First pick
Forêt domaniale de Palaiseau
Wood or forest
49 ha8.1 km of path
1 h 50 minto walk all 8.1 km of path
0.8 km westfrom the center
Massy - Saclay
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: VVVCFFrance · CC BY-SA 4.018%woodland
Outdoors in Palaiseau · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Palaiseau has more footpaths per km² than 9 in 10 French towns
69 km of footpaths cross Palaiseau (5.9 km per km²). Palaiseau has 42 km of waymarked hiking routes. No protected area reaches Palaiseau; the nearest, Bassin de la Bièvre nature reserve, is 4 km from the town center. 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: Bassin de la Bièvre nature reserve, 4 km
Woodland
18%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
69 km
5.9 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
42 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
27
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Forêt domaniale de Palaiseau
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 Palaiseau?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths5.9 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.On waymarked routes42 km of GR and other hiking routes cross the commune.Protected land nearbyBassin de la Bièvre nature reserve is 4 km from the town center.
What sets Palaiseau apart: its footpaths, then its hiking routes.
Against French towns
How Palaiseau 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
Woodland18%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
59out of 100
Footpaths5.9 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
94out of 100
Hiking routes3.6 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
100out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Palaiseau has the 12th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (35,177 to 39,800 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Saint-Martin-d'Hères (10.1 km per km²) to Saint-Benoît (0.4 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint-Martin-d'Hères Isère | 10.1 | 14% | 0% | 203 km |
| 2 | Échirolles Isère | 9.9 | 11% | 0% | 200 km |
| 3 | Annemasse Haute-Savoie | 8.3 | 2.4% | 0% | 286 km |
| 4 | Châtenay-Malabry Hauts-de-Seine | 8.2 | 30% | 0% | 155 km |
| 5 | Franconville Val-d'Oise | 8.2 | 27% | 0% | 132 km |
| 6 | Marseille 1er Bouches-du-Rhône | 7.5 | 0.1% | 0% | On it |
| 7 | Paris 8e Paris | 6.9 | 0% | 0% | 146 km |
| 8 | Marseille 6e Bouches-du-Rhône | 6.8 | 1.2% | 0% | 1 km |
| 9 | Villeneuve-Saint-Georges Val-de-Marne | 6.6 | 4.3% | 0% | 164 km |
| 10 | Neuilly-sur-Marne Seine-Saint-Denis | 6.6 | 9.5% | 11% | 157 km |
| 11 | Romainville Seine-Saint-Denis | 6 | 11% | 0% | 151 km |
| 12 | Palaiseau Essonne | 5.9 | 18% | 0% | 158 km |
| 13 | Creil Oise | 5.8 | 25% | 41% | 117 km |
| 14 | Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Essonne | 5.6 | 9.5% | 0% | 169 km |
| 15 | Chartres Eure-et-Loir | 5.5 | 2.4% | 0% | 138 km |
| 16 | Vitrolles Bouches-du-Rhône | 4.9 | 8.9% | 33% | 9.7 km |
| 17 | Athis-Mons Essonne | 4.6 | 4% | 0% | 165 km |
| 18 | Meyzieu Rhône | 4.2 | 13% | 26% | 256 km |
| 19 | Oullins-Pierre-Bénite Rhône | 4.2 | 2.3% | 0% | 246 km |
| 20 | Mâcon Saône-et-Loire | 4.2 | 17% | 0% | 311 km |
| 21 | Châtillon Hauts-de-Seine | 4.2 | 0.2% | 0% | 152 km |
| 22 | Pontault-Combault Seine-et-Marne | 4.1 | 27% | 0% | 166 km |
| 23 | Six-Fours-les-Plages Var | 3.9 | 34% | 21% | On it |
| 24 | Saint-Raphaël Var | 3.8 | 60% | 61% | On it |
| 25 | Thonon-les-Bains Haute-Savoie | 3.8 | 17% | 8.5% | 299 km |
| 26 | Roanne Loire | 3.7 | 2.7% | 15% | 275 km |
| 27 | Le Perreux-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 3.4 | 1.2% | 0% | 157 km |
| 28 | Savigny-sur-Orge Essonne | 3.4 | 2.2% | 0% | 166 km |
| 29 | La Ciotat Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.4 | 20% | 27% | On it |
| 30 | Conflans-Sainte-Honorine Yvelines | 3.2 | 3.8% | 0% | 126 km |
| 31 | Tremblay-en-France Seine-Saint-Denis | 3 | 3.9% | 0% | 151 km |
| 32 | Joué-lès-Tours Indre-et-Loire | 2.5 | 15% | 0% | 179 km |
| 33 | Bezons Val-d'Oise | 2.4 | 1.9% | 0% | 137 km |
| 34 | Saint-Chamond Loire | 2.1 | 26% | 33% | 215 km |
| 35 | Villefranche-sur-Saône Rhône | 1.9 | 0.7% | 0% | 274 km |
| 36 | La Possession Réunion | 1.6 | 67% | 88% | On it |
| 37 | Haguenau Bas-Rhin | 1 | 81% | 76% | 436 km |
| 38 | Saint-Leu Réunion | 0.9 | 23% | 17% | On it |
| 39 | Sainte-Marie Réunion | 0.7 | 50% | 60% | On it |
| 40 | Saint-Joseph Réunion | 0.6 | 50% | 85% | On it |
| 41 | Saint-Benoît Réunion | 0.4 | 59% | 78% | 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 Palaiseau
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Forêt domaniale de Palaiseau leads, at 49 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Forêt départementale du Bois des Gelles
Wood or forest · 360 m outside the commune
38 ha3.1 km of path
40 minto walk all 3.1 km of path
2.7 km south-westfrom the center
Chemin Rural Numéro 33 de la Plesse aux Gelles
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de la Grille Noire
Wood or forest · 310 m outside the commune
33 ha3.4 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.4 km of path
3.5 km south-westfrom the center
Avenue d'accès à l'ancienne station d'Orsay-État
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de la Vauve
Wood or forest
35 ha2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
2.4 km westfrom the center
Sentier Edme François JomardVoie de l'OuestChemin Treuille de Beaulieu+3 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de Corbeville
Wood or forest · 10 m outside the commune
21 ha1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
3.7 km westfrom the center
Allée de la ChâtaigneraieChemin du Clos des MûriersChemin du Guichet à Corbeville
Directionsto a point inside
Butte Chaumont
Wood or forest · 70 m outside the commune
16 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
2.5 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de Fourcherolles
Wood or forest
7.6 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
1.8 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc intercommunal Eugène Chanlon
Wood or forest
4.9 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
3.2 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 27 named parks, gardens and woods
Forêt domaniale de PalaiseauWood or forest · 49 ha · 8.1 km of path
DirectionsForêt départementale du Bois des GellesWood or forest · 38 ha · 3.1 km of path · just outside
DirectionsBois de la Grille NoireWood or forest · 33 ha · 3.4 km of path · just outside
DirectionsBois de la VauveWood or forest · 35 ha · 2.3 km of path
DirectionsBois de CorbevilleWood or forest · 21 ha · 1.5 km of path · just outside
DirectionsButte ChaumontWood or forest · 16 ha · 0.9 km of path · just outside
DirectionsBois de FourcherollesWood or forest · 7.6 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsParc intercommunal Eugène ChanlonWood or forest · 4.9 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsParc AmpèrePark or garden · 1.5 ha · 0.9 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc Pierre et Marie CuriePark or garden · 1 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsSquare public des PrésPark or garden · 1.5 ha
DirectionsParc de l'Hôtel de villePark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsParc Henri PoincaréPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare Paul CézannePark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside
DirectionsZone de Compensation de la ligne 18 du Grand Paris ExpressWood or forest · 4.2 ha
DirectionsAgroParisTechPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsSquare des Champs FrétautsPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsJardin Patrick et Lina DrahiPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsBoisement de Compensation NordWood or forest · 2.6 ha · just outside
DirectionsParc Public George SandPark or garden · 0.6 ha
DirectionsParc Jean-Pierre ChabrolPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsPlace Marguerite PereyPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.1 km of path
Directionssquare du PileuPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsMail VilmorinPark or garden · 0.3 ha · just outside
DirectionsSquare FlaubertPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsSquare du Clos du PileuPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsLe plateau d'herbePark or garden · 0.2 ha · just outside
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Bassin de la Bièvre nature reserve is the nearest protected area, 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
Bassin de la Bièvre nature reserve
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 Palaiseau
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
69 km
5.9 km per km²
Hiking routes
42 km
waymarked: 3.6 km per km²
Woodland
18%
about 2.1 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
PalaiseauEssonne medianFrance median
Footpaths5.9
Hiking routes3.6
03.57 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
PalaiseauEssonne medianFrance median
Woodland18%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 94% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 59% 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 Palaiseau is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
16 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)PR (local walk)Other named walk
GR 655ET6 km
GR 114.6 km
GR655 OT3.4 km
PR 118.1 km
PR 70.5 km
De la Bièvre à l'Orge16 km
Chemin de Trèves, Igny - Rambouillet11 km
Entre jardins et forêt5.2 km
Chemin Charles Péguy3.6 km
Les Rigoles du Plateau3.4 km
Parcours Principal2.9 km
Chemin de Trèves, Claye-Souilly - Igny2.5 km
+4 more
3 GR routes pass within 2 km of Palaiseau: GR 655ET, GR 11 and GR655 OT.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Palaiseau: April and June to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Gometz-Le-Chat., 8.7 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) | 7 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 60 | 54 | 54 | 52 | 73 | 61 | 61 | 60 | 53 | 65 | 67 | 77 |
April is the driest month (52 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 25 °C). 77 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 46 nights a year. The climate in Palaiseau →
Neighbors
Next to Palaiseau
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Villebon-sur-YvetteIgnyChamplanMassySaulx-les-ChartreuxVerrières-le-BuissonPalaiseau
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palaiseau | 0% | 18% | 5.9 |
| Villebon-sur-Yvette 10,291 · 1.8 km | 0% | 23% | 3.8 |
| Igny 10,833 · 2.5 km | 0% | 20% | 5.5 |
| Champlan 2,615 · 2.9 km | 0% | 14% | 2.2 |
| Massy 51,729 · 3 km | 0% | 5.3% | 9.4 |
| Saulx-les-Chartreux 6,733 · 3.9 km | 0.1% | 29% | 4.3 |
| Verrières-le-Buisson 15,057 · 3.9 km | 3.9% | 52% | 8.5 |
Saulx-les-Chartreux and Verrières-le-Buisson are 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 Palaiseau
Is Palaiseau in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Bassin de la Bièvre nature reserve, 4 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Palaiseau?
OpenStreetMap maps 69 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 5.9 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 42 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Palaiseau is woodland?
18% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Palaiseau near the sea?
No: the coast is 158 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Palaiseau?
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.