First pick
La Colline des Mourgues
Park or garden · 260 m outside the commune
8.5 ha2.9 km of path
40 minto walk all 2.9 km of path
3.7 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Jean-Marc Rosier (de/from http://www.cjrosier.com + http://www.gordes-immobilier.com ) · CC BY-SA 3.027%of the land protected
Outdoors in Avignon · protected areas, woods and footpaths
27% of Avignon’s land is protected for nature
Footpaths add up to 214 km across Avignon (3.3 km per km²). Mapped woodland covers 2.9% of Avignon. Avignon has 18 km of waymarked hiking routes. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
27%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
2.9%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
214 km
3.3 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
18 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
25
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: La Colline des Mourgues
Throughout this page, the Vaucluse 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 Avignon?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
Protected countryside27% of the land lies in protected areas.A place of footpaths3.3 km per km² of mapped footpath, against 1.7 km per km² for the median compared town.Little mapped woodland2.9% of the land, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Avignon apart: its protected countryside, then its footpaths. It is shorter on woodland.
Against French towns
How Avignon 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 areas27%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
81out of 100
Woodland2.9%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
14out of 100
Footpaths3.3 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
77out of 100
Hiking routes0.3 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
44out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Avignon has the 10th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (74,568 to 111,934 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Paris 10e (15.2 km per km²) to Le Tampon (0.7 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris 10e Paris | 15.2 | 0.1% | 0% | 148 km |
| 2 | Créteil Val-de-Marne | 13.8 | 2% | 0% | 161 km |
| 3 | Nanterre Hauts-de-Seine | 9.2 | 0.9% | 0% | 141 km |
| 4 | Courbevoie Hauts-de-Seine | 8.8 | 0.1% | 0% | 142 km |
| 5 | Versailles Yvelines | 8.1 | 28% | 0% | 146 km |
| 6 | Caen Calvados | 8.1 | 2.4% | 0% | 14 km |
| 7 | Rueil-Malmaison Hauts-de-Seine | 7.3 | 17% | 0% | 141 km |
| 8 | Nancy Meurthe-et-Moselle | 6.9 | 2.7% | 0% | 366 km |
| 9 | La Rochelle Charente-Maritime | 6.7 | 1.3% | 0.9% | On it |
| 10 | Marseille 8e Bouches-du-Rhône | 6.4 | 11% | 47% | On it |
| 11 | Marseille 15e Bouches-du-Rhône | 6 | 6.5% | 8.9% | On it |
| 12 | Lyon 3e Rhône | 5.9 | 0.5% | 0% | 251 km |
| 13 | Aubervilliers Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.8 | 1.3% | 0% | 146 km |
| 14 | Pau Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 5.8 | 15% | 2.9% | 95 km |
| 15 | Mulhouse Haut-Rhin | 5.7 | 4.3% | 0% | 441 km |
| 16 | Champigny-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 5.6 | 3.7% | 0% | 160 km |
| 17 | Montreuil Seine-Saint-Denis | 5.2 | 1.8% | 4.7% | 153 km |
| 18 | Roubaix Nord | 5 | 0.8% | 0% | 61 km |
| 19 | Marseille 9e Bouches-du-Rhône | 5 | 39% | 83% | On it |
| 20 | Dunkerque Nord | 4.8 | 1.8% | 1.5% | On it |
| 21 | Lyon 8e Rhône | 4.6 | 0.7% | 0% | 249 km |
| 22 | Vitry-sur-Seine Val-de-Marne | 4.5 | 1.7% | 0% | 157 km |
| 23 | Poitiers Vienne | 4.5 | 8.8% | 0% | 118 km |
| 24 | Lyon 7e Rhône | 4.5 | 0.1% | 0% | 250 km |
| 25 | Colombes Hauts-de-Seine | 4.3 | 1.4% | 0% | 139 km |
| 26 | Aulnay-sous-Bois Seine-Saint-Denis | 4.1 | 5.1% | 6.2% | 148 km |
| 27 | Tourcoing Nord | 3.9 | 1.1% | 0% | 57 km |
| 28 | Marseille 13e Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.8 | 3.3% | 32% | 5.5 km |
| 29 | Asnières-sur-Seine Hauts-de-Seine | 3.7 | 0% | 0% | 141 km |
| 30 | Saint-Nazaire Loire-Atlantique | 3.4 | 7.2% | 37% | On it |
| 31 | Antibes Alpes-Maritimes | 3.3 | 7.3% | 1.3% | On it |
| 32 | Avignon Vaucluse | 3.3 | 2.9% | 27% | 54 km |
| 33 | Saint-Maur-des-Fossés Val-de-Marne | 3.3 | 0.5% | 0% | 161 km |
| 34 | Argenteuil Val-d'Oise | 3.2 | 5.5% | 0% | 136 km |
| 35 | Mérignac Gironde | 3.1 | 15% | 0% | 20 km |
| 36 | Cherbourg-en-Cotentin Manche | 3.1 | 10% | 0% | On it |
| 37 | Ajaccio Corse-du-Sud | 1.5 | 9.8% | 16% | On it |
| 38 | Saint-Paul Réunion | 1.4 | 20% | 64% | On it |
| 39 | Béziers Hérault | 1.3 | 5.4% | 0% | 12 km |
| 40 | Saint-Pierre Réunion | 0.9 | 9.1% | 18% | On it |
| 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 Avignon
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: La Colline des Mourgues leads, at 8.5 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc Chico Mendes
Park or garden
6.4 ha3.2 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.2 km of path
1.6 km north-eastfrom the center
Allée du Clos de la Sacristie
Directionsto a point inside
Rocher des Doms
Park or garden
2.6 ha1.8 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.8 km of path
2.3 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Clos de la Murette
Park or garden
2.8 ha1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
1.6 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Colette
Park or garden
1.4 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
2.9 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de Saint Louis
Park or garden · 100 m outside the commune
1.4 ha0.5 km of path
3.6 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de l'Abbaye
Park or garden
1.3 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
1.5 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de la Cantonne Avignon
Park or garden
1.7 ha0.3 km of path
3.4 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 25 named parks, gardens and woods
La Colline des MourguesPark or garden · 8.5 ha · 2.9 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc Chico MendesPark or garden · 6.4 ha · 3.2 km of path
DirectionsRocher des DomsPark or garden · 2.6 ha · 1.8 km of path
DirectionsParc du Clos de la MurettePark or garden · 2.8 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsParc ColettePark or garden · 1.4 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc de Saint LouisPark or garden · 1.4 ha · 0.5 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc de l'AbbayePark or garden · 1.3 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsParc de la Cantonne AvignonPark or garden · 1.7 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsParc de la Croix de NovesPark or garden · 1.8 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsBase de loisirs de la BarthelassePark or garden · 2.1 ha
DirectionsParc de la BarbièrePark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsDomaine de la SouvinePark or garden · 1.4 ha
DirectionsSquare Agricol PerdiguierPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsLe Tipi / Ferme urbainePark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc de la LaïcitéPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc Saint-LazarePark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc du Pré du CuréPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsJardins de la CastelettePark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsJardin PompidouPark or garden · 0.6 ha · just outside
DirectionsParc Campo BelloPark or garden · 0.6 ha
DirectionsParc du Verger des CèdresPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsLe Champ vertPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsParc Julie-Victoire DaubiéPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsPlace des Petits PasPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsSquare Christiane BrayPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Protected land in and around Avignon
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Natura 2000 site
Le Rhône aval
20% of the commune1.8 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
La Durance
7.1% of the commune2.7 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
La Durance
7.1% of the commune2.7 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area27%
Natura 2000 site27%
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.
27% of Avignon’s land is protected, more than in 81% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Vaucluse has 14%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
214 km of footpaths and 18 km of hiking routes cross Avignon
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
214 km
3.3 km per km²
Hiking routes
18 km
waymarked: 0.3 km per km²
Woodland
2.9%
about 1.9 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
AvignonVaucluse medianFrance median
Footpaths3.3
Hiking routes0.3
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
AvignonVaucluse medianFrance median
Woodland2.9%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 77% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 86% 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 Avignon is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
4 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)Other named walk
GR 426.8 km
GR 634.5 km
Vert et Eaux4.8 km
Sentier botanique de Garance2.2 km
2 GR routes pass within 2 km of Avignon: GR 42 and GR 63.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Avignon: April to June
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Avignon, 6.6 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) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.5 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°C) | 11 | 12 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 29 | 32 | 31 | 26 | 21 | 15 | 11 |
| Rain (mm) | 56 | 36 | 36 | 60 | 52 | 35 | 24 | 35 | 91 | 89 | 92 | 44 |
July is the driest month (24 mm) and the warmest (highs of 32 °C). 92 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 35 nights a year. Summer highs reach 32 °C, too hot for the outline. The climate in Avignon →
Gardens
3 gardens to visit in Avignon
Named gardens in the commune.
Jardin du Gymnase du Lycée Saint JosephIn Avignon
DirectionsJardin du rocher des DomsIn Avignon
DirectionsLe Tipi / Ferme urbaineIn Avignon
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Avignon
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Le PontetRognonasVilleneuve-lès-AvignonLes AnglesMorières-lès-AvignonChâteaurenardAvignon
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avignon | 27% | 2.9% | 3.3 | 54 km |
| Le Pontet 18,386 · 3.6 km | 3.4% | 2.8% | 2.9 | 56 km |
| Rognonas 4,261 · 4.9 km | 13% | 0% | 1.2 | 50 km |
| Villeneuve-lès-Avignon 13,148 · 4.9 km | 22% | 13% | 3.1 | 58 km |
| Les Angles 8,908 · 5.3 km | 13% | 27% | 5.1 | 56 km |
| Morières-lès-Avignon 9,019 · 5.8 km | 0% | 4.7% | 2.1 | 54 km |
| Châteaurenard 16,545 · 6.7 km | 8.3% | 2.1% | 0.8 | 47 km |
Les Angles is 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 Avignon
Is Avignon in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 27% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Avignon?
OpenStreetMap maps 214 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3.3 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 18 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Avignon is woodland?
2.9% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Avignon near the sea?
No: the coast is 54 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Avignon?
April to June: 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.