First pick
La Gare d'eau
Park or garden
16 ha3.3 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.3 km of path
1.5 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: JackyM59 · CC BY-SA 4.04%woodland
Outdoors in Béthune · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Béthune has more footpaths per km² than 8 in 10 French towns
Footpaths add up to 38 km across Béthune (4 km per km²). Béthune has 9 km of waymarked hiking routes. No protected area reaches Béthune; the nearest, Marais de Cambrin, Annequin, Cuinchy et Festubert 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: Marais de Cambrin, Annequin, Cuinchy et Festubert nature reserve, 5.4 km
Woodland
4%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
38 km
4 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
8.5 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
11
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: La Gare d'eau
Throughout this page, the Pas-de-Calais 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 Béthune?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths4 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.On waymarked routes9 km of GR and other hiking routes cross the commune.Protected land nearbyMarais de Cambrin, Annequin, Cuinchy et Festubert nature reserve is 5.4 km from the town center.Little mapped woodland4% of the land, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Béthune apart: its footpaths, then its hiking routes. It is shorter on woodland.
Against French towns
How Béthune 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
Woodland4%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
19out of 100
Footpaths4 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
85out of 100
Hiking routes0.9 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
80out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Béthune has the 17th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (23,981 to 26,476 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 | Élancourt Yvelines | 8.2 | 26% | 3.5% | 138 km |
| 5 | Fontenay-aux-Roses Hauts-de-Seine | 6.1 | 1.8% | 0% | 153 km |
| 6 | Rodez Aveyron | 5.9 | 5.5% | 0% | 136 km |
| 7 | Le Kremlin-Bicêtre Val-de-Marne | 5.8 | 1.8% | 0% | 154 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 | Montgeron Essonne | 4.6 | 46% | 0% | 168 km |
| 15 | Castelnau-le-Lez Hérault | 4.6 | 4.5% | 1.2% | 11 km |
| 16 | Miramas Bouches-du-Rhône | 4 | 9.2% | 5.7% | 18 km |
| 17 | Béthune Pas-de-Calais | 4 | 4% | 0% | 60 km |
| 18 | Orly Val-de-Marne | 3.9 | 5% | 0% | 162 km |
| 19 | Eysines Gironde | 3.9 | 7.6% | 3.1% | 15 km |
| 20 | Hénin-Beaumont Pas-de-Calais | 3.8 | 5.6% | 0% | 80 km |
| 21 | La Garde Var | 3.8 | 7.6% | 25% | On it |
| 22 | Biarritz Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 3.5 | 11% | 3.5% | On it |
| 23 | Le Grand-Quevilly Seine-Maritime | 3.4 | 4.9% | 0.1% | 50 km |
| 24 | Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône Val-d'Oise | 3.2 | 7.4% | 0% | 123 km |
| 25 | Vertou Loire-Atlantique | 3.1 | 19% | 0% | 41 km |
| 26 | Le Bouscat Gironde | 3 | 1.4% | 0% | 16 km |
| 27 | Aurillac Cantal | 2.7 | 2.9% | 0.2% | 195 km |
| 28 | Vernon Eure | 2.5 | 56% | 3.5% | 90 km |
| 29 | Libourne Gironde | 2 | 2.5% | 14% | 30 km |
| 30 | Saintes Charente-Maritime | 1.9 | 12% | 9.3% | 26 km |
| 31 | Les Pavillons-sous-Bois Seine-Saint-Denis | 1.9 | 0% | 0% | 151 km |
| 32 | Frontignan Hérault | 1.8 | 0.9% | 29% | On it |
| 33 | Saumur Maine-et-Loire | 1.5 | 15% | 100% | 133 km |
| 34 | Muret Haute-Garonne | 1.5 | 10% | 3.2% | 150 km |
| 35 | Couëron Loire-Atlantique | 1.3 | 6.6% | 33% | 28 km |
| 36 | Cavaillon Vaucluse | 1.1 | 3.2% | 100% | 45 km |
| 37 | Laon Aisne | 1.1 | 16% | 0% | 156 km |
| 38 | Vierzon Cher | 0.8 | 44% | 0% | 265 km |
| 39 | Sèvremoine Maine-et-Loire | 0.6 | 5.3% | 0% | 70 km |
| 40 | Beaupréau-en-Mauges Maine-et-Loire | 0.4 | 5.1% | 0% | 78 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 Béthune
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: La Gare d'eau leads, at 16 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Jardin public
Park or garden
1.6 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
0.7 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Quinty
Park or garden · 10 m outside the commune
1.2 ha0.4 km of path
1.6 km eastfrom the center
Parc du Quinty
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des cheminots
Park or garden
0.6 ha0.5 km of path
1.2 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Lafayette
Park or garden
0.7 ha0.4 km of path
1.3 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Beuvry
Park or garden
0.8 ha0.4 km of path
Centralin the middle of Béthune
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Perroy
Park or garden
0.8 ha0.2 km of path
0.6 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Mont-Liébaut
Park or garden
0.4 ha0.2 km of path
1.3 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 11 named parks, gardens and woods
La Gare d'eauPark or garden · 16 ha · 3.3 km of path
DirectionsJardin publicPark or garden · 1.6 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc du QuintyPark or garden · 1.2 ha · 0.4 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc des cheminotsPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsParc LafayettePark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsParc BeuvryPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsParc du PerroyPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc du Mont-LiébautPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc du Mont Sans PareilPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsParc de CatorivePark or garden · 0.6 ha
DirectionsParc de la Cité BlanchePark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Marais de Cambrin, Annequin, Cuinchy et Festubert 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
Marais de Cambrin, Annequin, Cuinchy et Festubert 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 Béthune
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
38 km
4 km per km²
Hiking routes
8.5 km
waymarked: 0.9 km per km²
Woodland
4%
about 0.4 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
BéthunePas-de-Calais medianFrance median
Footpaths4
Hiking routes0.9
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
BéthunePas-de-Calais medianFrance median
Woodland4%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 85% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 81% 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 Béthune is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
3 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
Béthune - Terril du Téléphérique8 km
Ollain - Béthune5.7 km
Béthune - Ollain4 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Béthune: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Douai, 34 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) | 8.5 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.5 | 16.4 | 16.0 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.6 | 8.9 | 8.0 |
| High (°C) | 6 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 51 | 53 | 42 | 57 | 63 | 68 | 68 | 61 | 64 | 71 | 73 |
April is the driest month (42 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 24 °C). 73 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 48 nights a year. The climate in Béthune →
Neighbors
Next to Béthune
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
AnnezinVerquinBeuvryLabourseChocquesNœux-les-MinesBéthune
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 Béthune
Is Béthune in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Marais de Cambrin, Annequin, Cuinchy et Festubert nature reserve, 5.4 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Béthune?
OpenStreetMap maps 38 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 4 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 9 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Béthune is woodland?
4% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Béthune near the sea?
No: the coast is 60 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Béthune?
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.