First pick
Parc Clause Bois-Badeau
Park or garden
11 ha3 km of path
40 minto walk all 3 km of path
0.6 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Olybrius · CC BY-SA 3.09.5%woodland
Outdoors in Brétigny-sur-Orge · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Brétigny-sur-Orge is within 800 m of a park or wood
Footpaths add up to 44 km across Brétigny-sur-Orge (3 km per km²). No protected area reaches Brétigny-sur-Orge; the nearest, Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park, is 7.8 km from the town center. Mapped woodland covers 9.5% of Brétigny-sur-Orge. 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: Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park, 7.8 km
Woodland
9.5%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
44 km
3 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
5.1 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: Parc Clause Bois-Badeau
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.
Against French towns
How Brétigny-sur-Orge 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
Woodland9.5%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
39out of 100
Footpaths3 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
73out of 100
Hiking routes0.3 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
50out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Brétigny-sur-Orge has the 14th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (25,636 to 27,724 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Paris 4e (12.9 km per km²) to Sèvremoine (0.6 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris 4e Paris | 12.9 | 0% | 0% | 150 km |
| 2 | Les Ulis Essonne | 10.9 | 13% | 0.2% | 156 km |
| 3 | Taverny Val-d'Oise | 10.5 | 33% | 0.4% | 129 km |
| 4 | Villeneuve-la-Garenne Hauts-de-Seine | 9.8 | 4.2% | 0% | 141 km |
| 5 | Champs-sur-Marne Seine-et-Marne | 9.6 | 36% | 0.1% | 160 km |
| 6 | Grigny Essonne | 8.7 | 7.2% | 0% | 170 km |
| 7 | Élancourt Yvelines | 8.2 | 26% | 3.5% | 138 km |
| 8 | Cormeilles-en-Parisis Val-d'Oise | 7.2 | 14% | 0% | 133 km |
| 9 | Gradignan Gironde | 6.8 | 17% | 0% | 26 km |
| 10 | Sannois Val-d'Oise | 6 | 17% | 0% | 135 km |
| 11 | Bussy-Saint-Georges Seine-et-Marne | 5.9 | 31% | 2.3% | 167 km |
| 12 | Armentières Nord | 5.9 | 3.8% | 0% | 50 km |
| 13 | Blagnac Haute-Garonne | 5.6 | 5.4% | 7.5% | 152 km |
| 14 | Cenon Gironde | 5.4 | 8.9% | 0% | 18 km |
| 15 | Brunoy Essonne | 5.2 | 18% | 0% | 170 km |
| 16 | Eaubonne Val-d'Oise | 5 | 1.9% | 0% | 134 km |
| 17 | Limeil-Brévannes Val-de-Marne | 4.8 | 29% | 0% | 165 km |
| 18 | Lambersart Nord | 4.7 | 3.4% | 0% | 59 km |
| 19 | Lormont Gironde | 4.7 | 12% | 7.4% | 16 km |
| 20 | Castelnau-le-Lez Hérault | 4.6 | 4.5% | 1.2% | 11 km |
| 21 | Miramas Bouches-du-Rhône | 4 | 9.2% | 5.7% | 18 km |
| 22 | Hénin-Beaumont Pas-de-Calais | 3.8 | 5.6% | 0% | 80 km |
| 23 | La Garde Var | 3.8 | 7.6% | 25% | On it |
| 24 | Biarritz Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 3.5 | 11% | 3.5% | On it |
| 25 | Le Grand-Quevilly Seine-Maritime | 3.4 | 4.9% | 0.1% | 50 km |
| 26 | Vertou Loire-Atlantique | 3.1 | 19% | 0% | 41 km |
| 27 | Sens Yonne | 3.1 | 4.6% | 0% | 249 km |
| 28 | Brétigny-sur-Orge Essonne | 3 | 9.5% | 0% | 169 km |
| 29 | Aurillac Cantal | 2.7 | 2.9% | 0.2% | 195 km |
| 30 | Rambouillet Yvelines | 2.6 | 48% | 74% | 139 km |
| 31 | Lunel Hérault | 2.2 | 0.4% | 0.6% | 14 km |
| 32 | Gonesse Val-d'Oise | 2.1 | 4% | 0% | 141 km |
| 33 | Villeparisis Seine-et-Marne | 1.9 | 13% | 0% | 153 km |
| 34 | Les Pavillons-sous-Bois Seine-Saint-Denis | 1.9 | 0% | 0% | 151 km |
| 35 | Saumur Maine-et-Loire | 1.5 | 15% | 100% | 133 km |
| 36 | Muret Haute-Garonne | 1.5 | 10% | 3.2% | 150 km |
| 37 | Cavaillon Vaucluse | 1.1 | 3.2% | 100% | 45 km |
| 38 | La Teste-de-Buch Gironde | 1.1 | 56% | 46% | On it |
| 39 | Étampes Essonne | 1 | 12% | 0% | 172 km |
| 40 | Bergerac Dordogne | 1 | 14% | 1.9% | 86 km |
| 41 | Sèvremoine Maine-et-Loire | 0.6 | 5.3% | 0% | 70 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 Brétigny-sur-Orge
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc Clause Bois-Badeau leads, at 11 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc Jean Vilar
Park or garden · 400 m outside the commune
3.4 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
2.6 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Carouge
Park or garden
2.8 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
Centralin the middle of Brétigny-sur-Orge
Directionsto a point inside
Square du Colombier
Park or garden · 190 m outside the commune
1.5 ha0.4 km of path
1.8 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin des Sorbiers
Park or garden
0.7 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
Centralin the middle of Brétigny-sur-Orge
Directionsto a point inside
All 9 named parks, gardens and woods
Parc Clause Bois-BadeauPark or garden · 11 ha · 3 km of path
DirectionsBois de BeaulieuWood or forest · 21 ha
DirectionsParc Jean VilarPark or garden · 3.4 ha · 1.4 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc du CarougePark or garden · 2.8 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsBois BadeauWood or forest · 5.6 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsSquare du ColombierPark or garden · 1.5 ha · 0.4 km of path · just outside
DirectionsJardin des SorbiersPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsBois PelletierWood or forest · 2.8 ha
DirectionsSquare VétillePark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park is the nearest protected area, 7.8 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Regional nature park
Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park
7.8 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
44 km of footpaths and 5 km of hiking routes cross Brétigny-sur-Orge
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
44 km
3 km per km²
Hiking routes
5.1 km
waymarked: 0.3 km per km²
Woodland
9.5%
about 1.4 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
Brétigny-sur-OrgeEssonne medianFrance median
Footpaths3
Hiking routes0.3
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Brétigny-sur-OrgeEssonne medianFrance median
Woodland9.5%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 73% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 61% 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 Brétigny-sur-Orge is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
4 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)Other named walk
GR 655ET9.4 km
Promenade de l'Orge19 km
De la Bièvre à l'Orge9.9 km
Du Val d'Yerres à l'Étampois9.9 km
GR 655ET passes within 2 km of Brétigny-sur-Orge.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Brétigny-sur-Orge: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Bretigny_Sapc, 1.9 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) | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.2 | 16.1 | 15.7 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 48 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 61 | 56 | 53 | 58 | 49 | 53 | 55 | 63 |
April is the driest month (45 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 26 °C). 63 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 44 nights a year. The climate in Brétigny-sur-Orge →
Neighbors
Next to Brétigny-sur-Orge
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Le Plessis-PâtéLeuville-sur-OrgeSaint-Michel-sur-OrgeSaint-Germain-lès-ArpajonLinasLa NorvilleBrétigny-sur-Orge
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brétigny-sur-Orge | 0% | 9.5% | 3 |
| Le Plessis-Pâté 4,154 · 1.8 km | 0% | 4.8% | 3.2 |
| Leuville-sur-Orge 4,271 · 3 km | 0% | 15% | 3.8 |
| Saint-Michel-sur-Orge 21,776 · 3 km | 0% | 6.7% | 5.3 |
| Saint-Germain-lès-Arpajon 11,623 · 3.3 km | 0% | 16% | 3 |
| Linas 7,987 · 3.5 km | 0% | 32% | 2.5 |
| La Norville 4,268 · 4 km | 0% | 4% | 2.2 |
Linas 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 Brétigny-sur-Orge
Is Brétigny-sur-Orge in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park, 7.8 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Brétigny-sur-Orge?
OpenStreetMap maps 44 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 5 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Brétigny-sur-Orge is woodland?
9.5% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Brétigny-sur-Orge near the sea?
No: the coast is 169 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Brétigny-sur-Orge?
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.