First pick
Parcours sportif du Garrigas
Park or garden
25 ha2.6 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.6 km of path
1.6 km westfrom the center
Piste Noire parcours santé
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Archives départementales de l'Hérault (France) DAASI · CC BY-SA 4.034%of the land protected
Outdoors in Pignan · protected areas, woods and footpaths
34% of Pignan’s land is protected for nature
Footpaths add up to 65 km across Pignan (3.2 km per km²). Mapped woodland covers 1.7% of Pignan. Pignan has 3 km of waymarked hiking routes. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
34%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
1.7%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
65 km
3.2 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
2.6 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Green space nearby
79%
of residents within 800 m of a park or wood
Compared town: 100%
The sea
13 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 Pignan?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
Protected countryside34% of the land lies in protected areas.A place of footpaths3.2 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Little mapped woodland1.7% of the land, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Pignan apart: its protected countryside, then its footpaths. It is shorter on woodland.
Against French towns
How Pignan 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 areas34%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
84out of 100
Woodland1.7%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
9out of 100
Footpaths3.2 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
76out of 100
Hiking routes0.1 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
32out of 100
Green space nearby79%Share of residents within 800 m of a mapped park or wood
3out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Pignan has the 8th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (8,321 to 8,545 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From La Grande-Motte (6 km per km²) to Gennes-Val-de-Loire (0.3 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Grande-Motte Hérault | 6 | 4% | 53% | On it |
| 2 | Le Plessis-Bouchard Val-d'Oise | 5.8 | 1.2% | 0% | 132 km |
| 3 | Larmor-Plage Morbihan | 5.3 | 17% | 0% | On it |
| 4 | Groslay Val-d'Oise | 4.3 | 15% | 0% | 138 km |
| 5 | Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie Vendée | 4.3 | 3.1% | 5.4% | On it |
| 6 | La Salvetat-Saint-Gilles Haute-Garonne | 4.3 | 12% | 0% | 158 km |
| 7 | Bouaye Loire-Atlantique | 3.4 | 20% | 9% | 26 km |
| 8 | Pignan Hérault | 3.2 | 1.7% | 34% | 13 km |
| 9 | Venelles Bouches-du-Rhône | 3 | 41% | 10% | 29 km |
| 10 | Vendin-le-Vieil Pas-de-Calais | 2.7 | 11% | 0% | 72 km |
| 11 | Pérenchies Nord | 2.5 | 0.9% | 0% | 56 km |
| 12 | Carbon-Blanc Gironde | 2.5 | 0.5% | 0% | 14 km |
| 13 | Trégueux Côtes-d'Armor | 2.4 | 5.5% | 0% | 4.1 km |
| 14 | Varces-Allières-et-Risset Isère | 2.4 | 33% | 32% | 194 km |
| 15 | Coutances Manche | 2.4 | 5.6% | 0% | 5.7 km |
| 16 | Ballan-Miré Indre-et-Loire | 2.2 | 30% | 0% | 176 km |
| 17 | Privas Ardèche | 2.1 | 32% | 1.6% | 136 km |
| 18 | Bormes-les-Mimosas Var | 2.1 | 38% | 8.3% | On it |
| 19 | Orchies Nord | 1.9 | 1.7% | 0.7% | 84 km |
| 20 | Bassens Gironde | 1.9 | 0.3% | 10% | 13 km |
| 21 | Pont-l'Abbé Finistère | 1.9 | 13% | 2% | On it |
| 22 | Vif Isère | 1.8 | 48% | 7% | 189 km |
| 23 | Noyal-Châtillon-sur-Seiche Ille-et-Vilaine | 1.8 | 4.5% | 0% | 56 km |
| 24 | Hirson Aisne | 1.8 | 66% | 66% | 167 km |
| 25 | Saint-Claude Jura | 1.7 | 78% | 100% | 318 km |
| 26 | Lillebonne Seine-Maritime | 1.6 | 18% | 0% | 16 km |
| 27 | Uzès Gard | 1.6 | 6.9% | 0% | 57 km |
| 28 | Trignac Loire-Atlantique | 1.5 | 0.1% | 65% | 1.7 km |
| 29 | Unieux Loire | 1.5 | 23% | 16% | 205 km |
| 30 | Saint-Aubin-lès-Elbeuf Seine-Maritime | 1.4 | 4.8% | 0.5% | 50 km |
| 31 | Peymeinade Alpes-Maritimes | 1.4 | 31% | 20% | 13 km |
| 32 | Reignier-Ésery Haute-Savoie | 1.1 | 26% | 3.1% | 279 km |
| 33 | Éguilles Bouches-du-Rhône | 1 | 12% | 54% | 23 km |
| 34 | Theix-Noyalo Morbihan | 0.9 | 11% | 98% | On it |
| 35 | Feurs Loire | 0.8 | 6.8% | 37% | 243 km |
| 36 | Marguerittes Gard | 0.7 | 11% | 33% | 44 km |
| 37 | Marseillan Hérault | 0.7 | 0.9% | 52% | On it |
| 38 | Talmont-Saint-Hilaire Vendée | 0.6 | 6.9% | 8.5% | On it |
| 39 | Saint-Vallier Saône-et-Loire | 0.6 | 19% | 0% | 344 km |
| 40 | Onnaing Nord | 0.5 | 16% | 1.1% | 105 km |
| 41 | Gennes-Val-de-Loire Maine-et-Loire | 0.3 | 29% | 100% | 134 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 Pignan
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parcours sportif du Garrigas leads, at 25 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc du Château
Park or garden
3.9 ha0.4 km of path
Centralin the middle of Pignan
Directionsto a point inside
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Close to home
8 in 10 residents of Pignan live within 800 m of a park or wood
Each square is 1 resident in 100: in green, those within 800 m, as the crow flies, of a mapped park, garden or woodland edge (INSEE’s 200 m population grid against OpenStreetMap).
79% within 800 m21% further
Residents within 800 m of green space · share of residents
PignanHérault medianFrance median
Within 800 m79%
0%50%100%
About 1,800 residents live further away. The distance is a straight line to the edge of a mapped park or wood, not a walk to a gate, and a wood can be private.
Protected areas
Protected land in and around Pignan
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Natura 2000 site
Plaine de Fabrègues-Poussan
17% of the commune0.7 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Montagne de la Moure et Causse d’Aumelas
17% of the commune3 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Garrigues de la Moure et d’Aumelas
17% of the commune3 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area34%
Natura 2000 site34%
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.
34% of Pignan’s land is protected, more than in 84% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Hérault has 12%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
65 km of footpaths cross Pignan
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
65 km
3.2 km per km²
Hiking routes
2.6 km
waymarked: 0.1 km per km²
Woodland
1.7%
about 0.4 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
PignanHérault medianFrance median
Footpaths3.2
Hiking routes0.1
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
PignanHérault medianFrance median
Woodland1.7%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 76% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 91% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Pignan: April to August
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Villeneuve-Les-Mag-Inrae, 9.1 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 | 9.0 |
| 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 Pignan →
Neighbors
Next to Pignan
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Saint-Georges-d'OrquesLavéruneFabrèguesCournonterralJuvignacSaint-Jean-de-VédasPignan
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pignan | 34% | 1.7% | 3.2 | 13 km |
| Saint-Georges-d'Orques 5,676 · 3.3 km | 0% | 0.3% | 2.7 | 14 km |
| Lavérune 3,302 · 3.6 km | 0% | 6.9% | 3.1 | 11 km |
| Fabrègues 7,447 · 3.8 km | 8.4% | 7.6% | 2.9 | 9.4 km |
| Cournonterral 7,359 · 4.4 km | 62% | 3.1% | 3.4 | 13 km |
| Juvignac 14,055 · 5.1 km | 0% | 4.2% | 4.2 | 14 km |
| Saint-Jean-de-Védas 13,328 · 5.5 km | 0% | 4.5% | 3.7 | 9 km |
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 Pignan
Is Pignan in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 34% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Pignan?
OpenStreetMap maps 65 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3.2 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 3 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Pignan is woodland?
1.7% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Pignan near the sea?
No: the coast is 13 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Pignan?
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.