | 143 km |
| 10 | Villeneuve-d'Ascq Nord | 7.6 | 8% | 2.3% | 65 km |
| 11 | Villejuif Val-de-Marne | 7.4 | 1% | 0% | 156 km |
| 12 | Bobigny Seine-Saint-Denis | 7.3 | 0.3% | 0% | 149 km |
| 13 | Noisy-le-Grand Seine-Saint-Denis | 6.6 | 25% | 0% | 160 km |
| 14 | Antony Hauts-de-Seine | 6.2 | 4.8% | 0.6% | 157 km |
| 15 | Chambéry Savoie | 6 | 15% | 1.5% | 235 km |
| 16 | Paris 9e Paris | 5.1 | 0% | 0% | 147 km |
| 17 | Meaux Seine-et-Marne | 5.1 | 7.8% | 5.5% | 162 km |
| 18 | Marseille 3e Bouches-du-Rhône | 5.1 | 0% | 0% | 1.1 km |
| 19 | Vénissieux Rhône | 5 | 3.8% | 0% | 247 km |
| 20 | Sarcelles Val-d'Oise | 4.9 | 6.9% | 0% | 139 km |
| 21 | Pessac Gironde | 4.8 | 22% | 0% | 24 km |
| 22 | Clichy Hauts-de-Seine | 4.6 | 0.6% | 0% | 143 km |
| 23 | Lorient Morbihan | 4.6 | 1.8% | 0.6% | On it |
| 24 | Le Blanc-Mesnil Seine-Saint-Denis | 4.6 | 2.1% | 0% | 147 km |
| 25 | Neuilly-sur-Seine Hauts-de-Seine | 4.4 | 0.1% | 0% | 143 km |
| 26 | Marseille 14e Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.9 | 1.4% | 23% | 2.7 km |
| 27 | Troyes Aube | 3.7 | 1.2% | 0% | 272 km |
| 28 | Marseille 11e Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.3 | 43% | 42% | 7.5 km |
| 29 | Calais Pas-de-Calais | 3.3 | 2.1% | 0% | On it |
| 30 | Fréjus Var | 3.1 | 48% | 33% | On it |
| 31 | La Seyne-sur-Mer Var | 2.9 | 21% | 15% | On it |
| 32 | Quimper Finistère | 2.9 | 25% | 0% | On it |
| 33 | Marseille 12e Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.7 | 6.8% | 0% | 5.2 km |
| 34 | Drancy Seine-Saint-Denis | 2.3 | 0% | 0% | 147 km |
| 35 | Bourges Cher | 2.3 | 4.9% | 0.4% | 283 km |
| 36 | Valence Drôme | 2.1 | 3.3% | 0% | 164 km |
| 37 | Niort Deux-Sèvres | 2 | 6.2% | 100% | 51 km |
| 38 | Narbonne Aude | 1.2 | 11% | 63% | On it |
| 39 | Colmar Haut-Rhin | 1.2 | 19% | 29% | 473 km |
| 40 | Montauban Tarn-et-Garonne | 0.8 | 5.4% | 1.3% | 175 km |
| 41 | Saint-André Réunion | 0.6 | 16% | 31% | 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 Bourges
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc paysager des Gibjoncs leads, at 10 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Jardin des Prés Fichaux
Park or garden
4.5 ha3.3 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.3 km of path
0.9 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin de l'Archevêché
Park or garden
2.3 ha1.7 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
Centralin the middle of Bourges
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin de Lazenay
Park or garden
1.9 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
2.5 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Lahitolle
Park or garden
1.8 ha0.4 km of path
0.7 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Descente de Séraucourt
Park or garden
1 ha0.3 km of path
0.8 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin Édouard André
Park or garden
0.8 ha0.3 km of path
2.5 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin du Couvent des Ursulines
Park or garden
0.3 ha0.4 km of path
0.8 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 11 named parks, gardens and woods
Parc paysager des GibjoncsPark or garden · 10 ha · 3 km of path
DirectionsJardin des Prés FichauxPark or garden · 4.5 ha · 3.3 km of path
DirectionsJardin de l'ArchevêchéPark or garden · 2.3 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsJardin de LazenayPark or garden · 1.9 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsParc LahitollePark or garden · 1.8 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsDescente de SéraucourtPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsJardin Édouard AndréPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsJardin du Couvent des UrsulinesPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsCour d'honneurPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsLe marais d'AntoinePark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsJardin sous le ventPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Vallée de l’Yèvre is the nearest protected area, 1.9 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
Vallée de l’Yèvre
1.9 km from the town center
Natura 2000 site
Carrières de Bourges
3.1 km from the town center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area0.4%
Natura 2000 site0.4%
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
158 km of footpaths and 10 km of hiking routes cross Bourges
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
158 km
2.3 km per km²
Hiking routes
10 km
waymarked: 0.1 km per km²
Woodland
4.9%
about 3.3 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
BourgesCher medianFrance median
Footpaths2.3
Hiking routes0.1
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
BourgesCher medianFrance median
Woodland4.9%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 63% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 77% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them. 98% of Bourges’ 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 Bourges: April and June to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Bourges, 4.2 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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 51 | 53 | 62 | 76 | 58 | 64 | 54 | 57 | 74 | 69 | 67 |
February is the driest month (51 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 26 °C). 76 mm of rain falls in May, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 45 nights a year. The climate in Bourges →
Gardens
7 gardens to visit in Bourges
Named gardens in the commune.
Conservatoire national du PélargoniumIn Bourges
DirectionsLe marais d'AntoineIn Bourges
DirectionsLe marais de RobinsonIn Bourges
DirectionsLe marais de Saint-FrançoisIn Bourges
DirectionsLe marais des RibaudsIn Bourges
DirectionsMarais de Saint-OutrilleIn Bourges
DirectionsMarais de Saint-PaulIn Bourges
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Bourges
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Saint-DoulchardTrouyLa Chapelle-Saint-UrsinSaint-Germain-du-PuySaint-Martin-d'AuxignyMehun-sur-YèvreBourges
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bourges | 0.4% | 4.9% | 2.3 |
| Saint-Doulchard 9,647 · 3.5 km | 7.2% | 8.8% | 0.7 |
| Trouy 4,055 · 6.2 km | 0.1% | 2.7% | 0.4 |
| La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin 3,681 · 6.2 km | 11% | 3.5% | 1.3 |
| Saint-Germain-du-Puy 4,779 · 6.5 km | 0% | 7.4% | 0.4 |
| Saint-Martin-d'Auxigny 2,546 · 13 km | 16% | 35% | 0.9 |
| Mehun-sur-Yèvre 6,380 · 15 km | 0% | 7.1% | 0.7 |
La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin and Saint-Martin-d'Auxigny have at least twice as much protected land. Saint-Martin-d'Auxigny 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 Bourges
Is Bourges in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Vallée de l’Yèvre, 1.9 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Bourges?
OpenStreetMap maps 158 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 2.3 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 10 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Bourges is woodland?
4.9% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Bourges near the sea?
No: the coast is 283 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Bourges?
April and June 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.