First pick
Le Puythouck
Park or garden
137 ha13 km of path
2 h 55 minto walk all 13 km of path
7.7 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Marc Ryckaert ( MJJR ) · CC BY 3.01.5%of the land protected
Outdoors in Dunkerque · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Dunkerque is on the coast
203 km of footpaths cross Dunkerque (4.8 km per km²). Mapped woodland covers 1.8% of Dunkerque. Dunkerque has 10 km of waymarked hiking routes. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
1.5%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
1.8%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
203 km
4.8 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
9.7 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
28
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Le Puythouck
The sea
On it
the commune touches the coast, 0.7 km from its center
Throughout this page, the Nord 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 Dunkerque?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
On the coastThe commune touches the sea; the coast is 0.7 km from its center.A place of footpaths4.8 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Little mapped woodland1.8% of the land, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Dunkerque apart: the sea, then its footpaths. It is shorter on woodland.
Against French towns
How Dunkerque 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 areas1.5%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
57out of 100
Woodland1.8%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
10out of 100
Footpaths4.8 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
89out of 100
Hiking routes0.2 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
40out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Dunkerque has the 20th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (70,906 to 104,978 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 | Nanterre Hauts-de-Seine | 9.2 | 0.9% | 0% | 141 km |
| 5 | Courbevoie Hauts-de-Seine | 8.8 | 0.1% | 0% | 142 km |
| 6 | Versailles Yvelines | 8.1 | 28% | 0% | 146 km |
| 7 | Rueil-Malmaison Hauts-de-Seine | 7.3 | 17% | 0% | 141 km |
| 8 | Nancy Meurthe-et-Moselle | 6.9 | 2.7% | 0% | 366 km |
| 9 | La Rochelle Charente-Maritime | 6.7 | 1.3% | 0.9% | On it |
| 10 | Noisy-le-Grand Seine-Saint-Denis | 6.6 | 25% | 0% | 160 km |
| 11 | Marseille 8e Bouches-du-Rhône | 6.4 | 11% | 47% | On it |
| 12 | Marseille 15e Bouches-du-Rhône | 6 | 6.5% | 8.9% | On it |
| 13 | Lyon 3e Rhône | 5.9 | 0.5% | 0% | 251 km |
| 14 | Aubervilliers Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.8 | 1.3% | 0% | 146 km |
| 15 | Pau Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 5.8 | 15% | 2.9% | 95 km |
| 16 | Mulhouse Haut-Rhin | 5.7 | 4.3% | 0% | 441 km |
| 17 | Champigny-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 5.6 | 3.7% | 0% | 160 km |
| 18 | Roubaix Nord | 5 | 0.8% | 0% | 61 km |
| 19 | Marseille 9e Bouches-du-Rhône | 5 | 39% | 83% | On it |
| 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 | Tourcoing Nord | 3.9 | 1.1% | 0% | 57 km |
| 29 | Marseille 13e Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.8 | 3.3% | 32% | 5.5 km |
| 30 | Asnières-sur-Seine Hauts-de-Seine | 3.7 | 0% | 0% | 141 km |
| 31 | Saint-Nazaire Loire-Atlantique | 3.4 | 7.2% | 37% | On it |
| 32 | Antibes Alpes-Maritimes | 3.3 | 7.3% | 1.3% | On it |
| 33 | Avignon Vaucluse | 3.3 | 2.9% | 27% | 54 km |
| 34 | Saint-Maur-des-Fossés Val-de-Marne | 3.3 | 0.5% | 0% | 161 km |
| 35 | Mérignac Gironde | 3.1 | 15% | 0% | 20 km |
| 36 | Cherbourg-en-Cotentin Manche | 3.1 | 10% | 0% | On it |
| 37 | Drancy Seine-Saint-Denis | 2.3 | 0% | 0% | 147 km |
| 38 | Ajaccio Corse-du-Sud | 1.5 | 9.8% | 16% | On it |
| 39 | Béziers Hérault | 1.3 | 5.4% | 0% | 12 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 Dunkerque
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Le Puythouck leads, at 137 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc du Fort de Petite-Synthe
Park or garden
21 ha5.6 km of path
1 h 15 minto walk all 5.6 km of path
3.5 km south-westfrom the center
Chemin du Fort
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Vent
Park or garden
21 ha4.7 km of path
1 hto walk all 4.7 km of path
3.8 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Jean Jacobsen
Park or garden
5.9 ha1.6 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.6 km of path
3.6 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Complex sportif des Maraîchers
Park or garden
7.4 ha0.1 km of path
4.6 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin de Sculptures
Park or garden
4 ha1.7 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
1.4 km north-eastfrom the center
Chemin Christine DeknuydtChemin Christian Dotremont
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Château Coquelle
Park or garden
3.6 ha1.7 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
2.9 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Urbain de l'Albeck
Park or garden · 250 m outside the commune
2.7 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
4.5 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 28 named parks, gardens and woods
Le PuythouckPark or garden · 137 ha · 13 km of path
DirectionsParc du Fort de Petite-SynthePark or garden · 21 ha · 5.6 km of path
DirectionsParc du VentPark or garden · 21 ha · 4.7 km of path
DirectionsParc Jean JacobsenPark or garden · 5.9 ha · 1.6 km of path
DirectionsComplex sportif des MaraîchersPark or garden · 7.4 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsJardin de SculpturesPark or garden · 4 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsParc du Château CoquellePark or garden · 3.6 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsParc Urbain de l'AlbeckPark or garden · 2.7 ha · 0.9 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc FénelonPark or garden · 2 ha · 1 km of path
DirectionsParc ZieglerPark or garden · 1.6 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc de la MarinePark or garden · 1.3 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc Marius RubensPark or garden · 2.4 ha · just outside
DirectionsParc PrigentPark or garden · 1.5 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsJardin des SaulesPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc MaloPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsJardin d'EauPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin aux MoineauxPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.4 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc Saint-GillesPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsJardin du SouvenirPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsJardin Benjamin MorelPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSquare des MarronniersPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc LoubryPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'EstranPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare Daniel FéryPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.1 km of path · just outside
DirectionsLa forêt qui se mangePark or garden · 0.5 ha · just outside
DirectionsSquare René CassinPark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsSquare de l'avenirPark or garden · 0.3 ha · just outside
DirectionsSquare DelvallezPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
1.5% of Dunkerque lies in protected areas
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Nature reserve
Grande-Synthe nature reserve
5.9 km from the town center
Natura 2000 site
Dunes de la plaine maritime flamande
0.8% of the commune1.7 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Bancs des Flandres
0.7% of the commune1.6 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Bancs des Flandres
2.8 km from the town center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area1.5%
Nature reserve0.4%
Natura 2000 site1%
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.
1.5% of Dunkerque’s land is protected, more than in 57% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Nord has 0%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
203 km of footpaths and 10 km of hiking routes cross Dunkerque
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
203 km
4.8 km per km²
Hiking routes
9.7 km
waymarked: 0.2 km per km²
Woodland
1.8%
about 0.8 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
DunkerqueNord medianFrance median
Footpaths4.8
Hiking routes0.2
036 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
DunkerqueNord medianFrance median
Woodland1.8%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 89% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 90% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them. 99% of Dunkerque’s residents live within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, close to the typical town.
2 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)
E216 km
GR 12016 km
2 GR routes pass within 2 km of Dunkerque: E2 and GR 120.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Dunkerque: May to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Dunkerque, 3.3 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) | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 54 | 45 | 42 | 37 | 46 | 55 | 59 | 64 | 65 | 73 | 80 | 73 |
April is the driest month (37 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 22 °C). 80 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 17 nights a year. The climate in Dunkerque →
Neighbors
Next to Dunkerque
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Coudekerque-BrancheCappelle-la-GrandeTéteghem-Coudekerque-VillageLeffrinckouckeGrande-SyntheBerguesDunkerque
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunkerque | 1.5% | 1.8% | 4.8 | On it |
| Coudekerque-Branche 20,787 · 1.9 km | 0% | 14% | 5.1 | 2.2 km |
| Cappelle-la-Grande 7,839 · 4 km | 0% | 0.2% | 2 | 4.6 km |
| Téteghem-Coudekerque-Village 8,247 · 4.6 km | 0% | 9.1% | 2.8 | 4.1 km |
| Leffrinckoucke 4,078 · 5.3 km | 25% | 0.6% | 3.4 | On it |
| Grande-Synthe 20,239 · 5.5 km | 7.4% | 5.3% | 2.8 | On it |
| Bergues 3,525 · 8.6 km | 0% | 18% | 12 | 8.9 km |
Leffrinckoucke 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 Dunkerque
Is Dunkerque in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 1.5% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Dunkerque?
OpenStreetMap maps 203 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 4.8 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 10 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Dunkerque is woodland?
1.8% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Dunkerque near the sea?
Yes: the commune touches the coast, 0.7 km from its center.
When is the best time for walking in Dunkerque?
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.