First pick
Forêt de Verrières
Wood or forest
604 ha59.5 km of path
13 h 15 minto walk all 59.5 km of path
2.7 km eastfrom the center
Chemin des PinsRoute de la ChâtaigneraieRoute de la Boursidière+5 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: GFreihalter · CC BY-SA 3.031%woodland
Outdoors in Bièvres · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Bièvres has more footpaths per km² than 8 in 10 French towns
34 km of footpaths cross Bièvres (3.5 km per km²). Waymarked hiking routes add up to 12 km in Bièvres. Mapped woodland covers 31% of Bièvres. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
0%
of the commune’s land
Nearest: Verrières nature reserve, 2.4 km
Woodland
31%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
34 km
3.5 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
12 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: Forêt de Verrières
Throughout this page, the Essonne 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 Bièvres?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths3.5 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.On waymarked routes12 km of GR and other hiking routes cross the commune.A wooded commune31% mapped woodland, more than in 77% of compared French towns, against 13% for the median compared town.Protected land nearbyVerrières nature reserve is 2.4 km from the town center.
What sets Bièvres apart: its footpaths, then its hiking routes.
Against French towns
How Bièvres 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%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
22out of 100
Woodland31%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
77out of 100
Footpaths3.5 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
80out of 100
Hiking routes1.2 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
88out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Bièvres has the 5th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (4,658 to 4,710 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Le Ban-Saint-Martin (4.6 km per km²) to Saint-Georges-de-Reneins (0.3 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le Ban-Saint-Martin Moselle | 4.6 | 27% | 0% | 326 km |
| 2 | Bavilliers Territoire de Belfort | 4.6 | 16% | 0% | 430 km |
| 3 | Auzeville-Tolosane Haute-Garonne | 3.8 | 6.3% | 0% | 140 km |
| 4 | L'Huisserie Mayenne | 3.8 | 16% | 0% | 80 km |
| 5 | Bièvres Essonne | 3.5 | 31% | 0% | 154 km |
| 6 | Sequedin Nord | 3.3 | 5.9% | 0% | 60 km |
| 7 | Le Trait Seine-Maritime | 3.1 | 63% | 100% | 33 km |
| 8 | Sangatte Pas-de-Calais | 2.9 | 1.7% | 99% | On it |
| 9 | Ribeauvillé Haut-Rhin | 2.7 | 72% | 100% | 461 km |
| 10 | Hallennes-lez-Haubourdin Nord | 2.7 | 1.3% | 0% | 61 km |
| 11 | Ascain Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 2.6 | 20% | 51% | 5.2 km |
| 12 | Chavagne Ille-et-Vilaine | 2.4 | 8% | 0% | 51 km |
| 13 | Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or Rhône | 2.3 | 5.8% | 0% | 258 km |
| 14 | Village-Neuf Haut-Rhin | 2.2 | 9% | 36% | 424 km |
| 15 | Clohars-Carnoët Finistère | 2 | 24% | 1.3% | On it |
| 16 | Viuz-en-Sallaz Haute-Savoie | 1.5 | 40% | 0% | 278 km |
| 17 | Bar-sur-Aube Aube | 1.5 | 14% | 22% | 309 km |
| 18 | Blénod-lès-Pont-à-Mousson Meurthe-et-Moselle | 1.3 | 20% | 11% | 343 km |
| 19 | Neufchâtel-en-Bray Seine-Maritime | 1.2 | 17% | 3.7% | 32 km |
| 20 | Saint-Paul-en-Jarez Loire | 1 | 18% | 97% | 217 km |
| 21 | Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise Pas-de-Calais | 1 | 14% | 0% | 47 km |
| 22 | Mirecourt Vosges | 1 | 20% | 0% | 386 km |
| 23 | Soucieu-en-Jarrest Rhône | 1 | 15% | 0% | 240 km |
| 24 | Les Garennes sur Loire Maine-et-Loire | 0.9 | 12% | 23% | 121 km |
| 25 | Graveson Bouches-du-Rhône | 0.9 | 10% | 0% | 45 km |
| 26 | Rognes Bouches-du-Rhône | 0.9 | 51% | 12% | 34 km |
| 27 | Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis Charente-Maritime | 0.9 | 3.1% | 0% | 12 km |
| 28 | La Charité-sur-Loire Nièvre | 0.8 | 9.6% | 13% | 319 km |
| 29 | Bédée Ille-et-Vilaine | 0.8 | 0.5% | 0% | 35 km |
| 30 | Flayosc Var | 0.8 | 36% | 0% | 32 km |
| 31 | Bourbon-Lancy Saône-et-Loire | 0.7 | 21% | 13% | 341 km |
| 32 | La Suze-sur-Sarthe Sarthe | 0.6 | 31% | 0% | 132 km |
| 33 | La Bouëxière Ille-et-Vilaine | 0.6 | 35% | 0% | 48 km |
| 34 | Saint-Hilaire-de-Brethmas Gard | 0.6 | 4.6% | 0% | 59 km |
| 35 | Phalsbourg Moselle | 0.5 | 19% | 25% | 411 km |
| 36 | Beuzeville Eure | 0.4 | 2.8% | 0% | 10 km |
| 37 | Fumel Lot-et-Garonne | 0.4 | 33% | 0.1% | 135 km |
| 38 | Aigondigné Deux-Sèvres | 0.4 | 1.6% | 61% | 66 km |
| 39 | Herrlisheim Bas-Rhin | 0.3 | 6.9% | 3.3% | 448 km |
| 40 | Samer Pas-de-Calais | 0.3 | 20% | 100% | 12 km |
| 41 | Saint-Georges-de-Reneins Rhône | 0.3 | 10% | 25% | 282 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 Bièvres
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Forêt de Verrières leads, at 604 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Bois du Chat Noir
Wood or forest
209 ha20.8 km of path
4 h 35 minto walk all 20.8 km of path
1 km southfrom the center
Chemin Rural Numéro 14 du Chat Noir à VauhallanRoute du CordonChemin de la Voie Creuse+5 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Forêt domaniale de Versailles
Wood or forest · 0 m outside the commune
219 ha14.1 km of path
3 h 10 minto walk all 14.1 km of path
4.8 km north-westfrom the center
Route Forestière de VilvertChemin du Fond de la NoueChemin de la Cour Roland+5 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Bois du Loup Pendu
Wood or forest
74 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
1.3 km north-eastfrom the center
Chemin Cholette
Directionsto a point inside
Forêt de Montéclin
Wood or forest
30 ha3.8 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.8 km of path
1.6 km north-westfrom the center
Sentier de Bel-AirChemin Serge AntoineChemin de la Manufacture+5 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Domaine de Bel Air
Wood or forest
26 ha2.2 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.2 km of path
1 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Ratel
Park or garden
5.9 ha1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
0.6 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de la Martinière
Park or garden
2.5 ha0.4 km of path
Centralin the middle of Bièvres
Directionsto a point inside
All 9 named parks, gardens and woods
Forêt de VerrièresWood or forest · 604 ha · 59.5 km of path
DirectionsBois du Chat NoirWood or forest · 209 ha · 20.8 km of path
DirectionsForêt domaniale de VersaillesWood or forest · 219 ha · 14.1 km of path · just outside
DirectionsBois du Loup PenduWood or forest · 74 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsForêt de MontéclinWood or forest · 30 ha · 3.8 km of path
DirectionsDomaine de Bel AirWood or forest · 26 ha · 2.2 km of path
DirectionsParc RatelPark or garden · 5.9 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsParc de la MartinièrePark or garden · 2.5 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsBois de VerrièresWood or forest · 2.8 ha · just outside
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Verrières nature reserve is the nearest protected area, 2.4 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Nature reserve
Verrières nature reserve
2.4 km from the town center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area0%
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
Footpaths and woods in Bièvres
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
34 km
3.5 km per km²
Hiking routes
12 km
waymarked: 1.2 km per km²
Woodland
31%
about 3 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
BièvresEssonne medianFrance median
Footpaths3.5
Hiking routes1.2
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
BièvresEssonne medianFrance median
Woodland31%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 80% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more 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. Every home in Bièvres is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
19 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)PR (local walk)Other named walk
GR 118 km
PR 119.2 km
PR 66.1 km
PR 1004.7 km
PR 1014.3 km
PR 92 km
PR 51.5 km
PR 71.3 km
De la Bièvre à l'Orge15 km
Chemin de Trèves, Claye-Souilly - Igny5.3 km
Chemin de Trèves, Igny - Rambouillet4.9 km
Entre jardins et forêt4.6 km
+7 more
GR 11 passes within 2 km of Bièvres.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Bièvres: April and June to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Paris-Montsouris, 12 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) | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.2 | 16.1 | 15.8 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 13 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 48 | 42 | 45 | 46 | 69 | 51 | 59 | 58 | 45 | 55 | 54 | 62 |
February is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 26 °C). 69 mm of rain falls in May, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 21 nights a year. The climate in Bièvres →
Neighbors
Next to Bièvres
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
IgnyJouy-en-JosasSaclayVélizy-VillacoublayVerrières-le-BuissonChâtenay-MalabryBièvres
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bièvres | 0% | 31% | 3.5 |
| Igny 10,833 · 2.3 km | 0% | 20% | 5.5 |
| Jouy-en-Josas 7,981 · 3.4 km | 0% | 42% | 5.9 |
| Saclay 4,437 · 3.4 km | 0% | 7.5% | 1.6 |
| Vélizy-Villacoublay 23,011 · 3.7 km | 0% | 33% | 7.6 |
| Verrières-le-Buisson 15,057 · 3.9 km | 3.9% | 52% | 8.5 |
| Châtenay-Malabry 35,825 · 4.3 km | 0% | 30% | 8.2 |
Verrières-le-Buisson 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 Bièvres
Is Bièvres in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Verrières nature reserve, 2.4 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Bièvres?
OpenStreetMap maps 34 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); 12 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Bièvres is woodland?
31% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Bièvres near the sea?
No: the coast is 154 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Bièvres?
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.