First pick
Foret domaniale du Tureau du Bar
Wood or forest
798 ha22.2 km of path
4 h 55 minto walk all 22.2 km of path
5.9 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Livioandronico2013 · CC BY-SA 4.015%woodland
Outdoors in Auxerre · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Auxerre is within 800 m of a park or wood
Waymarked hiking routes add up to 34 km in Auxerre. No protected area reaches Auxerre; the nearest, Landes et tourbière du bois de la Biche (Natura 2000), is 8.3 km from the town center. Footpaths add up to 90 km across Auxerre (1.8 km per km²). 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: Landes et tourbière du bois de la Biche, 8.3 km
Woodland
15%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
90 km
1.8 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
34 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
17
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Foret domaniale du Tureau du Bar
Throughout this page, the Yonne 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 Auxerre 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
Woodland15%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
52out of 100
Footpaths1.8 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
54out of 100
Hiking routes0.7 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
71out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Auxerre has the 8th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (32,910 to 37,491 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Échirolles (9.9 km per km²) to Sainte-Marie (0.7 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Échirolles Isère | 9.9 | 11% | 0% | 200 km |
| 2 | Schiltigheim Bas-Rhin | 9 | 7.7% | 0.2% | 449 km |
| 3 | Châtenay-Malabry Hauts-de-Seine | 8.2 | 30% | 0% | 155 km |
| 4 | Lyon 4e Rhône | 7.8 | 6.8% | 0% | 253 km |
| 5 | Thiais Val-de-Marne | 7.3 | 5.4% | 0% | 160 km |
| 6 | Paris 8e Paris | 6.9 | 0% | 0% | 146 km |
| 7 | Villeneuve-Saint-Georges Val-de-Marne | 6.6 | 4.3% | 0% | 164 km |
| 8 | Romainville Seine-Saint-Denis | 6 | 11% | 0% | 151 km |
| 9 | Palaiseau Essonne | 5.9 | 18% | 0% | 158 km |
| 10 | Creil Oise | 5.8 | 25% | 41% | 117 km |
| 11 | Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Essonne | 5.6 | 9.5% | 0% | 169 km |
| 12 | Marseille 7e Bouches-du-Rhône | 5.4 | 0.7% | 33% | On it |
| 13 | Vitrolles Bouches-du-Rhône | 4.9 | 8.9% | 33% | 9.7 km |
| 14 | Trappes Yvelines | 4.8 | 20% | 22% | 140 km |
| 15 | Les Mureaux Yvelines | 4.7 | 16% | 0% | 120 km |
| 16 | Athis-Mons Essonne | 4.6 | 4% | 0% | 165 km |
| 17 | Lens Pas-de-Calais | 4.6 | 6.4% | 0% | 74 km |
| 18 | Meyzieu Rhône | 4.2 | 13% | 26% | 256 km |
| 19 | Mâcon Saône-et-Loire | 4.2 | 17% | 0% | 311 km |
| 20 | Châtillon Hauts-de-Seine | 4.2 | 0.2% | 0% | 152 km |
| 21 | Six-Fours-les-Plages Var | 3.9 | 34% | 21% | On it |
| 22 | Saint-Raphaël Var | 3.8 | 60% | 61% | On it |
| 23 | Roanne Loire | 3.7 | 2.7% | 15% | 275 km |
| 24 | Le Port Réunion | 3.7 | 0.5% | 5.6% | On it |
| 25 | Le Perreux-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 3.4 | 1.2% | 0% | 157 km |
| 26 | Nevers Nièvre | 3.3 | 1.2% | 11% | 336 km |
| 27 | Conflans-Sainte-Honorine Yvelines | 3.2 | 3.8% | 0% | 126 km |
| 28 | Villiers-sur-Marne Val-de-Marne | 3 | 2% | 0% | 160 km |
| 29 | Marignane Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.9 | 3.4% | 16% | 8.5 km |
| 30 | Bezons Val-d'Oise | 2.4 | 1.9% | 0% | 137 km |
| 31 | Montluçon Allier | 2.4 | 7.5% | 2.3% | 279 km |
| 32 | Saint-Chamond Loire | 2.1 | 26% | 33% | 215 km |
| 33 | Villefranche-sur-Saône Rhône | 1.9 | 0.7% | 0% | 274 km |
| 34 | Auxerre Yonne | 1.8 | 15% | 0% | 298 km |
| 35 | Houilles Yvelines | 1.7 | 0% | 0% | 136 km |
| 36 | Romans-sur-Isère Drôme | 1.7 | 11% | 12% | 178 km |
| 37 | Saint-Médard-en-Jalles Gironde | 1.7 | 46% | 4.4% | 17 km |
| 38 | La Possession Réunion | 1.6 | 67% | 88% | On it |
| 39 | Haguenau Bas-Rhin | 1 | 81% | 76% | 436 km |
| 40 | Saint-Leu Réunion | 0.9 | 23% | 17% | On it |
| 41 | Sainte-Marie Réunion | 0.7 | 50% | 60% | 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 Auxerre
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Foret domaniale du Tureau du Bar leads, at 798 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
île du Moulin du Président
Park or garden
13 ha1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
1.8 km north-eastfrom the center
La Coulée Verte
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de l'Arboretum
Park or garden
3.5 ha1.3 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.3 km of path
0.9 km southfrom the center
Ruelle du Clos
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de l'Arbre Sec
Park or garden
3 ha1.5 km of path
20 minto walk all 1.5 km of path
1.3 km south-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Merlot
Park or garden
2.5 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
1.7 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Sainte-Geneviève
Park or garden
1.3 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
1.6 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Nord
Park or garden
1.4 ha0.2 km of path
1.8 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Roscoff
Park or garden
0.9 ha0.4 km of path
Centralin the middle of Auxerre
Allée Saint-Amarin
Directionsto a point inside
All 17 named parks, gardens and woods
Foret domaniale du Tureau du BarWood or forest · 798 ha · 22.2 km of path
Directionsîle du Moulin du PrésidentPark or garden · 13 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'ArboretumPark or garden · 3.5 ha · 1.3 km of path
DirectionsParc de l'Arbre SecPark or garden · 3 ha · 1.5 km of path
DirectionsParc du MerlotPark or garden · 2.5 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsParc Sainte-GenevièvePark or garden · 1.3 ha · 0.7 km of path
DirectionsParc du NordPark or garden · 1.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc RoscoffPark or garden · 0.9 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsParc de la TurbinePark or garden · 1 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc Paul BertPark or garden · 0.5 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsParc du MuséumPark or garden · 0.8 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare Brigitte-FontainePark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSquare des RosoirsPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsL'Île aux PlaisirsPark or garden · 0.8 ha
DirectionsParc des PiedallouesPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsParc du MidiPark or garden · 0.6 ha
DirectionsJardins de l’abbaye Saint-GermainPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Landes et tourbière du bois de la Biche is the nearest protected area, 8.3 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
Landes et tourbière du bois de la Biche
8.3 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
90 km of footpaths and 34 km of hiking routes cross Auxerre
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
90 km
1.8 km per km²
Hiking routes
34 km
waymarked: 0.7 km per km²
Woodland
15%
about 7.2 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
AuxerreYonne medianFrance median
Footpaths1.8
Hiking routes0.7
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
AuxerreYonne medianFrance median
Woodland15%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 54% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 52% 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 Auxerre is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
7 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
Pays de Restif de la Bretonne16 km
Circuit des Hospitaliers15 km
Voie de Vézelay, Auxerre - Saint-Moré9.4 km
De Provins à Auxerre, Pont s/Yonne - Auxerre8.8 km
Du Gâtinais au Morvan, Montbouy - Auxerre7.5 km
Voie de Vézelay, Tonnerre - Auxerre7.4 km
La Petite Boucle5.1 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Auxerre: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Aillant, 18 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) | 8.8 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.6 | 15.1 | 16.0 | 15.6 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 8.4 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 9 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 17 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 63 | 55 | 54 | 57 | 67 | 55 | 55 | 57 | 58 | 70 | 68 | 71 |
March is the driest month (54 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 28 °C). 71 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 72 nights a year. The climate in Auxerre →
Gardens
A garden to visit in Auxerre
Named gardens in the commune.
Parc de l’Arbre-SecIn Auxerre
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Auxerre
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Saint-Georges-sur-BaulcheMonéteauAppoignyMigennesMontholonToucyAuxerre
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
Saint-Georges-sur-Baulche, Monéteau and Appoigny 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 Auxerre
Is Auxerre in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Landes et tourbière du bois de la Biche, 8.3 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Auxerre?
OpenStreetMap maps 90 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 1.8 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 34 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Auxerre is woodland?
15% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Auxerre near the sea?
No: the coast is 298 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Auxerre?
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 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.