First pick
Parc des Promenades
Park or garden
4.7 ha3.2 km of path
40 minto walk all 3.2 km of path
1 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Patrick2crj · CC BY 4.05.5%of the land protected
Outdoors in Alençon · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Alençon has more footpaths per km² than 8 in 10 French towns
Footpaths add up to 52 km across Alençon (4.8 km per km²). Waymarked hiking routes add up to 11 km in Alençon. Mapped woodland covers 2.3% of Alençon. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
5.5%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
2.3%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
52 km
4.8 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
12
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Parc des Promenades
Throughout this page, the Orne 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 Alençon?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths4.8 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.On waymarked routes11 km of GR and other hiking routes cross the commune.Little mapped woodland2.3% of the land, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Alençon apart: its footpaths, then its hiking routes. It is shorter on woodland.
Against French towns
How Alençon 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 areas5.5%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
66out of 100
Woodland2.3%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
12out of 100
Footpaths4.8 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
90out of 100
Hiking routes1 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
84out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Alençon has the 11th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (24,136 to 26,924 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Les Ulis (10.9 km per km²) to Sainte-Suzanne (0.4 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Les Ulis Essonne | 10.9 | 13% | 0.2% | 156 km |
| 2 | Villeneuve-la-Garenne Hauts-de-Seine | 9.8 | 4.2% | 0% | 141 km |
| 3 | Vichy Allier | 8.8 | 1.3% | 12% | 290 km |
| 4 | Grigny Essonne | 8.7 | 7.2% | 0% | 170 km |
| 5 | Élancourt Yvelines | 8.2 | 26% | 3.5% | 138 km |
| 6 | Sannois Val-d'Oise | 6 | 17% | 0% | 135 km |
| 7 | Cenon Gironde | 5.4 | 8.9% | 0% | 18 km |
| 8 | Brunoy Essonne | 5.2 | 18% | 0% | 170 km |
| 9 | Eaubonne Val-d'Oise | 5 | 1.9% | 0% | 134 km |
| 10 | Montbéliard Doubs | 4.9 | 22% | 0% | 418 km |
| 11 | Alençon Orne | 4.8 | 2.3% | 5.5% | 97 km |
| 12 | Marseille 2e Bouches-du-Rhône | 4.8 | 0% | 0% | On it |
| 13 | Lormont Gironde | 4.7 | 12% | 7.4% | 16 km |
| 14 | Castelnau-le-Lez Hérault | 4.6 | 4.5% | 1.2% | 11 km |
| 15 | Miramas Bouches-du-Rhône | 4 | 9.2% | 5.7% | 18 km |
| 16 | Béthune Pas-de-Calais | 4 | 4% | 0% | 60 km |
| 17 | Orly Val-de-Marne | 3.9 | 5% | 0% | 162 km |
| 18 | Eysines Gironde | 3.9 | 7.6% | 3.1% | 15 km |
| 19 | Hénin-Beaumont Pas-de-Calais | 3.8 | 5.6% | 0% | 80 km |
| 20 | La Garde Var | 3.8 | 7.6% | 25% | On it |
| 21 | Biarritz Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 3.5 | 11% | 3.5% | On it |
| 22 | Le Grand-Quevilly Seine-Maritime | 3.4 | 4.9% | 0.1% | 50 km |
| 23 | Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône Val-d'Oise | 3.2 | 7.4% | 0% | 123 km |
| 24 | Vertou Loire-Atlantique | 3.1 | 19% | 0% | 41 km |
| 25 | Le Bouscat Gironde | 3 | 1.4% | 0% | 16 km |
| 26 | Brétigny-sur-Orge Essonne | 3 | 9.5% | 0% | 169 km |
| 27 | Aurillac Cantal | 2.7 | 2.9% | 0.2% | 195 km |
| 28 | Vernon Eure | 2.5 | 56% | 3.5% | 90 km |
| 29 | Lunel Hérault | 2.2 | 0.4% | 0.6% | 14 km |
| 30 | Libourne Gironde | 2 | 2.5% | 14% | 30 km |
| 31 | Saintes Charente-Maritime | 1.9 | 12% | 9.3% | 26 km |
| 32 | Les Pavillons-sous-Bois Seine-Saint-Denis | 1.9 | 0% | 0% | 151 km |
| 33 | Frontignan Hérault | 1.8 | 0.9% | 29% | On it |
| 34 | Saumur Maine-et-Loire | 1.5 | 15% | 100% | 133 km |
| 35 | Muret Haute-Garonne | 1.5 | 10% | 3.2% | 150 km |
| 36 | Cavaillon Vaucluse | 1.1 | 3.2% | 100% | 45 km |
| 37 | Laon Aisne | 1.1 | 16% | 0% | 156 km |
| 38 | Étampes Essonne | 1 | 12% | 0% | 172 km |
| 39 | Vierzon Cher | 0.8 | 44% | 0% | 265 km |
| 40 | Sèvremoine Maine-et-Loire | 0.6 | 5.3% | 0% | 70 km |
| 41 | Sainte-Suzanne Réunion | 0.4 | 31% | 49% | 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 Alençon
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc des Promenades leads, at 4.7 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Petit bois de Perseigne
Park or garden
4.4 ha0.9 km of path
15 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
2 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Arboretum Koutiala
Park or garden
3.7 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
1.3 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de la Providence
Park or garden
1 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
Centralin the middle of Alençon
Allée Simone Teste
Directionsto a point inside
Étang des Aulnes
Park or garden
1.5 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
1.1 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Gustave Courbet
Park or garden
1.6 ha0.3 km of path
1.1 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Joubert
Park or garden
0.6 ha0.3 km of path
0.9 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Square des Pommiers
Park or garden
0.7 ha0.3 km of path
1.4 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 12 named parks, gardens and woods
Parc des PromenadesPark or garden · 4.7 ha · 3.2 km of path
DirectionsPetit bois de PerseignePark or garden · 4.4 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsArboretum KoutialaPark or garden · 3.7 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsParc de la ProvidencePark or garden · 1 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsÉtang des AulnesPark or garden · 1.5 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsParc Gustave CourbetPark or garden · 1.6 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc JoubertPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsSquare des PommiersPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc de CeriseyPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare du PoiluPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsChamp du RoiPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc Simone VeilPark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
5.5% of Alençon 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
Haute Vallée de la Sarthe
5.5% of the commune0.6 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area5.5%
Natura 2000 site5.5%
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.
5.5% of Alençon’s land is protected, more than in 66% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Orne has 11%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
Footpaths and woods in Alençon
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
52 km
4.8 km per km²
Hiking routes
11 km
waymarked: 1 km per km²
Woodland
2.3%
about 0.3 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
AlençonOrne medianFrance median
Footpaths4.8
Hiking routes1
036 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
AlençonOrne medianFrance median
Woodland2.3%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 90% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 88% 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 Alençon is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
4 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
de Verneuil à Bagnoles-de-l'Orne9.7 km
Alençon - Médavy5.7 km
La Fuie des Vignes - Boucle 21.5 km
La Fuie des Vignes - Boucle 10.7 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Alençon: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Alencon, 2.1 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) | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.2 | 16.1 | 15.7 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 16 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 75 | 57 | 53 | 50 | 62 | 55 | 51 | 51 | 55 | 72 | 76 | 88 |
April is the driest month (50 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 24 °C). 88 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 44 nights a year. The climate in Alençon →
Gardens
2 gardens to visit in Alençon
Named gardens in the commune.
Arboretum KoutialaIn Alençon
DirectionsParc des PromenadesIn Alençon
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Alençon
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Saint-Germain-du-CorbéisFresnay-sur-SartheSéesMamersAlençon
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alençon | 5.5% | 2.3% | 4.8 |
| Saint-Germain-du-Corbéis 3,636 · 2.2 km | 4.1% | 11% | 1.8 |
| Fresnay-sur-Sarthe 2,928 · 16 km | 0% | 6.9% | 0.2 |
| Sées 4,168 · 20 km | 100% | 5.5% | 0.3 |
| Mamers 4,996 · 22 km | 0.1% | 0.9% | 1.4 |
Sées 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 Alençon
Is Alençon in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 5.5% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Alençon?
OpenStreetMap maps 52 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); 11 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Alençon is woodland?
2.3% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Alençon near the sea?
No: the coast is 97 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Alençon?
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 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.