First pick
Rives de Penfeld
Park or garden
65 ha19.4 km of path
4 h 20 minto walk all 19.4 km of path
2.1 km westfrom the center
Passerelle des Pupilles
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Thesupermat · CC BY-SA 3.06.7%woodland
Outdoors in Brest · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Brest is on the coast
Footpaths add up to 290 km across Brest (5.9 km per km²). No protected area reaches Brest; the nearest, Presqu’Ile de Crozon (Natura 2000), is 6.7 km from the town center. Waymarked hiking routes add up to 21 km in Brest. 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: Presqu’Ile de Crozon, 6.7 km
Woodland
6.7%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
290 km
5.9 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
21 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
30
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Rives de Penfeld
The sea
On it
the commune touches the coast, 0.3 km from its center
Throughout this page, the Finistère 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 Brest?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
On the coastThe commune touches the sea; the coast is 0.3 km from its center.A place of footpaths5.9 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Protected land nearbyPresqu’Ile de Crozon (Natura 2000) is 6.7 km from the town center.
What sets Brest apart: the sea, then its footpaths.
Against French towns
How Brest 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
Woodland6.7%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
29out of 100
Footpaths5.9 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
94out of 100
Hiking routes0.4 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
57out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Brest has the 18th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (100,679 to 185,140 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Paris 12e (16.7 km per km²) to Nîmes (1.3 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris 12e Paris | 16.7 | 30% | 0% | 153 km |
| 2 | Paris 16e Paris | 11.9 | 25% | 0% | 147 km |
| 3 | Grenoble Isère | 11.6 | 4.6% | 0% | 204 km |
| 4 | Paris 19e Paris | 11.1 | 2.1% | 0% | 148 km |
| 5 | Paris 20e Paris | 10.9 | 0.1% | 0% | 151 km |
| 6 | Paris 14e Paris | 10.6 | 0.4% | 0% | 151 km |
| 7 | Paris 13e Paris | 9.2 | 0.4% | 0% | 152 km |
| 8 | Caen Calvados | 8.1 | 2.4% | 0% | 14 km |
| 9 | Tours Indre-et-Loire | 7.8 | 6.3% | 4.7% | 184 km |
| 10 | Villeurbanne Rhône | 7.4 | 2.8% | 0.3% | 253 km |
| 11 | Saint-Denis Seine-Saint-Denis | 7 | 2.4% | 1.8% | 142 km |
| 12 | Nancy Meurthe-et-Moselle | 6.9 | 2.7% | 0% | 366 km |
| 13 | Metz Moselle | 6.8 | 8% | 0% | 329 km |
| 14 | Angers Maine-et-Loire | 6.3 | 5.6% | 17% | 118 km |
| 15 | Orléans Loiret | 6.3 | 5.4% | 4.3% | 206 km |
| 16 | Boulogne-Billancourt Hauts-de-Seine | 6 | 2% | 0% | 147 km |
| 17 | Dijon Côte-d'Or | 6 | 6.5% | 0% | 402 km |
| 18 | Brest Finistère | 5.9 | 6.7% | 0% | On it |
| 19 | Lyon 3e Rhône | 5.9 | 0.5% | 0% | 251 km |
| 20 | Mulhouse Haut-Rhin | 5.7 | 4.3% | 0% | 441 km |
| 21 | Le Mans Sarthe | 5.5 | 6.6% | 0% | 135 km |
| 22 | Paris 11e Paris | 5.4 | 0% | 0% | 150 km |
| 23 | Besançon Doubs | 5.3 | 37% | 0.6% | 402 km |
| 24 | Montreuil Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.2 | 1.8% | 4.7% | 153 km |
| 25 | Rouen Seine-Maritime | 5.1 | 6.2% | 0% | 53 km |
| 26 | Paris 17e Paris | 5.1 | 0.2% | 0% | 145 km |
| 27 | Reims Marne | 4.8 | 2.1% | 1.1% | 199 km |
| 28 | Annecy Haute-Savoie | 4.6 | 29% | 0.2% | 260 km |
| 29 | Paris 18e Paris | 4.4 | 0.5% | 0% | 146 km |
| 30 | Amiens Somme | 3.8 | 3% | 0.7% | 55 km |
| 31 | Clermont-Ferrand Puy-de-Dôme | 3.7 | 4.6% | 0.7% | 258 km |
| 32 | Le Havre Seine-Maritime | 3.6 | 5.8% | 3.3% | On it |
| 33 | Toulon Var | 3.6 | 23% | 26% | On it |
| 34 | Saint-Étienne Loire | 3.5 | 31% | 33% | 210 km |
| 35 | Limoges Haute-Vienne | 3.3 | 15% | 0% | 163 km |
| 36 | Argenteuil Val-d'Oise | 3.2 | 5.5% | 0% | 136 km |
| 37 | Perpignan Pyrénées-Orientales | 2.2 | 0.2% | 0.3% | 12 km |
| 38 | Aix-en-Provence Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.1 | 18% | 9.1% | 21 km |
| 39 | Saint-Denis Réunion | 1.6 | 62% | 73% | On it |
| 40 | Saint-Paul Réunion | 1.4 | 20% | 64% | On it |
| 41 | Nîmes Gard | 1.3 | 29% | 4.6% | 37 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 Brest
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Rives de Penfeld leads, at 65 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Vallée de Sainte-Anne
Wood or forest
60 ha13.6 km of path
3 hto walk all 13.6 km of path
6.5 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Vallon du Stangalar
Park or garden
16 ha5.4 km of path
1 h 10 minto walk all 5.4 km of path
3.5 km eastfrom the center
Route du Stang AlarAllée de Keravilin-Vian
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de l'Arc'hantel
Park or garden
14 ha3.7 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.7 km of path
4.4 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de la Brasserie
Wood or forest
17 ha2.5 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.5 km of path
2.1 km northfrom the center
Pont de la Brasserie
Directionsto a point inside
Cours Dajot
Park or garden
1.8 ha3 km of path
40 minto walk all 3 km of path
1.6 km southfrom the center
Cours Dajot
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Éole
Park or garden
3.3 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
2.6 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin Toullic Ar Ran
Park or garden
3 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
1 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 30 named parks, gardens and woods
Rives de PenfeldPark or garden · 65 ha · 19.4 km of path
DirectionsVallée de Sainte-AnneWood or forest · 60 ha · 13.6 km of path
DirectionsVallon du StangalarPark or garden · 16 ha · 5.4 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'Arc'hantelPark or garden · 14 ha · 3.7 km of path
DirectionsBois de la BrasserieWood or forest · 17 ha · 2.5 km of path
DirectionsCours DajotPark or garden · 1.8 ha · 3 km of path
DirectionsParc ÉolePark or garden · 3.3 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsJardin Toullic Ar RanPark or garden · 3 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsJardin de KeravellocPark or garden · 2.3 ha · 1.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin de KerbonnePark or garden · 2.2 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsJardin Alphonse JuinPark or garden · 1.5 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsJardin KennedyPark or garden · 1.4 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsBois LacrosseWood or forest · 3 ha · 1.1 km of path · just outside
DirectionsJardin de KerzudalPark or garden · 1.5 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsJardin de KerguerecPark or garden · 1.3 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsEspace ChoiseulPark or garden · 1.7 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsJardin RosenbaumPark or garden · 1.3 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsJardin JegadenPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsBois du Dour BrazWood or forest · 2.8 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsPlace WilsonPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsJardin des BunkersPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsCarrière du RuffaWood or forest · 3.3 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsPromenade PolygonePark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsJardin Frégate La BoussolePark or garden · 1 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsJardin GagarinePark or garden · 1 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsJardin De GaullePark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsJardin Jules Le GallPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsParc de Kerbernier - Hélène MarchandPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSquare Yves JaouenPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin de l'Académie de MarinePark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Presqu’Ile de Crozon is the nearest protected area, 6.7 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
Presqu’Ile de Crozon
6.7 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
290 km of footpaths and 21 km of hiking routes cross Brest
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
290 km
5.9 km per km²
Hiking routes
21 km
waymarked: 0.4 km per km²
Woodland
6.7%
about 3.3 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
BrestFinistère medianFrance median
Footpaths5.9
Hiking routes0.4
03.57 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
BrestFinistère medianFrance median
Woodland6.7%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 94% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 71% 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 Brest is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
3 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
Chemin des Douaniers, Portsall - Brest12 km
Chemin des Douaniers, Brest - Le Faou9.1 km
Chemin des Douaniers, Lanvéoc - Pentrez0.6 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Brest: May to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Brest-Guipavas, 9.9 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) | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 143 | 119 | 82 | 92 | 75 | 65 | 71 | 75 | 79 | 129 | 147 | 155 |
June is the driest month (65 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 21 °C). 155 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 14 nights a year. The climate in Brest →
Gardens
5 gardens to visit in Brest
Named gardens in the commune.
Conservatoire botanique national de BrestIn Brest
DirectionsFort du QuestelIn Brest
DirectionsJardin de KerampéréIn Brest
DirectionsJardin des ExplorateursIn Brest
DirectionsJardin Pen ar BouguenIn Brest
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Brest
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
BoharsGuilersGouesnouLe Relecq-KerhuonGuipavasPlouzanéBrest
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
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 Brest
Is Brest in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Presqu’Ile de Crozon, 6.7 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Brest?
OpenStreetMap maps 290 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); 21 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Brest is woodland?
6.7% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Brest near the sea?
Yes: the commune touches the coast, 0.3 km from its center.
When is the best time for walking in Brest?
May 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.