First pick
Espace Sport Nature Lande Saint-Gabriel
Park or garden
30 ha4.5 km of path
1 hto walk all 4.5 km of path
5.6 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Julien.scavini · CC BY-SA 4.010%woodland
Outdoors in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Cherbourg-en-Cotentin is on the coast
211 km of footpaths cross Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (3.1 km per km²). Cherbourg-en-Cotentin has 49 km of waymarked hiking routes. No protected area reaches Cherbourg-en-Cotentin; the nearest, Récifs et marais arrière-littoraux du Cap Lévi à la Pointe de Saire (Natura 2000), is 9.8 km from the town center. 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: Récifs et marais arrière-littoraux du Cap Lévi à la Pointe de Saire, 9.8 km
Woodland
10%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
211 km
3.1 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
49 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
14
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Espace Sport Nature Lande Saint-Gabriel
The sea
On it
the commune touches the coast, 1 km from its center
Throughout this page, the Manche 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 Cherbourg-en-Cotentin?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
On the coastThe commune touches the sea; the coast is 1 km from its center.Protected land nearbyRécifs et marais arrière-littoraux du Cap Lévi à la Pointe de Saire (Natura 2000) is 9.8 km from the town center.
What sets Cherbourg-en-Cotentin apart: the sea, then protected land close by.
Against French towns
How Cherbourg-en-Cotentin 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
22out of 100
Woodland10%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
41out of 100
Footpaths3.1 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
75out of 100
Hiking routes0.7 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
73out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Cherbourg-en-Cotentin has the 7th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (65,502 to 93,963 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Paris 10e (15.2 km per km²) to Le Tampon (0.7 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris 10e Paris | 15.2 | 0.1% | 0% | 148 km |
| 2 | Créteil Val-de-Marne | 13.8 | 2% | 0% | 161 km |
| 3 | Cergy Val-d'Oise | 11.2 | 13% | 0% | 120 km |
| 4 | Issy-les-Moulineaux Hauts-de-Seine | 10.9 | 2.2% | 0% | 149 km |
| 5 | Courbevoie Hauts-de-Seine | 8.8 | 0.1% | 0% | 142 km |
| 6 | Évry-Courcouronnes Essonne | 8.4 | 9.5% | 0% | 174 km |
| 7 | Versailles Yvelines | 8.1 | 28% | 0% | 146 km |
| 8 | Levallois-Perret Hauts-de-Seine | 7.7 | 0% | 0% | 143 km |
| 9 | Rueil-Malmaison Hauts-de-Seine | 7.3 | 17% | 0% | 141 km |
| 10 | La Rochelle Charente-Maritime | 6.7 | 1.3% | 0.9% | On it |
| 11 | Noisy-le-Grand Seine-Saint-Denis | 6.6 | 25% | 0% | 160 km |
| 12 | Marseille 8e Bouches-du-Rhône | 6.4 | 11% | 47% | On it |
| 13 | Marseille 15e Bouches-du-Rhône | 6 | 6.5% | 8.9% | On it |
| 14 | Aubervilliers Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.8 | 1.3% | 0% | 146 km |
| 15 | Pau Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 5.8 | 15% | 2.9% | 95 km |
| 16 | Champigny-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 5.6 | 3.7% | 0% | 160 km |
| 17 | Vénissieux Rhône | 5 | 3.8% | 0% | 247 km |
| 18 | Marseille 9e Bouches-du-Rhône | 5 | 39% | 83% | On it |
| 19 | Pessac Gironde | 4.8 | 22% | 0% | 24 km |
| 20 | Dunkerque Nord | 4.8 | 1.8% | 1.5% | On it |
| 21 | Cannes Alpes-Maritimes | 4.6 | 15% | 10% | On it |
| 22 | Lyon 8e Rhône | 4.6 | 0.7% | 0% | 249 km |
| 23 | Vitry-sur-Seine Val-de-Marne | 4.5 | 1.7% | 0% | 157 km |
| 24 | Poitiers Vienne | 4.5 | 8.8% | 0% | 118 km |
| 25 | Lyon 7e Rhône | 4.5 | 0.1% | 0% | 250 km |
| 26 | Colombes Hauts-de-Seine | 4.3 | 1.4% | 0% | 139 km |
| 27 | Aulnay-sous-Bois Seine-Saint-Denis | 4.1 | 5.1% | 6.2% | 148 km |
| 28 | Asnières-sur-Seine Hauts-de-Seine | 3.7 | 0% | 0% | 141 km |
| 29 | Saint-Nazaire Loire-Atlantique | 3.4 | 7.2% | 37% | On it |
| 30 | Antibes Alpes-Maritimes | 3.3 | 7.3% | 1.3% | On it |
| 31 | Calais Pas-de-Calais | 3.3 | 2.1% | 0% | On it |
| 32 | Avignon Vaucluse | 3.3 | 2.9% | 27% | 54 km |
| 33 | Saint-Maur-des-Fossés Val-de-Marne | 3.3 | 0.5% | 0% | 161 km |
| 34 | Mérignac Gironde | 3.1 | 15% | 0% | 20 km |
| 35 | Cherbourg-en-Cotentin Manche | 3.1 | 10% | 0% | On it |
| 36 | Drancy Seine-Saint-Denis | 2.3 | 0% | 0% | 147 km |
| 37 | Ajaccio Corse-du-Sud | 1.5 | 9.8% | 16% | On it |
| 38 | Béziers Hérault | 1.3 | 5.4% | 0% | 12 km |
| 39 | Colmar Haut-Rhin | 1.2 | 19% | 29% | 473 km |
| 40 | Saint-Pierre Réunion | 0.9 | 9.1% | 18% | On it |
| 41 | Le Tampon Réunion | 0.7 | 23% | 19% | 10 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 Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Espace Sport Nature Lande Saint-Gabriel leads, at 30 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Bois du Mont du Roc
Wood or forest · 280 m outside the commune
115 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
5.3 km south-westfrom the center
Rue Saint-Gilles
Directionsto a point inside
Jardins du château
Park or garden
15 ha2.9 km of path
40 minto walk all 2.9 km of path
4.8 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Vallon sauvage
Wood or forest
9.3 ha3.2 km of path
40 minto walk all 3.2 km of path
1.8 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de Bagatelle
Park or garden
3.8 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
2.7 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin des Plantes
Park or garden
1.8 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
1.2 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Botanique de la Roche Fauconnière
Park or garden
3.1 ha
1.6 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin des couleurs
Park or garden
1.4 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
3 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 14 named parks, gardens and woods
Espace Sport Nature Lande Saint-GabrielPark or garden · 30 ha · 4.5 km of path
DirectionsBois du Mont du RocWood or forest · 115 ha · 0.7 km of path · just outside
DirectionsJardins du châteauPark or garden · 15 ha · 2.9 km of path
DirectionsVallon sauvageWood or forest · 9.3 ha · 3.2 km of path
DirectionsParc de BagatellePark or garden · 3.8 ha · 1 km of path
DirectionsJardin des PlantesPark or garden · 1.8 ha · 1 km of path
DirectionsParc Botanique de la Roche FauconnièrePark or garden · 3.1 ha
DirectionsJardin des couleursPark or garden · 1.4 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc Emmanuel LiaisPark or garden · 1.5 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsParc du Marquis BernardPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin Jacques-PrévertPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin de l'Abbaye du VoeuPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsBatterie Sainte-AnnePark or garden · 0.9 ha
DirectionsJardin MontebelloPark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Récifs et marais arrière-littoraux du Cap Lévi à la Pointe de Saire is the nearest protected area, 9.8 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
Récifs et marais arrière-littoraux du Cap Lévi à la Pointe de Saire
9.8 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.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
211 km of footpaths and 49 km of hiking routes cross Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
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
211 km
3.1 km per km²
Hiking routes
49 km
waymarked: 0.7 km per km²
Woodland
10%
about 7 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
Cherbourg-en-CotentinManche medianFrance median
Footpaths3.1
Hiking routes0.7
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Cherbourg-en-CotentinManche medianFrance median
Woodland10%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 75% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 59% 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 Cherbourg-en-Cotentin is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
3 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)Other named walk
GR 223A31 km
GR 22325 km
Portes de La Hague4.6 km
2 GR routes pass within 2 km of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin: GR 223A and GR 223.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin: May to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Cherbourg-Homet, 2.4 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) | 8.6 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.3 | 16.3 | 15.9 | 14.4 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 9.0 | 8.1 |
| High (°C) | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 105 | 81 | 66 | 63 | 55 | 52 | 48 | 52 | 67 | 115 | 122 | 139 |
July is the driest month (48 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 21 °C). 139 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 5 nights a year. The climate in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin →
Gardens
2 gardens to visit in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
Named gardens in the commune.
Jardin botanique de la Roche-FauconnièreIn Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
DirectionsJardin public de CherbourgIn Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
La HagueValognesBricquebec-en-CotentinLes PieuxCherbourg-en-Cotentin
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherbourg-en-Cotentin | 0% | 10% | 3.1 | On it |
| La Hague 11,484 · 12 km | 14% | 5.5% | 1 | On it |
| Valognes 6,969 · 18 km | 0% | 4.7% | 0.5 | 12 km |
| Bricquebec-en-Cotentin 5,893 · 19 km | 0% | 13% | 0.4 | 13 km |
| Les Pieux 3,249 · 19 km | 0% | 2.6% | 1 | On it |
La Hague has at least twice as much protected land.
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 Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
Is Cherbourg-en-Cotentin in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Récifs et marais arrière-littoraux du Cap Lévi à la Pointe de Saire, 9.8 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin?
OpenStreetMap maps 211 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3.1 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 49 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin is woodland?
10% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Cherbourg-en-Cotentin near the sea?
Yes: the commune touches the coast, 1 km from its center.
When is the best time for walking in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin?
May 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.