First pick
Île de Loisirs de Cergy-Pontoise
Park or garden
237 ha29.4 km of path
6 h 30 minto walk all 29.4 km of path
1.6 km southfrom the center
Chemin de halage
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Christophe Godart · CC BY-SA 4.013%woodland
Outdoors in Cergy · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Cergy has more footpaths per km² than 9 in 10 French towns
Footpaths add up to 163 km across Cergy (11.2 km per km²). Waymarked hiking routes add up to 23 km in Cergy. No protected area reaches Cergy; the nearest, Vexin Français Regional Nature Park, is 2.1 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: Vexin Français Regional Nature Park, 2.1 km
Woodland
13%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
163 km
11.2 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
23 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
23
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Île de Loisirs de Cergy-Pontoise
Throughout this page, the Val-d'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 Cergy?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
A place of footpaths11.2 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.On waymarked routes23 km of GR and other hiking routes cross the commune.Protected land nearbyVexin Français Regional Nature Park is 2.1 km from the town center.
What sets Cergy apart: its footpaths, then its hiking routes.
Against French towns
How Cergy 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
Woodland13%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
49out of 100
Footpaths11.2 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
100out of 100
Hiking routes1.6 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
93out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Cergy has the most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (60,317 to 82,902 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Cergy (11.2 km per km²) to Le Tampon (0.7 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cergy Val-d'Oise | 11.2 | 13% | 0% | 120 km |
| 2 | Issy-les-Moulineaux Hauts-de-Seine | 10.9 | 2.2% | 0% | 149 km |
| 3 | Marseille 10e Bouches-du-Rhône | 10.6 | 23% | 37% | 4 km |
| 4 | Courbevoie Hauts-de-Seine | 8.8 | 0.1% | 0% | 142 km |
| 5 | Ivry-sur-Seine Val-de-Marne | 8.5 | 0.6% | 0% | 155 km |
| 6 | Évry-Courcouronnes Essonne | 8.4 | 9.5% | 0% | 174 km |
| 7 | Pantin Seine-Saint-Denis | 8.3 | 1.9% | 0% | 148 km |
| 8 | Levallois-Perret Hauts-de-Seine | 7.7 | 0% | 0% | 143 km |
| 9 | Villeneuve-d'Ascq Nord | 7.6 | 8% | 2.3% | 65 km |
| 10 | Rueil-Malmaison Hauts-de-Seine | 7.3 | 17% | 0% | 141 km |
| 11 | La Rochelle Charente-Maritime | 6.7 | 1.3% | 0.9% | On it |
| 12 | Noisy-le-Grand Seine-Saint-Denis | 6.6 | 25% | 0% | 160 km |
| 13 | Antony Hauts-de-Seine | 6.2 | 4.8% | 0.6% | 157 km |
| 14 | Marseille 15e Bouches-du-Rhône | 6 | 6.5% | 8.9% | On it |
| 15 | Pau Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 5.8 | 15% | 2.9% | 95 km |
| 16 | Champigny-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 5.6 | 3.7% | 0% | 160 km |
| 17 | Vénissieux Rhône | 5 | 3.8% | 0% | 247 km |
| 18 | Marseille 9e Bouches-du-Rhône | 5 | 39% | 83% | On it |
| 19 | Pessac Gironde | 4.8 | 22% | 0% | 24 km |
| 20 | Clichy Hauts-de-Seine | 4.6 | 0.6% | 0% | 143 km |
| 21 | Cannes Alpes-Maritimes | 4.6 | 15% | 10% | On it |
| 22 | Le Blanc-Mesnil Seine-Saint-Denis | 4.6 | 2.1% | 0% | 147 km |
| 23 | Marseille 14e Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.9 | 1.4% | 23% | 2.7 km |
| 24 | Troyes Aube | 3.7 | 1.2% | 0% | 272 km |
| 25 | Saint-Nazaire Loire-Atlantique | 3.4 | 7.2% | 37% | On it |
| 26 | Antibes Alpes-Maritimes | 3.3 | 7.3% | 1.3% | On it |
| 27 | Calais Pas-de-Calais | 3.3 | 2.1% | 0% | On it |
| 28 | Saint-Maur-des-Fossés Val-de-Marne | 3.3 | 0.5% | 0% | 161 km |
| 29 | Mérignac Gironde | 3.1 | 15% | 0% | 20 km |
| 30 | Cherbourg-en-Cotentin Manche | 3.1 | 10% | 0% | On it |
| 31 | La Seyne-sur-Mer Var | 2.9 | 21% | 15% | On it |
| 32 | Quimper Finistère | 2.9 | 25% | 0% | On it |
| 33 | Marseille 12e Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.7 | 6.8% | 0% | 5.2 km |
| 34 | Drancy Seine-Saint-Denis | 2.3 | 0% | 0% | 147 km |
| 35 | Bourges Cher | 2.3 | 4.9% | 0.4% | 283 km |
| 36 | Valence Drôme | 2.1 | 3.3% | 0% | 164 km |
| 37 | Ajaccio Corse-du-Sud | 1.5 | 9.8% | 16% | On it |
| 38 | Béziers Hérault | 1.3 | 5.4% | 0% | 12 km |
| 39 | Colmar Haut-Rhin | 1.2 | 19% | 29% | 473 km |
| 40 | Montauban Tarn-et-Garonne | 0.8 | 5.4% | 1.3% | 175 km |
| 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 Cergy
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Île de Loisirs de Cergy-Pontoise leads, at 237 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Bois de la Vallée
Wood or forest
126 ha24.4 km of path
5 h 25 minto walk all 24.4 km of path
2 km southfrom the center
Chemin de la Côte des PagnesChemin du Haut de la CôteSente des Voies Dieux+5 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de Cergy
Wood or forest
43 ha10.8 km of path
2 h 25 minto walk all 10.8 km of path
3.6 km south-eastfrom the center
Chemin de Chasse-MaréeAllée Cavalière
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Larris
Park or garden · 110 m outside the commune
11 ha2.7 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.7 km of path
3.9 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardins des Droits de l'Homme
Park or garden
7.5 ha2.3 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.3 km of path
Centralin the middle of Cergy
Sente des Voies DieuxChemin de la Côte des Pagnes
Directionsto a point inside
Parc François Mitterrand
Park or garden
9.1 ha1.3 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
2.7 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Chat Perché
Park or garden
3.7 ha1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
1.1 km westfrom the center
Sente MargotChemin de l'ArabesqueAllée de la Fantaisie
Directionsto a point inside
Bois du Hazay
Wood or forest
5.4 ha1.8 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.8 km of path
1.9 km westfrom the center
Promenade des Irlandais
Directionsto a point inside
All 23 named parks, gardens and woods
Île de Loisirs de Cergy-PontoisePark or garden · 237 ha · 29.4 km of path
DirectionsBois de la ValléeWood or forest · 126 ha · 24.4 km of path
DirectionsBois de CergyWood or forest · 43 ha · 10.8 km of path
DirectionsParc des LarrisPark or garden · 11 ha · 2.7 km of path · just outside
DirectionsJardins des Droits de l'HommePark or garden · 7.5 ha · 2.3 km of path
DirectionsParc François MitterrandPark or garden · 9.1 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsParc du Chat PerchéPark or garden · 3.7 ha · 1.5 km of path
DirectionsBois du HazayWood or forest · 5.4 ha · 1.8 km of path
DirectionsPromenade du Val MauroisPark or garden · 2.2 ha · 1.2 km of path
DirectionsParc du Pas Saint-ChristophePark or garden · 2.9 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsParc des ArènesPark or garden · 4 ha
DirectionsParc de la Croix PetitPark or garden · 1.8 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc des sciencesPark or garden · 1.4 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsParc des LinandesPark or garden · 2 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsJardin des OmbragesPark or garden · 1.3 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsBois de la JusticeWood or forest · 3.9 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsBois LapeloteWood or forest · 4 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsSquare de la Vénus des LoupsPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsArboretum de Cergy‐PontoisePark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsParc BossuPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.3 km of path · just outside
DirectionsLe VergerPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsVerger des ImpressionnistesPark or garden · 0.8 ha
DirectionsSquare Saisons de l'OasisPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Vexin Français Regional Nature Park is the nearest protected area, 2.1 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Regional nature park
Vexin Français Regional Nature Park
2.1 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 Cergy
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
163 km
11.2 km per km²
Hiking routes
23 km
waymarked: 1.6 km per km²
Woodland
13%
about 1.9 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
CergyVal-d'Oise medianFrance median
Footpaths11.2
Hiking routes1.6
06.513 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
CergyVal-d'Oise medianFrance median
Woodland13%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 99% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 51% 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 Cergy is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
2 named hiking routes within 2 km
PR (local walk)Other named walk
PR B0212 km
Le Fil d'Ariane10 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Cergy: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Pontoise - Aero, 5.2 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 | 8.2 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 11 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 54 | 46 | 47 | 44 | 60 | 50 | 52 | 55 | 47 | 58 | 55 | 68 |
April is the driest month (44 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 25 °C). 68 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 48 nights a year. The climate in Cergy →
Neighbors
Next to Cergy
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
VauréalOsnyCourdimancheJouy-le-MoutierPontoiseMenucourtCergy
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cergy | 0% | 13% | 11.2 |
| Vauréal 16,079 · 2.4 km | 0% | 19% | 12.3 |
| Osny 17,954 · 2.5 km | 0.1% | 14% | 3.2 |
| Courdimanche 7,311 · 2.8 km | 0% | 17% | 3 |
| Jouy-le-Moutier 17,854 · 3.6 km | 0% | 23% | 10.3 |
| Pontoise 31,970 · 3.8 km | 0.5% | 11% | 6.2 |
| Menucourt 6,184 · 4.8 km | 0.3% | 40% | 5.4 |
Jouy-le-Moutier and Menucourt 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 Cergy
Is Cergy in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Vexin Français Regional Nature Park, 2.1 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Cergy?
OpenStreetMap maps 163 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 11.2 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 23 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Cergy is woodland?
13% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Cergy near the sea?
No: the coast is 120 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Cergy?
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.