First pick
Forêt Domaniale de Sainte-Maxime
Wood or forest
419 ha18.9 km of path
4 h 10 minto walk all 18.9 km of path
2.1 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Capelletti · CC BY-SA 4.019%of the land protected
Outdoors in Sainte-Maxime · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Sainte-Maxime is on the coast
Mapped woodland covers 65% of Sainte-Maxime. 19% of Sainte-Maxime’s land lies in protected areas. Footpaths add up to 171 km across Sainte-Maxime (2.1 km per km²). France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
19%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
65%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
171 km
2.1 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
0 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Green space nearby
85%
of residents within 800 m of a park or wood
Compared town: 100%
The sea
On it
the commune touches the coast, 1.2 km from its center
Throughout this page, the Var 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 Sainte-Maxime?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
On the coastThe commune touches the sea; the coast is 1.2 km from its center.A wooded commune65% mapped woodland, more than in 97% of compared French towns, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Sainte-Maxime apart: the sea, then its woods.
Against French towns
How Sainte-Maxime 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 areas19%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
78out of 100
Woodland65%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
97out of 100
Footpaths2.1 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
59out of 100
Hiking routes0 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
12out of 100
Green space nearby85%Share of residents within 800 m of a mapped park or wood
5out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Sainte-Maxime has the 17th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (13,756 to 14,481 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Lieusaint (8.8 km per km²) to Castelsarrasin (0.3 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lieusaint Seine-et-Marne | 8.8 | 6.3% | 0% | 178 km |
| 2 | Valenton Val-de-Marne | 8.7 | 6.6% | 0% | 164 km |
| 3 | Vaires-sur-Marne Seine-et-Marne | 7.7 | 21% | 11% | 161 km |
| 4 | Billère Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 6.7 | 4.2% | 9.2% | 93 km |
| 5 | Chenôve Côte-d'Or | 6.5 | 10% | 17% | 403 km |
| 6 | Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande Ille-et-Vilaine | 5.9 | 8.1% | 0% | 50 km |
| 7 | Audincourt Doubs | 5.3 | 36% | 0% | 414 km |
| 8 | Auray Morbihan | 5 | 8.3% | 100% | On it |
| 9 | Saint-Genis-Pouilly Ain | 4.5 | 17% | 0.3% | 298 km |
| 10 | Lys-lez-Lannoy Nord | 4.2 | 3.9% | 0% | 64 km |
| 11 | Juvignac Hérault | 4.2 | 4.2% | 0% | 14 km |
| 12 | Ostwald Bas-Rhin | 4 | 10% | 0% | 452 km |
| 13 | Andrésy Yvelines | 3.8 | 23% | 0% | 126 km |
| 14 | Canteleu Seine-Maritime | 3.7 | 64% | 100% | 49 km |
| 15 | Douarnenez Finistère | 3.3 | 16% | 3.8% | On it |
| 16 | Montataire Oise | 2.9 | 11% | 0.1% | 116 km |
| 17 | Plérin Côtes-d'Armor | 2.9 | 14% | 1.8% | On it |
| 18 | Rixheim Haut-Rhin | 2.8 | 41% | 23% | 441 km |
| 19 | Caudry Nord | 2.8 | 1.8% | 0% | 123 km |
| 20 | L'Étang-Salé Réunion | 2.6 | 52% | 39% | On it |
| 21 | Persan Val-d'Oise | 2.5 | 0.3% | 0.1% | 120 km |
| 22 | Carros Alpes-Maritimes | 2.3 | 25% | 64% | 11 km |
| 23 | Roncq Nord | 2.3 | 2.5% | 0% | 53 km |
| 24 | Bollène Vaucluse | 2.2 | 28% | 9.5% | 93 km |
| 25 | Sainte-Maxime Var | 2.1 | 65% | 19% | On it |
| 26 | Morangis Essonne | 2.1 | 0.8% | 0% | 163 km |
| 27 | Crépy-en-Valois Oise | 2 | 16% | 0% | 137 km |
| 28 | Pont-à-Mousson Meurthe-et-Moselle | 1.8 | 31% | 0.4% | 341 km |
| 29 | Flers Orne | 1.6 | 2.5% | 0% | 59 km |
| 30 | Hautmont Nord | 1.6 | 11% | 0% | 130 km |
| 31 | Saint-Paul-lès-Dax Landes | 1.6 | 62% | 5.3% | 29 km |
| 32 | Saint-Omer Pas-de-Calais | 1.6 | 2.8% | 100% | 28 km |
| 33 | Mions Rhône | 1.5 | 1.3% | 0% | 244 km |
| 34 | Berre-l'Étang Bouches-du-Rhône | 1.3 | 1.1% | 15% | 16 km |
| 35 | Belleville-en-Beaujolais Rhône | 1.1 | 5.4% | 7.1% | 288 km |
| 36 | Fontenay-le-Comte Vendée | 1.1 | 2% | 100% | 31 km |
| 37 | Méru Oise | 0.8 | 16% | 0% | 106 km |
| 38 | Pierrelatte Drôme | 0.7 | 2.8% | 4.4% | 103 km |
| 39 | Saint-Martin-de-Crau Bouches-du-Rhône | 0.4 | 3.6% | 91% | 21 km |
| 40 | Thouars Deux-Sèvres | 0.3 | 12% | 0.4% | 102 km |
| 41 | Castelsarrasin Tarn-et-Garonne | 0.3 | 5.6% | 6.8% | 173 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 Sainte-Maxime
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Forêt Domaniale de Sainte-Maxime leads, at 419 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Pointe des Sardinaux
Park or garden
2.5 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
3.3 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Botanique des Myrtes
Park or garden
3.1 ha0.6 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
1.9 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Thérèse Cazelles
Park or garden · 400 m outside the commune
0.6 ha0.3 km of path
5.3 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Close to home
8 in 10 residents of Sainte-Maxime live within 800 m of a park or wood
Each square is 1 resident in 100: in green, those within 800 m, as the crow flies, of a mapped park, garden or woodland edge (INSEE’s 200 m population grid against OpenStreetMap).
85% within 800 m15% further
Residents within 800 m of green space · share of residents
Sainte-MaximeVar medianFrance median
Within 800 m85%
0%50%100%
About 2,100 residents live further away. The distance is a straight line to the edge of a mapped park or wood, not a walk to a gate, and a wood can be private.
Protected areas
19% of Sainte-Maxime 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
La plaine et le massif des Maures
19% of the commune1.1 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area19%
Natura 2000 site19%
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.
19% of Sainte-Maxime’s land is protected, more than in 78% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Var has 19%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
171 km of footpaths cross Sainte-Maxime
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
171 km
2.1 km per km²
Hiking routes
0 km
waymarked: 0 km per km²
Woodland
65%
about 53.6 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
Sainte-MaximeVar medianFrance median
Footpaths2.1
Hiking routes0
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Sainte-MaximeVar medianFrance median
Woodland65%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 59% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 97% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them.
A named hiking route within 2 km
Other named walk
Sentier du Littoral Itineraires - Les Issambres1.2 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Sainte-Maxime: April to June and September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Cogolin_Sapc, 12 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°C) | 14 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 29 | 32 | 32 | 28 | 23 | 17 | 14 |
| Rain (mm) | 96 | 76 | 70 | 82 | 59 | 32 | 14 | 21 | 74 | 136 | 178 | 121 |
July is the driest month (14 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 32 °C). 178 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 36 nights a year. Summer highs reach 32 °C, too hot for the outline. The climate in Sainte-Maxime →
Neighbors
Next to Sainte-Maxime
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Saint-TropezLe Plan-de-la-TourGrimaudGassinCogolinLa Croix-ValmerSainte-Maxime
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sainte-Maxime | 19% | 65% | 2.1 | On it |
| Saint-Tropez 3,582 · 5.9 km | 0.1% | 16% | 1.5 | On it |
| Le Plan-de-la-Tour 3,125 · 7.1 km | 0% | 40% | 1.1 | 7.3 km |
| Grimaud 4,587 · 8 km | 4.5% | 41% | 1.7 | On it |
| Gassin 2,687 · 8.6 km | 0% | 46% | 3.5 | On it |
| Cogolin 12,301 · 11 km | 0% | 46% | 2.7 | On it |
| La Croix-Valmer 3,855 · 14 km | 95% | 40% | 1.3 | On it |
La Croix-Valmer 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 Sainte-Maxime
Is Sainte-Maxime in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 19% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Sainte-Maxime?
OpenStreetMap maps 171 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 2.1 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²).
How much of Sainte-Maxime is woodland?
65% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Sainte-Maxime near the sea?
Yes: the commune touches the coast, 1.2 km from its center.
When is the best time for walking in Sainte-Maxime?
April to June and 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.