First pick
Bois de Montmaur
Park or garden
28 ha5.3 km of path
1 h 10 minto walk all 5.3 km of path
3.4 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Pierre-Félix Vautrin · CC05.5%woodland
Outdoors in Montpellier · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Montpellier has more footpaths per km² than 9 in 10 French towns
362 km of footpaths cross Montpellier (6.3 km per km²). No protected area reaches Montpellier; the nearest, Le Lez (Natura 2000), is 3.2 km from the town center. Mapped woodland covers 5.5% of Montpellier. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
0.6%
of the commune’s land
Nearest: Le Lez, 3.2 km
Woodland
5.5%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
362 km
6.3 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
11 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: Bois de Montmaur
The sea
11 km
from the town center to the coast
Throughout this page, the Hérault 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 Montpellier?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths6.3 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Protected land nearbyLe Lez (Natura 2000) is 3.2 km from the town center.
What sets Montpellier apart: its footpaths, then protected land close by.
Against French towns
How Montpellier 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 areas0.6%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
55out of 100
Woodland5.5%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
25out of 100
Footpaths6.3 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
95out of 100
Hiking routes0.2 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
37out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Montpellier has the 17th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (118,489 to 514,819 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 | Rennes Ille-et-Vilaine | 10.8 | 6.4% | 0% | 49 km |
| 7 | Paris 14e Paris | 10.6 | 0.4% | 0% | 151 km |
| 8 | Paris 15e Paris | 9.6 | 0% | 0% | 149 km |
| 9 | Paris 13e Paris | 9.2 | 0.4% | 0% | 152 km |
| 10 | Tours Indre-et-Loire | 7.8 | 6.3% | 4.7% | 184 km |
| 11 | Lille Nord | 7.7 | 2.3% | 0% | 62 km |
| 12 | Villeurbanne Rhône | 7.4 | 2.8% | 0.3% | 253 km |
| 13 | Nantes Loire-Atlantique | 7.3 | 7.3% | 6.3% | 39 km |
| 14 | Saint-Denis Seine-Saint-Denis | 7 | 2.4% | 1.8% | 142 km |
| 15 | Metz Moselle | 6.8 | 8% | 0% | 329 km |
| 16 | Strasbourg Bas-Rhin | 6.4 | 17% | 22% | 451 km |
| 17 | Montpellier Hérault | 6.3 | 5.5% | 0.6% | 11 km |
| 18 | Angers Maine-et-Loire | 6.3 | 5.6% | 17% | 118 km |
| 19 | Boulogne-Billancourt Hauts-de-Seine | 6 | 2% | 0% | 147 km |
| 20 | Dijon Côte-d'Or | 6 | 6.5% | 0% | 402 km |
| 21 | Brest Finistère | 5.9 | 6.7% | 0% | On it |
| 22 | Toulouse Haute-Garonne | 5.9 | 3.7% | 3.3% | 147 km |
| 23 | Le Mans Sarthe | 5.5 | 6.6% | 0% | 135 km |
| 24 | Paris 11e Paris | 5.4 | 0% | 0% | 150 km |
| 25 | Besançon Doubs | 5.3 | 37% | 0.6% | 402 km |
| 26 | Paris 17e Paris | 5.1 | 0.2% | 0% | 145 km |
| 27 | Bordeaux Gironde | 4.9 | 1.2% | 10% | 18 km |
| 28 | Reims Marne | 4.8 | 2.1% | 1.1% | 199 km |
| 29 | Annecy Haute-Savoie | 4.6 | 29% | 0.2% | 260 km |
| 30 | Paris 18e Paris | 4.4 | 0.5% | 0% | 146 km |
| 31 | Amiens Somme | 3.8 | 3% | 0.7% | 55 km |
| 32 | Clermont-Ferrand Puy-de-Dôme | 3.7 | 4.6% | 0.7% | 258 km |
| 33 | Le Havre Seine-Maritime | 3.6 | 5.8% | 3.3% | On it |
| 34 | Toulon Var | 3.6 | 23% | 26% | On it |
| 35 | Saint-Étienne Loire | 3.5 | 31% | 33% | 210 km |
| 36 | Limoges Haute-Vienne | 3.3 | 15% | 0% | 163 km |
| 37 | Nice Alpes-Maritimes | 2.5 | 20% | 6.2% | On it |
| 38 | Perpignan Pyrénées-Orientales | 2.2 | 0.2% | 0.3% | 12 km |
| 39 | Aix-en-Provence Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.1 | 18% | 9.1% | 21 km |
| 40 | Saint-Denis Réunion | 1.6 | 62% | 73% | 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 Montpellier
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Bois de Montmaur leads, at 28 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc Malbosc
Park or garden
24 ha5.5 km of path
1 h 15 minto walk all 5.5 km of path
3.6 km north-westfrom the center
Rue Henri Lagatu
Directionsto a point inside
Domaine d'Ô
Park or garden
21 ha3.7 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.7 km of path
3.2 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Montcalm
Park or garden
18 ha4.6 km of path
1 hto walk all 4.6 km of path
1.6 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Agriparc du Mas Nouguier
Park or garden
20 ha2.8 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.8 km of path
3.2 km southfrom the center
Chemin du Grand Puits
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Guilhem VIII de Montpellier
Park or garden
16 ha3.6 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.6 km of path
5.1 km eastfrom the center
Promenade Bobby Lapointe
Directionsto a point inside
Berges de la Mosson - Nord
Wood or forest
32 ha6.1 km of path
1 h 20 minto walk all 6.1 km of path
4.7 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Domaine de Méric
Park or garden
10 ha3.6 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.6 km of path
3.2 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 30 named parks, gardens and woods
Bois de MontmaurPark or garden · 28 ha · 5.3 km of path
DirectionsParc MalboscPark or garden · 24 ha · 5.5 km of path
DirectionsDomaine d'ÔPark or garden · 21 ha · 3.7 km of path
DirectionsParc MontcalmPark or garden · 18 ha · 4.6 km of path
DirectionsAgriparc du Mas NouguierPark or garden · 20 ha · 2.8 km of path
DirectionsParc Guilhem VIII de MontpellierPark or garden · 16 ha · 3.6 km of path
DirectionsBerges de la Mosson - NordWood or forest · 32 ha · 6.1 km of path
DirectionsDomaine de MéricPark or garden · 10 ha · 3.6 km of path
DirectionsDomaine Bonnier de la MossonPark or garden · 16 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsParcours de santé GrammontPark or garden · 11 ha · 2.4 km of path
DirectionsParc Georges CharpakPark or garden · 9.5 ha · 2.6 km of path
DirectionsJardin des PlantesPark or garden · 4.7 ha · 3.4 km of path
DirectionsJardins de la LirondePark or garden · 6.1 ha · 2.6 km of path
DirectionsPromenade du PeyrouPark or garden · 4.6 ha · 2.6 km of path
DirectionsJardins du PeyrouPark or garden · 4.6 ha · 2.6 km of path
DirectionsParc de FontcolombePark or garden · 5.2 ha · 1.9 km of path
DirectionsChâteau de BionnePark or garden · 7.7 ha
DirectionsParc d'ArméniePark or garden · 3.3 ha · 2.1 km of path
DirectionsRéserve naturelle du LezWood or forest · 9.5 ha · 2.3 km of path
DirectionsParc d'AlcoPark or garden · 3.2 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsParc du RieucoulonPark or garden · 3.6 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsPinède MossonPark or garden · 4.7 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsParc de BoirarguesPark or garden · 2.6 ha · 1.4 km of path · just outside
DirectionsMas de GrillePark or garden · 5.1 ha
DirectionsParc Sophie DesmaretsPark or garden · 3.2 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc Jacques RoseauPark or garden · 2.5 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsBerges Mosson sudWood or forest · 10 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsParc de la RauzePark or garden · 2.4 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsParc Petit bois de la CollinePark or garden · 2.2 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsParc de GrammontPark or garden · 3 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Le Lez is the nearest protected area, 3.2 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
Le Lez
0.6% of the commune3.2 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area0.6%
Natura 2000 site0.6%
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 Montpellier
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
362 km
6.3 km per km²
Hiking routes
11 km
waymarked: 0.2 km per km²
Woodland
5.5%
about 3.2 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
MontpellierHérault medianFrance median
Footpaths6.3
Hiking routes0.2
048 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
MontpellierHérault medianFrance median
Woodland5.5%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 95% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 75% 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 Montpellier 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
L’OASIS DES GARRIGUES8.1 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Montpellier: April to August
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Villeneuve-Les-Mag-Inrae, 8.1 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°C) | 12 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 13 |
| Rain (mm) | 51 | 38 | 42 | 48 | 40 | 31 | 18 | 33 | 76 | 91 | 72 | 51 |
July is the driest month (18 mm) and the warmest (highs of 29 °C). 91 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 19 nights a year. The climate in Montpellier →
Gardens
3 gardens to visit in Montpellier
Named gardens in the commune.
Jardin des plantes de MontpellierIn Montpellier
DirectionsPollinarium sentinelleIn Montpellier
DirectionsSquare PlanchonIn Montpellier
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Montpellier
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Saint-Jean-de-VédasJuvignacCastelnau-le-LezLavéruneClapiersLattesMontpellier
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montpellier | 0.6% | 5.5% | 6.3 | 11 km |
| Saint-Jean-de-Védas 13,328 · 4.7 km | 0% | 4.5% | 3.7 | 9 km |
| Juvignac 14,055 · 4.7 km | 0% | 4.2% | 4.2 | 14 km |
| Castelnau-le-Lez 26,058 · 4.8 km | 1.2% | 4.5% | 4.6 | 11 km |
| Lavérune 3,302 · 5.4 km | 0% | 6.9% | 3.1 | 11 km |
| Clapiers 6,006 · 5.4 km | 3.1% | 42% | 9.8 | 14 km |
| Lattes 17,351 · 5.5 km | 22% | 0.8% | 2.2 | 5.5 km |
Lattes has at least twice as much protected land. Clapiers 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 Montpellier
Is Montpellier in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Le Lez, 3.2 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Montpellier?
OpenStreetMap maps 362 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 6.3 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 11 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Montpellier is woodland?
5.5% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Montpellier near the sea?
No: the coast is 11 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Montpellier?
April to August: 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.