First pick
Forêt d'Aizenay
Wood or forest
430 ha28.9 km of path
6 h 25 minto walk all 28.9 km of path
3.1 km eastfrom the center
Sentier du Souvenir
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Père Igor · CC BY-SA 4.08.2%woodland
Outdoors in Aizenay · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Aizenay is within 800 m of a park or wood
No protected area reaches Aizenay; the nearest, Marais Breton, baie de Bourgneuf, île de Noirmoutier et forêt de Monts (Natura 2000), is 19 km from the town center. Footpaths add up to 65 km across Aizenay (0.8 km per km²). Aizenay has 10 km of waymarked hiking routes. 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 Breton, baie de Bourgneuf, île de Noirmoutier et forêt de Monts, 19 km
Woodland
8.2%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
65 km
0.8 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
10 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
8
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Forêt d'Aizenay
The sea
24 km
from the town center to the coast
Throughout this page, the Vendée median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median.
Against French towns
How Aizenay 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
Woodland8.2%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
35out of 100
Footpaths0.8 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
25out of 100
Hiking routes0.1 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
32out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Aizenay has the 6th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (10,218 to 10,532 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Eybens (7.6 km per km²) to Carentan-les-Marais (0.3 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eybens Isère | 7.6 | 17% | 0% | 201 km |
| 2 | Mondeville Calvados | 5.2 | 5.4% | 0% | 13 km |
| 3 | Aubière Puy-de-Dôme | 5.2 | 0.4% | 0% | 254 km |
| 4 | Serris Seine-et-Marne | 5.1 | 2.1% | 0% | 168 km |
| 5 | La Riche Indre-et-Loire | 4.2 | 4.5% | 16% | 182 km |
| 6 | Cabestany Pyrénées-Orientales | 4 | 1.8% | 0% | 7.9 km |
| 7 | Villebon-sur-Yvette Essonne | 3.8 | 23% | 0% | 159 km |
| 8 | Biot Alpes-Maritimes | 3.8 | 34% | 11% | 3.7 km |
| 9 | Valentigney Doubs | 3.8 | 36% | 0% | 412 km |
| 10 | Oignies Pas-de-Calais | 3.7 | 12% | 0% | 77 km |
| 11 | Cabriès Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.7 | 28% | 1.6% | 11 km |
| 12 | Feyzin Rhône | 3.4 | 12% | 0% | 242 km |
| 13 | Saint-Gély-du-Fesc Hérault | 3.4 | 39% | 0% | 21 km |
| 14 | Thorigny-sur-Marne Seine-et-Marne | 3.4 | 15% | 12% | 162 km |
| 15 | Marly Moselle | 3 | 4.4% | 0% | 332 km |
| 16 | Portes-lès-Valence Drôme | 2.7 | 5.9% | 0% | 158 km |
| 17 | Sainte-Savine Aube | 2.5 | 0.6% | 0% | 271 km |
| 18 | Beaumont-sur-Oise Val-d'Oise | 2.4 | 26% | 35% | 121 km |
| 19 | Buxerolles Vienne | 2.3 | 10% | 0% | 119 km |
| 20 | Pfastatt Haut-Rhin | 2.2 | 22% | 0.1% | 443 km |
| 21 | Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf Seine-Maritime | 2.1 | 1.4% | 0% | 51 km |
| 22 | Divonne-les-Bains Ain | 2.1 | 52% | 57% | 306 km |
| 23 | Fouesnant Finistère | 2 | 3.5% | 9.8% | On it |
| 24 | Miribel Ain | 2 | 17% | 14% | 262 km |
| 25 | La Ferté-sous-Jouarre Seine-et-Marne | 1.9 | 30% | 0% | 172 km |
| 26 | Fuveau Bouches-du-Rhône | 1.9 | 36% | 0% | 21 km |
| 27 | Gignac-la-Nerthe Bouches-du-Rhône | 1.9 | 2.5% | 0.7% | 5.8 km |
| 28 | Villers-Cotterêts Aisne | 1.8 | 73% | 0% | 145 km |
| 29 | Le Beausset Var | 1.5 | 18% | 69% | 7.1 km |
| 30 | Andrézieux-Bouthéon Loire | 1.4 | 3.5% | 7.1% | 219 km |
| 31 | Lézignan-Corbières Aude | 1.2 | 14% | 7% | 31 km |
| 32 | Marck Pas-de-Calais | 0.9 | 3.4% | 0% | On it |
| 33 | Brumath Bas-Rhin | 0.8 | 32% | 0% | 437 km |
| 34 | Limoux Aude | 0.8 | 26% | 0.1% | 68 km |
| 35 | Borgo Haute-Corse | 0.8 | 11% | 28% | On it |
| 36 | Aizenay Vendée | 0.8 | 8.2% | 0% | 24 km |
| 37 | Gerzat Puy-de-Dôme | 0.8 | 0.5% | 0% | 261 km |
| 38 | Pernes-les-Fontaines Vaucluse | 0.7 | 8.6% | 44% | 62 km |
| 39 | Auterive Haute-Garonne | 0.6 | 4.6% | 1.2% | 134 km |
| 40 | Blain Loire-Atlantique | 0.6 | 15% | 0% | 37 km |
| 41 | Carentan-les-Marais Manche | 0.3 | 0.2% | 100% | 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 Aizenay
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Forêt d'Aizenay leads, at 430 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc et vallée du moiron
Park or garden
9.1 ha1.4 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.4 km of path
1.4 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du martin-pêcheur
Park or garden
7.4 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
1.1 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de Loisirs des Engoulevents
Park or garden
4.1 ha1.2 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.2 km of path
1.3 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Forêt de la Marronnière
Wood or forest
6.9 ha
1.4 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Sittelles
Park or garden
1.1 ha0.4 km of path
Centralin the middle of Aizenay
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Pruneliers
Park or garden
1 ha0.3 km of path
0.8 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin botanique d'Alkinoos
Park or garden · 60 m outside the commune
1.6 ha
5.5 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Marais Breton, baie de Bourgneuf, île de Noirmoutier et forêt de Monts is the nearest protected area, 19 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Natura 2000 site
Marais Breton, baie de Bourgneuf, île de Noirmoutier et forêt de Monts
19 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
65 km of footpaths and 10 km of hiking routes cross Aizenay
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
65 km
0.8 km per km²
Hiking routes
10 km
waymarked: 0.1 km per km²
Woodland
8.2%
about 6.7 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
AizenayVendée medianFrance median
Footpaths0.8
Hiking routes0.1
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
AizenayVendée medianFrance median
Woodland8.2%
0%50%100%
That is less than in 75% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 65% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them. 99% of Aizenay’s residents live within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, close to the typical town.
2 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
De Poiré s/Vie à Beaulieu19 km
Des Sables d'Olonne à Beaulieu10 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Aizenay: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Palluau, 7.4 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) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°C) | 10 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 18 | 13 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 100 | 80 | 67 | 69 | 66 | 49 | 47 | 55 | 69 | 101 | 114 | 112 |
July is the driest month (47 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 26 °C). 114 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 37 nights a year. The climate in Aizenay →
Neighbors
Next to Aizenay
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Le Poiré-sur-VieVenansaultMouilleron-le-CaptifCoëxSaint-Christophe-du-LigneronSainte-Flaive-des-LoupsAizenay
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) | Coast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aizenay | 0% | 8.2% | 0.8 | 24 km |
| Le Poiré-sur-Vie 8,649 · 8.9 km | 0% | 4.9% | 0.4 | 32 km |
| Venansault 4,757 · 9.2 km | 0% | 6.2% | 0.5 | 27 km |
| Mouilleron-le-Captif 5,273 · 12 km | 0% | 6.8% | 1.8 | 33 km |
| Coëx 3,428 · 12 km | 0% | 4.5% | 0.3 | 12 km |
| Saint-Christophe-du-Ligneron 2,727 · 14 km | 0% | 6.1% | 0.1 | 20 km |
| Sainte-Flaive-des-Loups 2,585 · 14 km | 0% | 8.9% | 0.4 | 20 km |
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 Aizenay
Is Aizenay in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Marais Breton, baie de Bourgneuf, île de Noirmoutier et forêt de Monts, 19 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Aizenay?
OpenStreetMap maps 65 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 0.8 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 10 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Aizenay is woodland?
8.2% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Aizenay near the sea?
No: the coast is 24 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Aizenay?
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.