First pick
Parc Beaulieu
Park or garden · 160 m outside the commune
15 ha3.3 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.3 km of path
2.3 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Patdylan · CC BY-SA 3.015%of the land protected
Outdoors in Roanne · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Roanne has more footpaths per km² than 8 in 10 French towns
60 km of footpaths cross Roanne (3.7 km per km²). Mapped woodland covers 2.7% of Roanne. Protected areas cover 15% of Roanne’s land. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
15%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
2.7%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
60 km
3.7 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
0.2 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
18
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Parc Beaulieu
Throughout this page, the Loire 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 Roanne?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths3.7 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Little mapped woodland2.7% of the land, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Roanne apart: its footpaths. It is shorter on woodland.
Against French towns
How Roanne 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 areas15%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
75out of 100
Woodland2.7%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
14out of 100
Footpaths3.7 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
82out of 100
Hiking routes0 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
25out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Roanne has the 17th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (33,162 to 37,754 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Saint-Martin-d'Hères (10.1 km per km²) to Sainte-Marie (0.7 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint-Martin-d'Hères Isère | 10.1 | 14% | 0% | 203 km |
| 2 | Échirolles Isère | 9.9 | 11% | 0% | 200 km |
| 3 | Schiltigheim Bas-Rhin | 9 | 7.7% | 0.2% | 449 km |
| 4 | Annemasse Haute-Savoie | 8.3 | 2.4% | 0% | 286 km |
| 5 | Châtenay-Malabry Hauts-de-Seine | 8.2 | 30% | 0% | 155 km |
| 6 | Franconville Val-d'Oise | 8.2 | 27% | 0% | 132 km |
| 7 | Lyon 4e Rhône | 7.8 | 6.8% | 0% | 253 km |
| 8 | Marseille 1er Bouches-du-Rhône | 7.5 | 0.1% | 0% | On it |
| 9 | Paris 8e Paris | 6.9 | 0% | 0% | 146 km |
| 10 | Villeneuve-Saint-Georges Val-de-Marne | 6.6 | 4.3% | 0% | 164 km |
| 11 | Romainville Seine-Saint-Denis | 6 | 11% | 0% | 151 km |
| 12 | Palaiseau Essonne | 5.9 | 18% | 0% | 158 km |
| 13 | Creil Oise | 5.8 | 25% | 41% | 117 km |
| 14 | Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Essonne | 5.6 | 9.5% | 0% | 169 km |
| 15 | Marseille 7e Bouches-du-Rhône | 5.4 | 0.7% | 33% | On it |
| 16 | Vitrolles Bouches-du-Rhône | 4.9 | 8.9% | 33% | 9.7 km |
| 17 | Trappes Yvelines | 4.8 | 20% | 22% | 140 km |
| 18 | Les Mureaux Yvelines | 4.7 | 16% | 0% | 120 km |
| 19 | Athis-Mons Essonne | 4.6 | 4% | 0% | 165 km |
| 20 | Meyzieu Rhône | 4.2 | 13% | 26% | 256 km |
| 21 | Mâcon Saône-et-Loire | 4.2 | 17% | 0% | 311 km |
| 22 | Châtillon Hauts-de-Seine | 4.2 | 0.2% | 0% | 152 km |
| 23 | Six-Fours-les-Plages Var | 3.9 | 34% | 21% | On it |
| 24 | Saint-Raphaël Var | 3.8 | 60% | 61% | On it |
| 25 | Roanne Loire | 3.7 | 2.7% | 15% | 275 km |
| 26 | Le Port Réunion | 3.7 | 0.5% | 5.6% | On it |
| 27 | Le Perreux-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 3.4 | 1.2% | 0% | 157 km |
| 28 | Savigny-sur-Orge Essonne | 3.4 | 2.2% | 0% | 166 km |
| 29 | Conflans-Sainte-Honorine Yvelines | 3.2 | 3.8% | 0% | 126 km |
| 30 | Villiers-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 3 | 2% | 0% | 160 km |
| 31 | Marignane Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.9 | 3.4% | 16% | 8.5 km |
| 32 | Bezons Val-d'Oise | 2.4 | 1.9% | 0% | 137 km |
| 33 | Saint-Chamond Loire | 2.1 | 26% | 33% | 215 km |
| 34 | Villefranche-sur-Saône Rhône | 1.9 | 0.7% | 0% | 274 km |
| 35 | Auxerre Yonne | 1.8 | 15% | 0% | 298 km |
| 36 | Houilles Yvelines | 1.7 | 0% | 0% | 136 km |
| 37 | Romans-sur-Isère Drôme | 1.7 | 11% | 12% | 178 km |
| 38 | La Possession Réunion | 1.6 | 67% | 88% | On it |
| 39 | Haguenau Bas-Rhin | 1 | 81% | 76% | 436 km |
| 40 | Saint-Leu Réunion | 0.9 | 23% | 17% | On it |
| 41 | Sainte-Marie Réunion | 0.7 | 50% | 60% | On it |
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 Roanne
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc Beaulieu leads, at 15 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc Fontalon
Park or garden
7.2 ha1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
1.9 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Colombier
Park or garden
4.8 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
2.7 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Renaison
Park or garden
4.9 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
1.4 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Place Aristide Briand
Park or garden
3.3 ha1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
1.1 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Place des Promenades Populle
Park or garden
2.3 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Roanne
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Pontet
Park or garden · 270 m outside the commune
2.3 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
1.6 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Fontval
Park or garden
0.9 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
0.9 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 18 named parks, gardens and woods
Parc BeaulieuPark or garden · 15 ha · 3.3 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc FontalonPark or garden · 7.2 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsParc du ColombierPark or garden · 4.8 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsParc du RenaisonPark or garden · 4.9 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsPlace Aristide BriandPark or garden · 3.3 ha · 1.5 km of path
DirectionsPlace des Promenades PopullePark or garden · 2.3 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsParc du PontetPark or garden · 2.3 ha · 0.5 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc FontvalPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsPlace des CerisiersPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsSquare MozartPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSquare Pierre FernierPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside
DirectionsSquare StorringtonPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc du Musée DéchelettePark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare des Martyrs de la RésistancePark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsJardin des deux VictoiresPark or garden · 0.5 ha
DirectionsJardin des RempartsPark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsJardin des SenteursPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsParc du stade ArsenalPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
15% of Roanne lies in protected areas
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Natura 2000 site
Milieux alluviaux et aquatiques de la Loire
15% of the commune1.1 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area15%
Natura 2000 site15%
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.
15% of Roanne’s land is protected, more than in 75% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Loire has 1.2%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
Footpaths and woods in Roanne
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
60 km
3.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
0.2 km
waymarked: 0 km per km²
Woodland
2.7%
about 0.4 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
RoanneLoire medianFrance median
Footpaths3.7
Hiking routes0
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
RoanneLoire medianFrance median
Woodland2.7%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 82% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 86% 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 Roanne is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Roanne: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Riorges - Man, 1.2 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) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 42 | 33 | 38 | 53 | 78 | 74 | 73 | 70 | 68 | 69 | 68 | 45 |
February is the driest month (33 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 28 °C). 78 mm of rain falls in May, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 61 nights a year. The climate in Roanne →
Neighbors
Next to Roanne
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
RiorgesLe CoteauMablyCommelle-VernayVillerestRenaisonRoanne
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
Commelle-Vernay has at least twice as much protected land. Renaison 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 Roanne
Is Roanne in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 15% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Roanne?
OpenStreetMap maps 60 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3.7 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²).
How much of Roanne is woodland?
2.7% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Roanne near the sea?
No: the coast is 275 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Roanne?
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 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.