First pick
Bois des Bezelles
Wood or forest · 170 m outside the commune
300 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
5.7 km south-westfrom the center
Chemin Rural Numéro 2 de Janvry à Saint-Jean de Beauregard
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Cyrilb1881 · CC BY-SA 3.04.4%woodland
Outdoors in Villejust · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Villejust is within 800 m of a park or wood
4.4% of Villejust is mapped woodland. No protected area reaches Villejust; the nearest, Sites Géologiques du Département de l’Essonne nature reserve, is 1 km from the town center. Footpaths add up to 13 km across Villejust (2.4 km per km²). 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: Sites Géologiques du Département de l’Essonne nature reserve, 1 km
Woodland
4.4%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
13 km
2.4 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
2 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
8
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Bois des Bezelles
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 Villejust 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
45out of 100
Woodland4.4%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
20out of 100
Footpaths2.4 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
64out of 100
Hiking routes0.4 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
52out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Villejust has the 4th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (2,524 to 2,593 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From École-Valentin (3.9 km per km²) to Chalamont (0.1 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | École-Valentin Doubs | 3.9 | 16% | 0% | 405 km |
| 2 | Josselin Morbihan | 3.7 | 15% | 0% | 36 km |
| 3 | Mers-les-Bains Somme | 3.5 | 10% | 100% | On it |
| 4 | Villejust Essonne | 2.4 | 4.4% | 0% | 160 km |
| 5 | Sainte-Feyre Creuse | 2.1 | 30% | 0% | 222 km |
| 6 | Camiers Pas-de-Calais | 2 | 30% | 32% | On it |
| 7 | Sain-Bel Rhône | 1.9 | 12% | 0% | 253 km |
| 8 | La Rivière-Saint-Sauveur Calvados | 1.8 | 14% | 29% | On it |
| 9 | Fareins Ain | 1.8 | 8.8% | 0.1% | 279 km |
| 10 | Entzheim Bas-Rhin | 1.7 | 1.5% | 0% | 449 km |
| 11 | Damparis Jura | 1.6 | 35% | 0% | 401 km |
| 12 | Longueil-Annel Oise | 1.5 | 21% | 0% | 116 km |
| 13 | Mornas Vaucluse | 1.5 | 35% | 5% | 84 km |
| 14 | Saint-Jean-du-Gard Gard | 1.4 | 84% | 100% | 62 km |
| 15 | Watten Nord | 1.4 | 24% | 100% | 18 km |
| 16 | Rantigny Oise | 1.4 | 18% | 0% | 109 km |
| 17 | Beautor Aisne | 1.3 | 3.6% | 40% | 133 km |
| 18 | Granges-Aumontzey Vosges | 1.1 | 70% | 90% | 436 km |
| 19 | Cattenom Moselle | 1.1 | 37% | 0% | 308 km |
| 20 | Pîtres Eure | 0.9 | 47% | 0.2% | 64 km |
| 21 | Arelaune-en-Seine Seine-Maritime | 0.7 | 69% | 100% | 29 km |
| 22 | La Croix-en-Touraine Indre-et-Loire | 0.7 | 24% | 0% | 199 km |
| 23 | Criel-sur-Mer Seine-Maritime | 0.7 | 4.9% | 7% | On it |
| 24 | Lusignan Vienne | 0.7 | 17% | 0% | 97 km |
| 25 | Avelin Nord | 0.6 | 6.1% | 0% | 72 km |
| 26 | Le Cailar Gard | 0.4 | 2% | 68% | 17 km |
| 27 | Xertigny Vosges | 0.4 | 42% | 0% | 417 km |
| 28 | Vervins Aisne | 0.4 | 1.1% | 0% | 164 km |
| 29 | Frans Ain | 0.4 | 4% | 0% | 275 km |
| 30 | Toucy Yonne | 0.4 | 24% | 0% | 288 km |
| 31 | Saint-Yzan-de-Soudiac Gironde | 0.3 | 13% | 3% | 19 km |
| 32 | Semussac Charente-Maritime | 0.3 | 3.8% | 6.9% | 5.1 km |
| 33 | Auxi-le-Château Pas-de-Calais | 0.3 | 25% | 1% | 31 km |
| 34 | Vivy Maine-et-Loire | 0.3 | 15% | 100% | 140 km |
| 35 | Nogent-sur-Vernisson Loiret | 0.2 | 46% | 0.3% | 249 km |
| 36 | Eymet Dordogne | 0.2 | 8.6% | 0.4% | 86 km |
| 37 | Athies-sous-Laon Aisne | 0.2 | 8.9% | 0% | 159 km |
| 38 | Val-de-Scie Seine-Maritime | 0.1 | 18% | 0% | 23 km |
| 39 | Noyen-sur-Sarthe Sarthe | 0.1 | 28% | 0% | 126 km |
| 40 | Cauchy-à-la-Tour Pas-de-Calais | 0.1 | 0.4% | 0% | 54 km |
| 41 | Chalamont Ain | 0.1 | 20% | 69% | 284 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 Villejust
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Bois des Bezelles leads, at 300 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Forêt départementale du Rocher de Saulx
Wood or forest
174 ha14.4 km of path
3 h 10 minto walk all 14.4 km of path
2 km eastfrom the center
Chemin de Lunezy à BallainvilliersChemin de Villejust à Plessis Saint-PierreChemin des Palais+1 path
Directionsto a point inside
Bois des Carrés
Wood or forest
108 ha5.4 km of path
1 h 10 minto walk all 5.4 km of path
3.2 km south-westfrom the center
Chemin du MuguetChemin de Saint-Jean-de-BeauregardChemin de la Vallée
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Deux Lacs
Park or garden
12 ha2.8 km of path
40 minto walk all 2.8 km of path
1.1 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Forêt départementale du Bois des Gelles
Wood or forest · 380 m outside the commune
38 ha3.1 km of path
40 minto walk all 3.1 km of path
2.1 km north-westfrom the center
Chemin Rural Numéro 33 de la Plesse aux Gelles
Directionsto a point inside
Bois Courtin
Wood or forest
26 ha1.9 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.9 km of path
1.4 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois des Gallaines
Wood or forest
19 ha0.2 km of path
1.3 km north-eastfrom the center
Chemin du Haut des Paradis
Directionsto a point inside
Chevaux
Park or garden · 350 m outside the commune
2.9 ha
1.6 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Sites Géologiques du Département de l’Essonne nature reserve is the nearest protected area, 1 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Nature reserve
Sites Géologiques du Département de l’Essonne nature reserve
1 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
13 km of footpaths cross Villejust
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
13 km
2.4 km per km²
Hiking routes
2 km
waymarked: 0.4 km per km²
Woodland
4.4%
about 0.2 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
VillejustEssonne medianFrance median
Footpaths2.4
Hiking routes0.4
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
VillejustEssonne medianFrance median
Woodland4.4%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 64% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 80% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them. 97% of Villejust’s residents live within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, close to the typical town.
5 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)Other named walk
GR 655ET9 km
GR655 OT1.8 km
De la Bièvre à l'Orge2 km
Chemin Charles Péguy1.8 km
Chemin de Trèves, Igny - Rambouillet1.8 km
2 GR routes pass within 2 km of Villejust: GR 655ET and GR655 OT.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Villejust: April and June to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Gometz-Le-Chat., 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 Villejust →
Neighbors
Next to Villejust
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
NozayVillebon-sur-YvetteLa Ville-du-BoisSaulx-les-ChartreuxOrsayPalaiseauVillejust
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Villejust | 0% | 4.4% | 2.4 |
| Nozay 4,471 · 2.2 km | 0% | 5.7% | 3.2 |
| Villebon-sur-Yvette 10,291 · 2.4 km | 0% | 23% | 3.8 |
| La Ville-du-Bois 8,161 · 3.2 km | 0% | 28% | 4.4 |
| Saulx-les-Chartreux 6,733 · 3.3 km | 0.1% | 29% | 4.3 |
| Orsay 16,498 · 3.5 km | 0% | 27% | 7.3 |
| Palaiseau 37,471 · 4.1 km | 0% | 18% | 5.9 |
Villebon-sur-Yvette, La Ville-du-Bois and Saulx-les-Chartreux 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 Villejust
Is Villejust in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Sites Géologiques du Département de l’Essonne nature reserve, 1 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Villejust?
OpenStreetMap maps 13 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 2.4 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 2 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Villejust is woodland?
4.4% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Villejust near the sea?
No: the coast is 160 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Villejust?
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.