First pick
Base de loisirs de l'Île de Vaires
Park or garden
207 ha19.2 km of path
4 h 15 minto walk all 19.2 km of path
3.3 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Skililipappa · CC BY-SA 4.09.3%woodland
Outdoors in Chelles · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Chelles has more footpaths per km² than 9 in 10 French towns
79 km of footpaths cross Chelles (5 km per km²). No protected area reaches Chelles; the nearest, Iles de Chelles nature reserve, is 1.7 km from the town center. 9.3% of Chelles is mapped woodland. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
0.8%
of the commune’s land
Nearest: Iles de Chelles nature reserve, 1.7 km
Woodland
9.3%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
79 km
5 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
7.8 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
21
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Base de loisirs de l'Île de Vaires
Throughout this page, the Seine-et-Marne 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 Chelles?
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 nearbyIles de Chelles nature reserve is 1.7 km from the town center.
What sets Chelles apart: its footpaths, then protected land close by.
Against French towns
How Chelles 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 areas0.8%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
55out of 100
Woodland9.3%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
38out of 100
Footpaths5 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
90out of 100
Hiking routes0.5 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
61out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Chelles has the 17th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (50,595 to 59,964 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 | Maisons-Alfort Val-de-Marne | 10.3 | 2.1% | 0% | 158 km |
| 3 | Massy Essonne | 9.4 | 5.3% | 0% | 158 km |
| 4 | Sevran Seine-Saint-Denis | 9.1 | 10% | 7.9% | 150 km |
| 5 | Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine Seine-Saint-Denis | 8.5 | 0.2% | 0% | 144 km |
| 6 | Clamart Hauts-de-Seine | 8.4 | 26% | 0% | 151 km |
| 7 | Bobigny Seine-Saint-Denis | 7.3 | 0.3% | 0% | 149 km |
| 8 | Saint-Herblain Loire-Atlantique | 6.6 | 12% | 1.9% | 34 km |
| 9 | Fontenay-sous-Bois Val-de-Marne | 6.4 | 1.4% | 0% | 155 km |
| 10 | Épinay-sur-Seine Seine-Saint-Denis | 6.3 | 0.8% | 0% | 139 km |
| 11 | Chambéry Savoie | 6 | 15% | 1.5% | 235 km |
| 12 | Lyon 9e Rhône | 5.9 | 9.8% | 0% | 253 km |
| 13 | Bondy Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.1 | 1.6% | 0% | 151 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 | Bayonne Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 3.9 | 23% | 17% | 5.5 km |
| 24 | Gennevilliers Hauts-de-Seine | 3.4 | 2.1% | 0% | 141 km |
| 25 | Marseille 11e Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.3 | 43% | 42% | 7.5 km |
| 26 | Beauvais Oise | 3.3 | 12% | 0.1% | 87 km |
| 27 | Saint-Quentin Aisne | 3.2 | 7.4% | 1.2% | 121 km |
| 28 | Fréjus Var | 3.1 | 48% | 33% | On it |
| 29 | Sartrouville Yvelines | 3 | 0.9% | 0% | 135 km |
| 30 | Corbeil-Essonnes Essonne | 3 | 5.5% | 0% | 178 km |
| 31 | Hyères Var | 3 | 25% | 83% | On it |
| 32 | La Roche-sur-Yon Vendée | 2.2 | 7.5% | 0% | 30 km |
| 33 | Niort Deux-Sèvres | 2 | 6.2% | 100% | 51 km |
| 34 | Grasse Alpes-Maritimes | 1.8 | 23% | 32% | 12 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 Chelles
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Base de loisirs de l'Île de Vaires leads, at 207 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc de Noisiel
Park or garden · 20 m outside the commune
87 ha9.9 km of path
2 h 10 minto walk all 9.9 km of path
2.9 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de Brou
Wood or forest · 0 m outside the commune
214 ha15.9 km of path
3 h 30 minto walk all 15.9 km of path
3.8 km eastfrom the center
Chemin du Gué de LaunayAllée de la CharmilleAllée du Roi de Prusse+4 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Parc départemental de la Haute-Île
Park or garden · 370 m outside the commune
73 ha3.9 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.9 km of path
3.6 km south-westfrom the center
Chemin du canalChemin de la Friche
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Pêcheurs
Park or garden · 110 m outside the commune
11 ha3.8 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.8 km of path
2.7 km south-eastfrom the center
Place de l'Europe
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Arboretum
Park or garden · 340 m outside the commune
9.1 ha2.7 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.7 km of path
2.6 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Mail du Mont-Chalâts
Park or garden
4.8 ha3.2 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.2 km of path
1.2 km eastfrom the center
Sente de la FossetteSente des Haies de ChellesMail du Mont-Chalâts+3 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Privé des Pépinières Laplace
Park or garden
6.7 ha2 km of path
25 minto walk all 2 km of path
1.2 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 21 named parks, gardens and woods
Base de loisirs de l'Île de VairesPark or garden · 207 ha · 19.2 km of path
DirectionsParc de NoisielPark or garden · 87 ha · 9.9 km of path · just outside
DirectionsBois de BrouWood or forest · 214 ha · 15.9 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc départemental de la Haute-ÎlePark or garden · 73 ha · 3.9 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc des PêcheursPark or garden · 11 ha · 3.8 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc ArboretumPark or garden · 9.1 ha · 2.7 km of path · just outside
DirectionsMail du Mont-ChalâtsPark or garden · 4.8 ha · 3.2 km of path
DirectionsParc Privé des Pépinières LaplacePark or garden · 6.7 ha · 2 km of path
DirectionsMontagne de ChellesPark or garden · 5.6 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsBois des CoudreauxWood or forest · 13 ha · 2.6 km of path
DirectionsParc du Souvenir Émile FouchardPark or garden · 5.2 ha · 1.7 km of path
DirectionsParc Jean-Pierre JousseaumePark or garden · 4.7 ha · 1.6 km of path
DirectionsBois RavetotWood or forest · 18 ha · just outside
DirectionsParc du MoulinPark or garden · 1.9 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsPlaine de jeux des CoudreauxPark or garden · 2.5 ha
DirectionsSquare de la Grande PrairiePark or garden · 1.2 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsPlace du Chelles NouveauPark or garden · 0.7 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsSquare Armand LanouxPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsJardin des AbbessesPark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsÎle aux PinsonsWood or forest · 2.3 ha
DirectionsPlace des FêtesPark or garden · 0.6 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Iles de Chelles nature reserve is the nearest protected area, 1.7 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Nature reserve
Iles de Chelles nature reserve
0.8% of the commune1.7 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area0.8%
Nature reserve0.8%
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 Chelles
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
79 km
5 km per km²
Hiking routes
7.8 km
waymarked: 0.5 km per km²
Woodland
9.3%
about 1.5 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
ChellesSeine-et-Marne medianFrance median
Footpaths5
Hiking routes0.5
036 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
ChellesSeine-et-Marne medianFrance median
Woodland9.3%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 90% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 62% 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 Chelles is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
5 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)PR (local walk)Other named walk
GR 159.3 km
PR 1910 km
PR 271.8 km
Aqueduc de la Dhuys8.1 km
Le sentier des bords de Marne4.4 km
GR 15 passes within 2 km of Chelles.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Chelles: April and June to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Torcy, 4.7 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 | 15.3 | 16.2 | 15.8 | 14.4 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 57 | 53 | 53 | 50 | 71 | 58 | 61 | 66 | 53 | 61 | 60 | 75 |
April is the driest month (50 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 26 °C). 75 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 39 nights a year. The climate in Chelles →
Neighbors
Next to Chelles
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Brou-sur-ChantereineGournay-sur-MarneMontfermeilVaires-sur-MarneChamps-sur-MarneCourtryChelles
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chelles | 0.8% | 9.3% | 5 |
| Brou-sur-Chantereine 5,196 · 2.4 km | 0% | 62% | 5.9 |
| Gournay-sur-Marne 7,320 · 2.6 km | 0% | 4.3% | 6 |
| Montfermeil 28,703 · 2.8 km | 5.5% | 8.2% | 2.9 |
| Vaires-sur-Marne 13,931 · 3.3 km | 11% | 21% | 7.7 |
| Champs-sur-Marne 27,451 · 3.4 km | 0.1% | 36% | 9.6 |
| Courtry 7,330 · 3.5 km | 0% | 19% | 2.5 |
Vaires-sur-Marne has at least twice as much protected land. Brou-sur-Chantereine, Vaires-sur-Marne and Champs-sur-Marne are 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 Chelles
Is Chelles in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Iles de Chelles nature reserve, 1.7 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Chelles?
OpenStreetMap maps 79 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 5 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 8 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Chelles is woodland?
9.3% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Chelles near the sea?
No: the coast is 158 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Chelles?
April and June 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 9, 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.