First pick
Bois du Parc
Wood or forest
830 ha53.7 km of path
11 h 55 minto walk all 53.7 km of path
4.8 km north-westfrom the center
Fond Notre-DameRoute Forestière du Beau Chêne
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Ridiculopathy · CC012%woodland
Outdoors in Beauvais · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Beauvais is within 800 m of a park or wood
110 km of footpaths cross Beauvais (3.3 km per km²). No protected area reaches Beauvais; the nearest, Réseau de coteaux crayeux du bassin de l’Oise aval (Beauvaisis) (Natura 2000), is 1.4 km from the town center. Beauvais has 9 km of waymarked hiking routes. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
0.1%
of the commune’s land
Nearest: Réseau de coteaux crayeux du bassin de l’Oise aval (Beauvaisis), 1.4 km
Woodland
12%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
110 km
3.3 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
9 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
19
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Bois du Parc
Throughout this page, the Oise 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 Beauvais?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths3.3 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Protected land nearbyRéseau de coteaux crayeux du bassin de l’Oise aval (Beauvaisis) (Natura 2000) is 1.4 km from the town center.
What sets Beauvais apart: its footpaths, then protected land close by.
Against French towns
How Beauvais 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 areas0.1%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
51out of 100
Woodland12%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
45out of 100
Footpaths3.3 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
78out of 100
Hiking routes0.3 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
44out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Beauvais has the 15th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (50,979 to 60,505 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Paris 5e (12.9 km per km²) to Arles (0.4 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris 5e Paris | 12.9 | 1% | 0% | 151 km |
| 2 | Marseille 10e Bouches-du-Rhône | 10.6 | 23% | 37% | 4 km |
| 3 | Maisons-Alfort Val-de-Marne | 10.3 | 2.1% | 0% | 158 km |
| 4 | Massy Essonne | 9.4 | 5.3% | 0% | 158 km |
| 5 | Sevran Seine-Saint-Denis | 9.1 | 10% | 7.9% | 150 km |
| 6 | Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine Seine-Saint-Denis | 8.5 | 0.2% | 0% | 144 km |
| 7 | Clamart Hauts-de-Seine | 8.4 | 26% | 0% | 151 km |
| 8 | Villejuif Val-de-Marne | 7.4 | 1% | 0% | 156 km |
| 9 | Bobigny Seine-Saint-Denis | 7.3 | 0.3% | 0% | 149 km |
| 10 | Fontenay-sous-Bois Val-de-Marne | 6.4 | 1.4% | 0% | 155 km |
| 11 | Épinay-sur-Seine Seine-Saint-Denis | 6.3 | 0.8% | 0% | 139 km |
| 12 | Chambéry Savoie | 6 | 15% | 1.5% | 235 km |
| 13 | Lyon 9e Rhône | 5.9 | 9.8% | 0% | 253 km |
| 14 | Paris 9e Paris | 5.1 | 0% | 0% | 147 km |
| 15 | Meaux Seine-et-Marne | 5.1 | 7.8% | 5.5% | 162 km |
| 16 | Marseille 3e Bouches-du-Rhône | 5.1 | 0% | 0% | 1.1 km |
| 17 | Chelles Seine-et-Marne | 5 | 9.3% | 0.8% | 158 km |
| 18 | Sarcelles Val-d'Oise | 4.9 | 6.9% | 0% | 139 km |
| 19 | Lorient Morbihan | 4.6 | 1.8% | 0.6% | On it |
| 20 | Vannes Morbihan | 4.6 | 12% | 33% | On it |
| 21 | Neuilly-sur-Seine Hauts-de-Seine | 4.4 | 0.1% | 0% | 143 km |
| 22 | Vaulx-en-Velin Rhône | 3.9 | 16% | 35% | 255 km |
| 23 | Marseille 14e Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.9 | 1.4% | 23% | 2.7 km |
| 24 | Bayonne Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 3.9 | 23% | 17% | 5.5 km |
| 25 | Gennevilliers Hauts-de-Seine | 3.4 | 2.1% | 0% | 141 km |
| 26 | Marseille 11e Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.3 | 43% | 42% | 7.5 km |
| 27 | Beauvais Oise | 3.3 | 12% | 0.1% | 87 km |
| 28 | Saint-Quentin Aisne | 3.2 | 7.4% | 1.2% | 121 km |
| 29 | Fréjus Var | 3.1 | 48% | 33% | On it |
| 30 | Sartrouville Yvelines | 3 | 0.9% | 0% | 135 km |
| 31 | Corbeil-Essonnes Essonne | 3 | 5.5% | 0% | 178 km |
| 32 | Hyères Var | 3 | 25% | 83% | On it |
| 33 | La Roche-sur-Yon Vendée | 2.2 | 7.5% | 0% | 30 km |
| 34 | Niort Deux-Sèvres | 2 | 6.2% | 100% | 51 km |
| 35 | Cholet Maine-et-Loire | 1.7 | 4.1% | 0% | 84 km |
| 36 | Albi Tarn | 1.7 | 2.6% | 0% | 118 km |
| 37 | Cagnes-sur-Mer Alpes-Maritimes | 1.6 | 20% | 2.1% | On it |
| 38 | Narbonne Aude | 1.2 | 11% | 63% | On it |
| 39 | Saint-Louis Réunion | 0.8 | 48% | 66% | On it |
| 40 | Saint-André Réunion | 0.6 | 16% | 31% | On it |
| 41 | Arles Bouches-du-Rhône | 0.4 | 3.1% | 90% | 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 Beauvais
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Bois du Parc leads, at 830 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc Marcel Dassault
Park or garden
31 ha6 km of path
1 h 20 minto walk all 6 km of path
2.3 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois Brûlet
Wood or forest
43 ha0.4 km of path
2.6 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Kennedy
Park or garden
9.7 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
0.9 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Espace naturel du Moulin de la Fos
Park or garden
5.4 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
1.9 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de la Fosse à Baillevent
Park or garden
4 ha1.3 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
0.7 km north-eastfrom the center
Sentier du Tour de VilleRue de Gascogne
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de la Grenouillère
Park or garden
3 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
1.4 km north-westfrom the center
Chemin de Basset
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Joséphine Baker
Park or garden
1.6 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
1.1 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 19 named parks, gardens and woods
Bois du ParcWood or forest · 830 ha · 53.7 km of path
DirectionsParc Marcel DassaultPark or garden · 31 ha · 6 km of path
DirectionsBois BrûletWood or forest · 43 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsParc KennedyPark or garden · 9.7 ha · 1 km of path
DirectionsEspace naturel du Moulin de la FosPark or garden · 5.4 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsParc de la Fosse à BailleventPark or garden · 4 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsParc de la GrenouillèrePark or garden · 3 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsParc Joséphine BakerPark or garden · 1.6 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc urbain Alfred LeblancPark or garden · 2 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsBois des AulnaiesWood or forest · 5.1 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc Urbain (fête foraine)Park or garden · 1.8 ha
DirectionsJardin public du Mont-CapronPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSquare Jules BrièrePark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsRoseraiePark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsÉcospace de la Mie au RoyPark or garden · 1 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsÎle Saint-SymphorienPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsPlace des MaréchauxPark or garden · 0.6 ha
DirectionsParc de la Tour BoileauPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsLe jardin de l'évèquePark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Réseau de coteaux crayeux du bassin de l’Oise aval (Beauvaisis) is the nearest protected area, 1.4 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
Réseau de coteaux crayeux du bassin de l’Oise aval (Beauvaisis)
1.4 km from the town center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area0.1%
Natura 2000 site0.1%
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
110 km of footpaths and 9 km of hiking routes cross Beauvais
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
110 km
3.3 km per km²
Hiking routes
9 km
waymarked: 0.3 km per km²
Woodland
12%
about 3.9 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
BeauvaisOise medianFrance median
Footpaths3.3
Hiking routes0.3
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
BeauvaisOise medianFrance median
Woodland12%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 78% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 55% 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 Beauvais is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
A named hiking route within 2 km
Other named walk
De la Grande Prairie au Bois de la Grange7.4 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Beauvais: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Beauvais-Tille, 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) | 8.6 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.3 | 16.2 | 15.9 | 14.4 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.0 | 8.2 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 16 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 54 | 45 | 46 | 45 | 61 | 53 | 54 | 58 | 49 | 58 | 58 | 76 |
April is the driest month (45 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 24 °C). 76 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 53 nights a year. The climate in Beauvais →
Neighbors
Next to Beauvais
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
AuneuilBreslesNoaillesSainte-GenevièveCrèvecœur-le-GrandAndevilleBeauvais
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beauvais | 0.1% | 12% | 3.3 |
| Auneuil 2,898 · 9.5 km | 4.7% | 17% | 0.2 |
| Bresles 4,029 · 12 km | 0% | 19% | 0.8 |
| Noailles 2,877 · 14 km | 0% | 46% | 0.8 |
| Sainte-Geneviève 3,505 · 18 km | 0% | 17% | 0.3 |
| Crèvecœur-le-Grand 3,462 · 19 km | 0% | 4.3% | 0.1 |
| Andeville 3,434 · 20 km | 0% | 11% | 0.7 |
Noailles 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 Beauvais
Is Beauvais in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Réseau de coteaux crayeux du bassin de l’Oise aval (Beauvaisis), 1.4 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Beauvais?
OpenStreetMap maps 110 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3.3 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 9 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Beauvais is woodland?
12% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Beauvais near the sea?
No: the coast is 87 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Beauvais?
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 October 30, 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.