First pick
Parc Barbieux
Park or garden
23 ha5.5 km of path
1 h 15 minto walk all 5.5 km of path
2 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Gadeau · CC BY-SA 4.00.8%woodland
Outdoors in Roubaix · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Roubaix has more footpaths per km² than 9 in 10 French towns
Footpaths add up to 66 km across Roubaix (5 km per km²). Mapped woodland covers 0.8% of Roubaix. No protected area reaches Roubaix; the nearest, Le Héron nature reserve, is 5.4 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: Le Héron nature reserve, 5.4 km
Woodland
0.8%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
66 km
5 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
0.6 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
20
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Parc Barbieux
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 Roubaix?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths5 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Protected land nearbyLe Héron nature reserve is 5.4 km from the town center.Little mapped woodland0.8% of the land, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Roubaix apart: its footpaths, then protected land close by. It is shorter on woodland.
Against French towns
How Roubaix 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
Woodland0.8%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
5out of 100
Footpaths5 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
91out of 100
Hiking routes0 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
28out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Roubaix has the 20th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (78,090 to 122,572 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 | Nanterre Hauts-de-Seine | 9.2 | 0.9% | 0% | 141 km |
| 4 | Courbevoie Hauts-de-Seine | 8.8 | 0.1% | 0% | 142 km |
| 5 | Versailles Yvelines | 8.1 | 28% | 0% | 146 km |
| 6 | Caen Calvados | 8.1 | 2.4% | 0% | 14 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 | Metz Moselle | 6.8 | 8% | 0% | 329 km |
| 10 | La Rochelle Charente-Maritime | 6.7 | 1.3% | 0.9% | On it |
| 11 | Marseille 8e Bouches-du-Rhône | 6.4 | 11% | 47% | On it |
| 12 | Orléans Loiret | 6.3 | 5.4% | 4.3% | 206 km |
| 13 | Boulogne-Billancourt Hauts-de-Seine | 6 | 2% | 0% | 147 km |
| 14 | Marseille 15e Bouches-du-Rhône | 6 | 6.5% | 8.9% | On it |
| 15 | Lyon 3e Rhône | 5.9 | 0.5% | 0% | 251 km |
| 16 | Aubervilliers Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.8 | 1.3% | 0% | 146 km |
| 17 | Pau Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 5.8 | 15% | 2.9% | 95 km |
| 18 | Mulhouse Haut-Rhin | 5.7 | 4.3% | 0% | 441 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 | Dunkerque Nord | 4.8 | 1.8% | 1.5% | On it |
| 24 | Lyon 8e Rhône | 4.6 | 0.7% | 0% | 249 km |
| 25 | Vitry-sur-Seine Val-de-Marne | 4.5 | 1.7% | 0% | 157 km |
| 26 | Poitiers Vienne | 4.5 | 8.8% | 0% | 118 km |
| 27 | Lyon 7e Rhône | 4.5 | 0.1% | 0% | 250 km |
| 28 | Colombes Hauts-de-Seine | 4.3 | 1.4% | 0% | 139 km |
| 29 | Aulnay-sous-Bois Seine-Saint-Denis | 4.1 | 5.1% | 6.2% | 148 km |
| 30 | Tourcoing Nord | 3.9 | 1.1% | 0% | 57 km |
| 31 | Marseille 13e Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.8 | 3.3% | 32% | 5.5 km |
| 32 | Asnières-sur-Seine Hauts-de-Seine | 3.7 | 0% | 0% | 141 km |
| 33 | Avignon Vaucluse | 3.3 | 2.9% | 27% | 54 km |
| 34 | Argenteuil Val-d'Oise | 3.2 | 5.5% | 0% | 136 km |
| 35 | Mérignac Gironde | 3.1 | 15% | 0% | 20 km |
| 36 | Cherbourg-en-Cotentin Manche | 3.1 | 10% | 0% | On it |
| 37 | Perpignan Pyrénées-Orientales | 2.2 | 0.2% | 0.3% | 12 km |
| 38 | Saint-Paul Réunion | 1.4 | 20% | 64% | 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 Roubaix
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc Barbieux leads, at 23 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc de l'Union
Park or garden
4.1 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
2.4 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de la Mairie
Park or garden · 300 m outside the commune
2.5 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
2 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Brondeloire
Park or garden
2.5 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
1.7 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Nouveau Monde
Park or garden
2.5 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
1.1 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Cassel
Park or garden
1.6 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
1.8 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Square Pierre Catteau
Park or garden
1.5 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
1.1 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Square Destombes
Park or garden
1.6 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
0.9 km eastfrom the center
Square Destombes
Directionsto a point inside
All 20 named parks, gardens and woods
Parc BarbieuxPark or garden · 23 ha · 5.5 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'UnionPark or garden · 4.1 ha · 1 km of path
DirectionsParc de la MairiePark or garden · 2.5 ha · 1 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc du BrondeloirePark or garden · 2.5 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc du Nouveau MondePark or garden · 2.5 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc CasselPark or garden · 1.6 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsSquare Pierre CatteauPark or garden · 1.5 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsSquare DestombesPark or garden · 1.6 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsParc de la VisitationPark or garden · 1.2 ha
DirectionsPlace d'AudenaerdePark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsJardin de ChlorophyllePark or garden · 1 ha
DirectionsParc de la PotenneriePark or garden · 0.9 ha
DirectionsSquare Capitaine Laurent DelosPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside
DirectionsSquare du BroutteuxPark or garden · 0.6 ha · just outside
DirectionsParc de la TeintureriePark or garden · 0.6 ha
DirectionsSquare de la TourPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsJardin du HêtrePark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsEnclos des jardinsPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsSquare StephensonPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsLes jardins GounodPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Le Héron nature reserve is the nearest protected area, 5.4 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Nature reserve
Le Héron nature reserve
5.4 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
Footpaths and woods in Roubaix
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
66 km
5 km per km²
Hiking routes
0.6 km
waymarked: 0 km per km²
Woodland
0.8%
about 0.1 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
RoubaixNord medianFrance median
Footpaths5
Hiking routes0
036 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
RoubaixNord medianFrance median
Woodland0.8%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 91% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 95% 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 Roubaix 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 121B6.7 km
Menen - Libercourt6.5 km
Voie verte Somain Halluin0.5 km
GR 121B passes within 2 km of Roubaix.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Roubaix: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Lille-Lesquin, 14 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 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.5 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 51 | 52 | 45 | 62 | 64 | 68 | 71 | 57 | 64 | 75 | 73 |
April is the driest month (45 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 24 °C). 75 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 37 nights a year. The climate in Roubaix →
Neighbors
Next to Roubaix
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
CroixLys-lez-LannoyWattrelosHemMouvauxWasquehalRoubaix
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
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 Roubaix
Is Roubaix in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Le Héron nature reserve, 5.4 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Roubaix?
OpenStreetMap maps 66 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 5 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²).
How much of Roubaix is woodland?
0.8% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Roubaix near the sea?
No: the coast is 61 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Roubaix?
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 8, 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.