First pick
Parc du moulin à Tan
Park or garden
16 ha4.5 km of path
1 hto walk all 4.5 km of path
1.6 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Robin Chubret · CC BY-SA 4.04.6%woodland
Outdoors in Sens · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Sens is within 800 m of a park or wood
Footpaths add up to 68 km across Sens (3.1 km per km²). Mapped woodland covers 4.6% of Sens. No protected area reaches Sens; the nearest, Pelouses à orchidées et habitats à chauve-souris des vallées de l’Yonne et de la Vanne (Natura 2000), 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: Pelouses à orchidées et habitats à chauve-souris des vallées de l’Yonne et de la Vanne, 2.1 km
Woodland
4.6%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
68 km
3.1 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
11 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
14
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Parc du moulin à Tan
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 Sens 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
Woodland4.6%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
21out of 100
Footpaths3.1 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
75out of 100
Hiking routes0.5 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
62out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Sens has the 15th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (25,789 to 28,046 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Paris 4e (12.9 km per km²) to Sèvremoine (0.6 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris 4e Paris | 12.9 | 0% | 0% | 150 km |
| 2 | Les Ulis Essonne | 10.9 | 13% | 0.2% | 156 km |
| 3 | Taverny Val-d'Oise | 10.5 | 33% | 0.4% | 129 km |
| 4 | Villeneuve-la-Garenne Hauts-de-Seine | 9.8 | 4.2% | 0% | 141 km |
| 5 | Champs-sur-Marne Seine-et-Marne | 9.6 | 36% | 0.1% | 160 km |
| 6 | Grigny Essonne | 8.7 | 7.2% | 0% | 170 km |
| 7 | Élancourt Yvelines | 8.2 | 26% | 3.5% | 138 km |
| 8 | Cormeilles-en-Parisis Val-d'Oise | 7.2 | 14% | 0% | 133 km |
| 9 | Gradignan Gironde | 6.8 | 17% | 0% | 26 km |
| 10 | Yerres Essonne | 6.6 | 36% | 0% | 169 km |
| 11 | Sannois Val-d'Oise | 6 | 17% | 0% | 135 km |
| 12 | Bussy-Saint-Georges Seine-et-Marne | 5.9 | 31% | 2.3% | 167 km |
| 13 | Armentières Nord | 5.9 | 3.8% | 0% | 50 km |
| 14 | Sucy-en-Brie Val-de-Marne | 5.7 | 31% | 0% | 165 km |
| 15 | Blagnac Haute-Garonne | 5.6 | 5.4% | 7.5% | 152 km |
| 16 | Cenon Gironde | 5.4 | 8.9% | 0% | 18 km |
| 17 | Eaubonne Val-d'Oise | 5 | 1.9% | 0% | 134 km |
| 18 | Limeil-Brévannes Val-de-Marne | 4.8 | 29% | 0% | 165 km |
| 19 | Lambersart Nord | 4.7 | 3.4% | 0% | 59 km |
| 20 | Castelnau-le-Lez Hérault | 4.6 | 4.5% | 1.2% | 11 km |
| 21 | Miramas Bouches-du-Rhône | 4 | 9.2% | 5.7% | 18 km |
| 22 | Illkirch-Graffenstaden Bas-Rhin | 3.9 | 30% | 26% | 454 km |
| 23 | La Garde Var | 3.8 | 7.6% | 25% | On it |
| 24 | Biarritz Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 3.5 | 11% | 3.5% | On it |
| 25 | Le Grand-Quevilly Seine-Maritime | 3.4 | 4.9% | 0.1% | 50 km |
| 26 | Vertou Loire-Atlantique | 3.1 | 19% | 0% | 41 km |
| 27 | Sens Yonne | 3.1 | 4.6% | 0% | 249 km |
| 28 | Brétigny-sur-Orge Essonne | 3 | 9.5% | 0% | 169 km |
| 29 | Soissons Aisne | 2.7 | 7.5% | 0% | 148 km |
| 30 | Aurillac Cantal | 2.7 | 2.9% | 0.2% | 195 km |
| 31 | Rambouillet Yvelines | 2.6 | 48% | 74% | 139 km |
| 32 | Lunel Hérault | 2.2 | 0.4% | 0.6% | 14 km |
| 33 | Gonesse Val-d'Oise | 2.1 | 4% | 0% | 141 km |
| 34 | Villeparisis Seine-et-Marne | 1.9 | 13% | 0% | 153 km |
| 35 | Les Pavillons-sous-Bois Seine-Saint-Denis | 1.9 | 0% | 0% | 151 km |
| 36 | Saumur Maine-et-Loire | 1.5 | 15% | 100% | 133 km |
| 37 | Muret Haute-Garonne | 1.5 | 10% | 3.2% | 150 km |
| 38 | La Teste-de-Buch Gironde | 1.1 | 56% | 46% | On it |
| 39 | Étampes Essonne | 1 | 12% | 0% | 172 km |
| 40 | Bergerac Dordogne | 1 | 14% | 1.9% | 86 km |
| 41 | Sèvremoine Maine-et-Loire | 0.6 | 5.3% | 0% | 70 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 Sens
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Parc du moulin à Tan leads, at 16 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Bois de Chamonat
Wood or forest
61 ha2.4 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.4 km of path
5 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Naturel de la Ballastière
Park or garden
8.3 ha3.1 km of path
40 minto walk all 3.1 km of path
1.6 km northfrom the center
Parc de la BallastièreCeinture Verte
Directionsto a point inside
Les Salcys
Park or garden · 30 m outside the commune
8.1 ha2.9 km of path
40 minto walk all 2.9 km of path
3.1 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois des Saints-Pères
Wood or forest · 290 m outside the commune
18 ha
4.3 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Sportif du Clos le Roi
Park or garden
1.1 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
1 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois de l'Eglise
Wood or forest · 80 m outside the commune
5.9 ha
3.7 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Esplanade Simone et Antoine VEIL
Park or garden
0.6 ha0.6 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
1 km westfrom the center
Quai Jean Moulin
Directionsto a point inside
All 14 named parks, gardens and woods
Parc du moulin à TanPark or garden · 16 ha · 4.5 km of path
DirectionsBois de ChamonatWood or forest · 61 ha · 2.4 km of path
DirectionsParc Naturel de la BallastièrePark or garden · 8.3 ha · 3.1 km of path
DirectionsLes SalcysPark or garden · 8.1 ha · 2.9 km of path · just outside
DirectionsBois des Saints-PèresWood or forest · 18 ha · just outside
DirectionsParc Sportif du Clos le RoiPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsBois de l'EgliseWood or forest · 5.9 ha · just outside
DirectionsEsplanade Simone et Antoine VEILPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.6 km of path
DirectionsSquare Jean CousinPark or garden · 0.6 ha · 0.4 km of path
DirectionsJardin de l'OrangeriePark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsLa RoseraiePark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsL'Hermitage de Saint BondPark or garden · 0.6 ha · just outside
DirectionsJules VernePark or garden · 0.5 ha
DirectionsSquare Raymond LedroitPark or garden · 0.4 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Pelouses à orchidées et habitats à chauve-souris des vallées de l’Yonne et de la Vanne 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.
Natura 2000 site
Pelouses à orchidées et habitats à chauve-souris des vallées de l’Yonne et de la Vanne
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
68 km of footpaths and 11 km of hiking routes cross Sens
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
68 km
3.1 km per km²
Hiking routes
11 km
waymarked: 0.5 km per km²
Woodland
4.6%
about 1 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
SensYonne medianFrance median
Footpaths3.1
Hiking routes0.5
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
SensYonne medianFrance median
Woodland4.6%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 75% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 79% 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 Sens is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
12 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
De l'étang de la Ballastière à la ferme d'Heuré16 km
De Provins à Auxerre, Pont s/Yonne - Auxerre11 km
À Travers la Campagne Clémentine9.3 km
Promenade au Fil de l'Eau6.4 km
Au détour de l'aqueduc de la Vanne5 km
À la découverte des paysages autour de Rosoy4.4 km
Promenade des Hauts Glaciers4 km
Balade des champs captants3.8 km
Sur les Chemins de Traverse du Pays Grônois2.3 km
Balade du ruisseau des Salles au bois de la Binoche1.4 km
Balade au Cœur du Bois de la Grande Vallée1.1 km
Boucle des Carrelottes - Sentier découverte en Zone Natura 20000.8 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Sens: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Sens, 3.3 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 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.2 | 16.0 | 15.7 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.4 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 9 | 13 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 51 | 48 | 46 | 53 | 60 | 52 | 56 | 48 | 51 | 63 | 56 | 62 |
March is the driest month (46 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 27 °C). 63 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 47 nights a year. The climate in Sens →
Gardens
A garden to visit in Sens
Named gardens in the commune.
Parc du Moulin à TanIn Sens
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Wikidata.
Neighbors
Next to Sens
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Saint-ClémentParonPont-sur-YonneVilleneuve-sur-YonneVilleneuve-la-GuyardJoignySens
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sens | 0% | 4.6% | 3.1 |
| Saint-Clément 2,849 · 2.2 km | 0% | 1.9% | 0.8 |
| Paron 4,834 · 3.2 km | 1.2% | 26% | 2 |
| Pont-sur-Yonne 3,391 · 12 km | 0% | 20% | 0.6 |
| Villeneuve-sur-Yonne 5,135 · 13 km | 0% | 34% | 0.6 |
| Villeneuve-la-Guyard 3,455 · 23 km | 0.2% | 18% | 0.2 |
| Joigny 9,016 · 26 km | 0% | 70% | 0.9 |
Paron, Pont-sur-Yonne and Villeneuve-sur-Yonne 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 Sens
Is Sens in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Pelouses à orchidées et habitats à chauve-souris des vallées de l’Yonne et de la Vanne, 2.1 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Sens?
OpenStreetMap maps 68 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 3.1 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 11 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Sens is woodland?
4.6% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Sens near the sea?
No: the coast is 249 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Sens?
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.