First pick
Parc de Loire
Park or garden · 90 m outside the commune
287 ha21.4 km of path
4 h 45 minto walk all 21.4 km of path
4.9 km eastfrom the center
Chemin de HalageLoire à VéloChemin de la Pointe des Prés+1 path
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Anthony Bourgouin · CC BY-SA 4.04.3%of the land protected
Outdoors in Orléans · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Orléans has more footpaths per km² than 9 in 10 French towns
173 km of footpaths cross Orléans (6.3 km per km²). 5.4% of Orléans is mapped woodland. Protected areas cover 4.3% of Orléans’ land. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
4.3%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
5.4%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
173 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: Parc de Loire
Throughout this page, the Loiret median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median.
Against French towns
How Orléans 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 areas4.3%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
64out of 100
Woodland5.4%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
24out of 100
Footpaths6.3 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
95out of 100
Hiking routes0.4 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
53out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Orléans has the 11th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (87,599 to 156,140 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 | Créteil Val-de-Marne | 13.8 | 2% | 0% | 161 km |
| 3 | Grenoble Isère | 11.6 | 4.6% | 0% | 204 km |
| 4 | Paris 14e Paris | 10.6 | 0.4% | 0% | 151 km |
| 5 | Nanterre Hauts-de-Seine | 9.2 | 0.9% | 0% | 141 km |
| 6 | Caen Calvados | 8.1 | 2.4% | 0% | 14 km |
| 7 | Tours Indre-et-Loire | 7.8 | 6.3% | 4.7% | 184 km |
| 8 | Saint-Denis Seine-Saint-Denis | 7 | 2.4% | 1.8% | 142 km |
| 9 | Nancy Meurthe-et-Moselle | 6.9 | 2.7% | 0% | 366 km |
| 10 | Metz Moselle | 6.8 | 8% | 0% | 329 km |
| 11 | Orléans Loiret | 6.3 | 5.4% | 4.3% | 206 km |
| 12 | Boulogne-Billancourt Hauts-de-Seine | 6 | 2% | 0% | 147 km |
| 13 | Brest Finistère | 5.9 | 6.7% | 0% | On it |
| 14 | Lyon 3e Rhône | 5.9 | 0.5% | 0% | 251 km |
| 15 | Aubervilliers Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.8 | 1.3% | 0% | 146 km |
| 16 | Mulhouse Haut-Rhin | 5.7 | 4.3% | 0% | 441 km |
| 17 | Le Mans Sarthe | 5.5 | 6.6% | 0% | 135 km |
| 18 | Paris 11e Paris | 5.4 | 0% | 0% | 150 km |
| 19 | Besançon Doubs | 5.3 | 37% | 0.6% | 402 km |
| 20 | Montreuil Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.2 | 1.8% | 4.7% | 153 km |
| 21 | Rouen Seine-Maritime | 5.1 | 6.2% | 0% | 53 km |
| 22 | Roubaix Nord | 5 | 0.8% | 0% | 61 km |
| 23 | Annecy Haute-Savoie | 4.6 | 29% | 0.2% | 260 km |
| 24 | Vitry-sur-Seine Val-de-Marne | 4.5 | 1.7% | 0% | 157 km |
| 25 | Poitiers Vienne | 4.5 | 8.8% | 0% | 118 km |
| 26 | Lyon 7e Rhône | 4.5 | 0.1% | 0% | 250 km |
| 27 | Colombes Hauts-de-Seine | 4.3 | 1.4% | 0% | 139 km |
| 28 | Aulnay-sous-Bois Seine-Saint-Denis | 4.1 | 5.1% | 6.2% | 148 km |
| 29 | Tourcoing Nord | 3.9 | 1.1% | 0% | 57 km |
| 30 | Marseille 13e Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.8 | 3.3% | 32% | 5.5 km |
| 31 | Amiens Somme | 3.8 | 3% | 0.7% | 55 km |
| 32 | Asnières-sur-Seine Hauts-de-Seine | 3.7 | 0% | 0% | 141 km |
| 33 | Clermont-Ferrand Puy-de-Dôme | 3.7 | 4.6% | 0.7% | 258 km |
| 34 | Avignon Vaucluse | 3.3 | 2.9% | 27% | 54 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 Orléans
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc de Loire leads, at 287 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc Floral de la Source
Park or garden
30 ha8.1 km of path
1 h 50 minto walk all 8.1 km of path
5.4 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Eco Quartier des Groues
Park or garden
27 ha3 km of path
40 minto walk all 3 km of path
3.2 km north-westfrom the center
Piste Eco-Quartier des Groues
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de l'Allée des Sapins
Park or garden
12 ha1.9 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.9 km of path
8.2 km southfrom the center
Allée des Sapins
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Louis Pasteur
Park or garden
4.3 ha2.4 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.4 km of path
1.5 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de l'Hermitage
Park or garden · 50 m outside the commune
4.9 ha1.9 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.9 km of path
4.6 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Plaine de Jeux du Belneuf
Park or garden
6.9 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
3.6 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de la Fontaine de l'Etuvée
Park or garden
5.1 ha1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
3.1 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 30 named parks, gardens and woods
Parc de LoirePark or garden · 287 ha · 21.4 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc Floral de la SourcePark or garden · 30 ha · 8.1 km of path
DirectionsEco Quartier des GrouesPark or garden · 27 ha · 3 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'Allée des SapinsPark or garden · 12 ha · 1.9 km of path
DirectionsParc Louis PasteurPark or garden · 4.3 ha · 2.4 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'HermitagePark or garden · 4.9 ha · 1.9 km of path · just outside
DirectionsPlaine de Jeux du BelneufPark or garden · 6.9 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc de la Fontaine de l'EtuvéePark or garden · 5.1 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsJardin des PlantesPark or garden · 3.4 ha · 1.9 km of path
DirectionsL'allée des Sapins - Bois de ConcyrPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc de la Princesse de LamballePark or garden · 2.3 ha · 1.3 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc du Vallon Saint-LoupPark or garden · 2.4 ha · 1.1 km of path · just outside
DirectionsBords de LoirePark or garden · 2.1 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsParc du Moins RouxPark or garden · 2.2 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc Léon ChesnaultPark or garden · 1.6 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc du Château de Saint-Jean-le-BlancPark or garden · 2.1 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc Bénoni-GaultierPark or garden · 1.5 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsJardin Hélène-CadouPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc AnjorrantPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsParc Berthe MorisotPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin de la CharpenteriePark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsJardin Louise-Élisabeth Vigée-Le-BrunPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsJardin de l'EvéchéPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsParc Hemeray AubertPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc de la Pomme de PinPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc PeteauPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc des ManufacturesPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside
DirectionsSquare de LamballePark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside
DirectionsJardin d'IrisPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsJardin de l'Hôtel DieuPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
4.3% of Orléans 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
Vallée de la Loire du Loiret
4.3% of the commune0.1 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Vallée de la Loire de Tavers à Belleville-sur-Loire
4.3% of the commune0.1 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area4.3%
Natura 2000 site4.3%
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.
4.3% of Orléans’ land is protected, more than in 64% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Loiret has 4%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
Footpaths and woods in Orléans
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
173 km
6.3 km per km²
Hiking routes
11 km
waymarked: 0.4 km per km²
Woodland
5.4%
about 1.5 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
OrléansLoiret medianFrance median
Footpaths6.3
Hiking routes0.4
048 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
OrléansLoiret medianFrance median
Woodland5.4%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 95% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 76% 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 Orléans 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 3B0.7 km
Circuit Fleury-les-Aubrais9.6 km
PR95.6 km
Via Turonensis par Orléans, Orléans - Meung-sur-Loire4.8 km
Via Turonensis par Orléans, Etréchy - Orléans4.2 km
Saran une Ville à la Campagne4 km
Les Dolines de Limère2.9 km
GR 3B passes within 2 km of Orléans.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Orléans: April and June to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Fleury-Les-Aub., 3.5 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) | 8.8 | 10.2 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 16.0 | 15.6 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 8.4 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 59 | 55 | 52 | 52 | 75 | 53 | 58 | 58 | 56 | 67 | 69 | 75 |
March is the driest month (52 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 26 °C). 75 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 55 nights a year. The climate in Orléans →
Gardens
2 gardens to visit in Orléans
Named gardens in the commune.
Parc Floral de la SourceIn Orléans
DirectionsRoseraie Jean-DupontIn Orléans
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Orléans
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Saint-Jean-le-BlancSaint-Pryvé-Saint-MesminSaint-Jean-de-la-RuelleOlivetSaint-Denis-en-ValFleury-les-AubraisOrléans
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orléans | 4.3% | 5.4% | 6.3 |
| Saint-Jean-le-Blanc 9,562 · 1.4 km | 11% | 4.8% | 3.6 |
| Saint-Pryvé-Saint-Mesmin 6,256 · 3 km | 20% | 7% | 2.7 |
| Saint-Jean-de-la-Ruelle 16,768 · 3.4 km | 3% | 4.9% | 3.5 |
| Olivet 23,507 · 3.6 km | 0% | 23% | 2.5 |
| Saint-Denis-en-Val 7,766 · 4.1 km | 14% | 8.5% | 1.3 |
| Fleury-les-Aubrais 21,804 · 4.3 km | 0% | 16% | 4.9 |
Saint-Jean-le-Blanc, Saint-Pryvé-Saint-Mesmin and Saint-Denis-en-Val have at least twice as much protected land. Olivet 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 Orléans
Is Orléans in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 4.3% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Orléans?
OpenStreetMap maps 173 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 Orléans is woodland?
5.4% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Orléans near the sea?
No: the coast is 206 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Orléans?
April and June 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.