First pick
Parc Paul Mistral
Park or garden
28 ha11.5 km of path
2 h 35 minto walk all 11.5 km of path
1.1 km north-eastfrom the center
Allée des JustesBoulevard Jean PainBoulevard Clémenceau+1 path
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Marcin Białek · CC BY-SA 3.04.6%woodland
Outdoors in Grenoble · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Grenoble has more footpaths per km² than 9 in 10 French towns
214 km of footpaths cross Grenoble (11.6 km per km²). Waymarked hiking routes add up to 16 km in Grenoble. 4.6% of Grenoble is mapped woodland. 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: Chartreuse Regional Nature Park, 2 km
Woodland
4.6%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
214 km
11.6 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
16 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: Parc Paul Mistral
Throughout this page, the Isère 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 Grenoble?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths11.6 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.On waymarked routes16 km of GR and other hiking routes cross the commune.Protected land nearbyChartreuse Regional Nature Park is 2 km from the town center.
What sets Grenoble apart: its footpaths, then its hiking routes.
Against French towns
How Grenoble 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
Woodland4.6%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
21out of 100
Footpaths11.6 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
100out of 100
Hiking routes0.9 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
79out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Grenoble has the 3rd most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (104,978 to 230,890 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 | Caen Calvados | 8.1 | 2.4% | 0% | 14 km |
| 11 | Tours Indre-et-Loire | 7.8 | 6.3% | 4.7% | 184 km |
| 12 | Villeurbanne Rhône | 7.4 | 2.8% | 0.3% | 253 km |
| 13 | Saint-Denis Seine-Saint-Denis | 7 | 2.4% | 1.8% | 142 km |
| 14 | Metz Moselle | 6.8 | 8% | 0% | 329 km |
| 15 | Angers Maine-et-Loire | 6.3 | 5.6% | 17% | 118 km |
| 16 | Orléans Loiret | 6.3 | 5.4% | 4.3% | 206 km |
| 17 | Boulogne-Billancourt Hauts-de-Seine | 6 | 2% | 0% | 147 km |
| 18 | Dijon Côte-d'Or | 6 | 6.5% | 0% | 402 km |
| 19 | Brest Finistère | 5.9 | 6.7% | 0% | On it |
| 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 Grenoble
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc Paul Mistral leads, at 28 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc Jean Verlhac
Park or garden
21 ha4.2 km of path
55 minto walk all 4.2 km of path
2.1 km south-eastfrom the center
Chemin de la RampeChemin des Tilleuls
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Champs Elysées
Park or garden
13 ha4.5 km of path
1 hto walk all 4.5 km of path
2.4 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Berges de l'Isère
Park or garden
10 ha4.4 km of path
1 hto walk all 4.4 km of path
1.6 km north-eastfrom the center
Chemin de la Digue
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Guy Pape
Park or garden
7.7 ha2.8 km of path
40 minto walk all 2.8 km of path
1.9 km northfrom the center
Montée des Dauphins
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Jo Blanchon
Park or garden · 280 m outside the commune
5.2 ha3.7 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.7 km of path
2.6 km eastfrom the center
Avenue Élise Grappe
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Georges Pompidou
Park or garden
5.2 ha2.2 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Grenoble
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Maurice Thorez
Park or garden · 180 m outside the commune
5.7 ha1.9 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.9 km of path
2.8 km southfrom the center
Allée du Roussillon
Directionsto a point inside
All 30 named parks, gardens and woods
Parc Paul MistralPark or garden · 28 ha · 11.5 km of path
DirectionsParc Jean VerlhacPark or garden · 21 ha · 4.2 km of path
DirectionsParc des Champs ElyséesPark or garden · 13 ha · 4.5 km of path
DirectionsParc des Berges de l'IsèrePark or garden · 10 ha · 4.4 km of path
DirectionsParc Guy PapePark or garden · 7.7 ha · 2.8 km of path
DirectionsParc Jo BlanchonPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 3.7 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc Georges PompidouPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 2.2 km of path
DirectionsParc Maurice ThorezPark or garden · 5.7 ha · 1.9 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc FlaubertPark or garden · 3 ha · 2.6 km of path
DirectionsPlace Charles DullinPark or garden · 2.9 ha · 1.8 km of path
DirectionsJardin HochePark or garden · 2.3 ha · 1.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin de VillePark or garden · 1.6 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsJardin des Plantes Joséphine BakerPark or garden · 2.1 ha · 1.4 km of path
DirectionsParc de la PrairiePark or garden · 1.8 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsParc Albert MichallonPark or garden · 1.7 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsParc Pré-RuffierPark or garden · 2.4 ha · 0.8 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc La BruyèrePark or garden · 2.1 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsJardin Gisèle HalimiPark or garden · 1.6 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'Ile vertePark or garden · 1.9 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsJardin des DauphinsPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsParc CondéPark or garden · 1.6 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsParc de OuagadougouPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc Emile RomanetPark or garden · 1.3 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc SoulagePark or garden · 1.4 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsJardin du BassinPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsEnsemble sportif Henri MauricePark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.5 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc Raymond-AubracPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.5 km of path · just outside
DirectionsJardin des PoètesPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc Paul Valérien PerrinPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsEsplanade Pierre FugainPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Chartreuse Regional Nature Park is the nearest protected area, 2 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Regional nature park
Chartreuse Regional Nature Park
2 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.
A regional nature park is a charter between communes to look after a landscape: farming, building and hunting go on inside it.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
Footpaths and woods in Grenoble
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
214 km
11.6 km per km²
Hiking routes
16 km
waymarked: 0.9 km per km²
Woodland
4.6%
about 0.9 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
GrenobleIsère medianFrance median
Footpaths11.6
Hiking routes0.9
0714 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
GrenobleIsère medianFrance median
Woodland4.6%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 99% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 79% 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 Grenoble is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
7 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)Other named walk
GR 96517 km
Traversée de la Chartreuse7.7 km
Traversée de la ferme Durand1.8 km
Sassenage Village1.7 km
Grande Traverse de Meylan1.1 km
Fiancey - Lac de Fiancey0.9 km
La Tronche0.7 km
GR 965 passes within 2 km of Grenoble.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Grenoble: April and June to August
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Chatte_Sapc, 33 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 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 66 | 54 | 64 | 84 | 96 | 81 | 68 | 82 | 101 | 108 | 99 | 66 |
February is the driest month (54 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 28 °C). 108 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 67 nights a year. The climate in Grenoble →
Gardens
14 gardens to visit in Grenoble
Named gardens in the commune.
Jardin de l'ÉvêchéIn Grenoble
DirectionsJardin des cairnsIn Grenoble
DirectionsJardin des DauphinsIn Grenoble
DirectionsJardin des plantes de GrenobleIn Grenoble
DirectionsJardin Sème SauvageIn Grenoble
DirectionsLe Jardin de LugIn Grenoble
DirectionsLe verger SalengroIn Grenoble
DirectionsLes Incroyables ComestiblesIn Grenoble
DirectionsLes jardins suspendus de Jean MacéIn Grenoble
DirectionsLes pousses de l'AllianceIn Grenoble
DirectionsMinute Papillon !In Grenoble
DirectionsParc Albert-MichallonIn Grenoble
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Grenoble
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Seyssinet-ParisetSaint-Martin-d'HèresLa TroncheFontaineÉchirollesEybensGrenoble
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grenoble | 0% | 4.6% | 11.6 |
| Seyssinet-Pariset 11,739 · 2.6 km | 57% | 60% | 6.6 |
| Saint-Martin-d'Hères 37,695 · 2.7 km | 0% | 14% | 10.1 |
| La Tronche 6,424 · 3.2 km | 43% | 46% | 9 |
| Fontaine 22,020 · 3.2 km | 39% | 37% | 8.1 |
| Échirolles 37,491 · 3.6 km | 0% | 11% | 9.9 |
| Eybens 10,493 · 3.6 km | 0% | 17% | 7.6 |
Seyssinet-Pariset, La Tronche and Fontaine have at least twice as much protected land. Seyssinet-Pariset, La Tronche and Fontaine 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 Grenoble
Is Grenoble in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Chartreuse Regional Nature Park, 2 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Grenoble?
OpenStreetMap maps 214 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 11.6 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 16 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Grenoble is woodland?
4.6% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Grenoble near the sea?
No: the coast is 204 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Grenoble?
April and June 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.