First pick
Forêt du Bourgailh
Park or garden
83 ha14.9 km of path
3 h 20 minto walk all 14.9 km of path
4.1 km south-westfrom the center
Piste du Bourgailh
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Mspecht · CC BY-SA 3.015%woodland
Outdoors in Mérignac · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Mérignac is within 800 m of a park or wood
149 km of footpaths cross Mérignac (3.1 km per km²). No protected area reaches Mérignac; the nearest, Réseau hydrographique des Jalles de Saint-Médard et d’Eysines (Natura 2000), is 6 km from the town center. Mapped woodland covers 15% of Mérignac. 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: Réseau hydrographique des Jalles de Saint-Médard et d’Eysines, 6 km
Woodland
15%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
149 km
3.1 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
0 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
29
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Forêt du Bourgailh
The sea
20 km
from the town center to the coast
Throughout this page, the Gironde 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 Mérignac?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths3.1 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Protected land nearbyRéseau hydrographique des Jalles de Saint-Médard et d’Eysines (Natura 2000) is 6 km from the town center.
What sets Mérignac apart: its footpaths, then protected land close by.
Against French towns
How Mérignac 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
48out of 100
Woodland15%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
53out of 100
Footpaths3.1 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
75out of 100
Hiking routes0 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
12out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Mérignac has the 8th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (65,064 to 93,941 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Paris 10e (15.2 km per km²) to Le Tampon (0.7 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris 10e Paris | 15.2 | 0.1% | 0% | 148 km |
| 2 | Créteil Val-de-Marne | 13.8 | 2% | 0% | 161 km |
| 3 | Cergy Val-d'Oise | 11.2 | 13% | 0% | 120 km |
| 4 | Issy-les-Moulineaux Hauts-de-Seine | 10.9 | 2.2% | 0% | 149 km |
| 5 | Courbevoie Hauts-de-Seine | 8.8 | 0.1% | 0% | 142 km |
| 6 | Ivry-sur-Seine Val-de-Marne | 8.5 | 0.6% | 0% | 155 km |
| 7 | Évry-Courcouronnes Essonne | 8.4 | 9.5% | 0% | 174 km |
| 8 | Versailles Yvelines | 8.1 | 28% | 0% | 146 km |
| 9 | Levallois-Perret Hauts-de-Seine | 7.7 | 0% | 0% | 143 km |
| 10 | Rueil-Malmaison Hauts-de-Seine | 7.3 | 17% | 0% | 141 km |
| 11 | La Rochelle Charente-Maritime | 6.7 | 1.3% | 0.9% | On it |
| 12 | Noisy-le-Grand Seine-Saint-Denis | 6.6 | 25% | 0% | 160 km |
| 13 | Marseille 8e Bouches-du-Rhône | 6.4 | 11% | 47% | On it |
| 14 | Marseille 15e Bouches-du-Rhône | 6 | 6.5% | 8.9% | On it |
| 15 | Aubervilliers Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.8 | 1.3% | 0% | 146 km |
| 16 | Pau Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 5.8 | 15% | 2.9% | 95 km |
| 17 | Champigny-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 5.6 | 3.7% | 0% | 160 km |
| 18 | Vénissieux Rhône | 5 | 3.8% | 0% | 247 km |
| 19 | Marseille 9e Bouches-du-Rhône | 5 | 39% | 83% | On it |
| 20 | Pessac Gironde | 4.8 | 22% | 0% | 24 km |
| 21 | Dunkerque Nord | 4.8 | 1.8% | 1.5% | On it |
| 22 | Cannes Alpes-Maritimes | 4.6 | 15% | 10% | On it |
| 23 | Lyon 8e Rhône | 4.6 | 0.7% | 0% | 249 km |
| 24 | Poitiers Vienne | 4.5 | 8.8% | 0% | 118 km |
| 25 | Lyon 7e Rhône | 4.5 | 0.1% | 0% | 250 km |
| 26 | Colombes Hauts-de-Seine | 4.3 | 1.4% | 0% | 139 km |
| 27 | Aulnay-sous-Bois Seine-Saint-Denis | 4.1 | 5.1% | 6.2% | 148 km |
| 28 | Asnières-sur-Seine Hauts-de-Seine | 3.7 | 0% | 0% | 141 km |
| 29 | Saint-Nazaire Loire-Atlantique | 3.4 | 7.2% | 37% | On it |
| 30 | Antibes Alpes-Maritimes | 3.3 | 7.3% | 1.3% | On it |
| 31 | Calais Pas-de-Calais | 3.3 | 2.1% | 0% | On it |
| 32 | Avignon Vaucluse | 3.3 | 2.9% | 27% | 54 km |
| 33 | Saint-Maur-des-Fossés Val-de-Marne | 3.3 | 0.5% | 0% | 161 km |
| 34 | Mérignac Gironde | 3.1 | 15% | 0% | 20 km |
| 35 | Cherbourg-en-Cotentin Manche | 3.1 | 10% | 0% | On it |
| 36 | Drancy Seine-Saint-Denis | 2.3 | 0% | 0% | 147 km |
| 37 | Ajaccio Corse-du-Sud | 1.5 | 9.8% | 16% | On it |
| 38 | Béziers Hérault | 1.3 | 5.4% | 0% | 12 km |
| 39 | Colmar Haut-Rhin | 1.2 | 19% | 29% | 473 km |
| 40 | Saint-Pierre Réunion | 0.9 | 9.1% | 18% | On it |
| 41 | Le Tampon Réunion | 0.7 | 23% | 19% | 10 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 Mérignac
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Forêt du Bourgailh leads, at 83 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Bois du Burck
Wood or forest
42 ha10.5 km of path
2 h 20 minto walk all 10.5 km of path
2 km southfrom the center
Bois du Burck
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de Bourran
Park or garden
18 ha4.5 km of path
1 hto walk all 4.5 km of path
1.3 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Vivier
Park or garden
8.6 ha2.5 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.5 km of path
1.2 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du chateau
Wood or forest
24 ha2.9 km of path
40 minto walk all 2.9 km of path
Centralin the middle of Mérignac
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Luchey
Park or garden
5.8 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
1.6 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de Beaudésert
Park or garden
4.2 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
2.8 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 29 named parks, gardens and woods
Forêt du BourgailhPark or garden · 83 ha · 14.9 km of path
DirectionsBois du BurckWood or forest · 42 ha · 10.5 km of path
DirectionsParc de BourranPark or garden · 18 ha · 4.5 km of path
DirectionsParc du VivierPark or garden · 8.6 ha · 2.5 km of path
DirectionsParc du chateauWood or forest · 24 ha · 2.9 km of path
DirectionsParc du LucheyPark or garden · 5.8 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsParc de BeaudésertPark or garden · 4.2 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc de OntinesPark or garden · 5.6 ha
DirectionsParc MonséjourPark or garden · 2.8 ha · 1.1 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc de TenetPark or garden · 2 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc Bel Air LussyPark or garden · 1.8 ha · 0.7 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc du RenardPark or garden · 1.6 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc Victor SchœlcherPark or garden · 2.1 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsParc L'Orée des deux villesPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsProjet extension Parc du RenardWood or forest · 6.3 ha
DirectionsParc de PeychottePark or garden · 1.2 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsFlora Tristan ( Partie Nord)Park or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare Émile Combes - Jean GautierPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc des OlympiadesPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSquare Les JasminsPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside
DirectionsSquare Alfred SmithPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside
DirectionsSquare de La ForêtPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.1 km of path · just outside
DirectionsPlace Vincent Van GoghPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsFlora Tristan (partie Sud)Park or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare de Belle-FrancePark or garden · 0.6 ha
DirectionsPlace Nungesser et ColiPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsSquare Gustave CourbetPark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsParc des LavandièresPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsJardin des essaisPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Réseau hydrographique des Jalles de Saint-Médard et d’Eysines is the nearest protected area, 6 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
Réseau hydrographique des Jalles de Saint-Médard et d’Eysines
6 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
149 km of footpaths cross Mérignac
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
149 km
3.1 km per km²
Hiking routes
0 km
waymarked: 0 km per km²
Woodland
15%
about 7 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
MérignacGironde medianFrance median
Footpaths3.1
Hiking routes0
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
MérignacGironde medianFrance median
Woodland15%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 75% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 53% 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 Mérignac is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
A named hiking route within 2 km
Other named walk
Étape 6 • Chemin d'Amadour0.8 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Mérignac: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Bordeaux-Merignac, 3.6 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) | 9.1 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.0 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°C) | 11 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 24 | 20 | 14 | 11 |
| Rain (mm) | 87 | 67 | 63 | 76 | 71 | 70 | 49 | 57 | 81 | 83 | 115 | 106 |
July is the driest month (49 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 28 °C). 115 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 23 nights a year. The climate in Mérignac →
Neighbors
Next to Mérignac
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
PessacEysinesLe BouscatLe HaillanBordeauxTalenceMérignac
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mérignac | 0% | 15% | 3.1 | 20 km |
| Pessac 67,339 · 4.2 km | 0% | 22% | 4.8 | 24 km |
| Eysines 24,825 · 4.5 km | 3.1% | 7.6% | 3.9 | 15 km |
| Le Bouscat 25,081 · 4.8 km | 0% | 1.4% | 3 | 16 km |
| Le Haillan 11,392 · 4.9 km | 3.4% | 18% | 3.2 | 16 km |
| Bordeaux 267,991 · 5.2 km | 10% | 1.2% | 4.9 | 18 km |
| Talence 46,338 · 5.6 km | 0% | 5.2% | 7.8 | 22 km |
Pessac 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 Mérignac
Is Mérignac in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Réseau hydrographique des Jalles de Saint-Médard et d’Eysines, 6 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Mérignac?
OpenStreetMap maps 149 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3.1 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²).
How much of Mérignac is woodland?
15% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Mérignac near the sea?
No: the coast is 20 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Mérignac?
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 9, 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.