First pick
Domaine de Rambouillet
Park or garden
1,032 ha22.1 km of path
4 h 55 minto walk all 22.1 km of path
3.3 km westfrom the center
Allée des VeuvesAllée VerteAllée des Bois Blancs+5 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Lionel Allorge · CC BY-SA 3.074%of the land protected
Outdoors in Rambouillet · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Rambouillet lies inside Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park
Protected areas cover 74% of Rambouillet’s land. Mapped woodland covers 48% of Rambouillet. 94 km of footpaths cross Rambouillet (2.6 km per km²). France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
74%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
48%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
94 km
2.6 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
22 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
13
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Domaine de Rambouillet
Throughout this page, the Yvelines 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 Rambouillet?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and less good.
Inside Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park50% of the commune is in the regional nature park.A wooded commune48% mapped woodland, more than in 90% of compared French towns, against 13% for the median compared town.
What sets Rambouillet apart: the regional nature park around it, then its woods.
Against French towns
How Rambouillet 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 areas74%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
90out of 100
Woodland48%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
90out of 100
Footpaths2.6 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
68out of 100
Hiking routes0.6 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
68out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Rambouillet has the 9th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (26,365 to 29,259 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 Bergerac (1 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 | Lyon 1er Rhône | 11.3 | 1.1% | 0% | 253 km |
| 3 | Taverny Val-d'Oise | 10.5 | 33% | 0.4% | 129 km |
| 4 | Champs-sur-Marne Seine-et-Marne | 9.6 | 36% | 0.1% | 160 km |
| 5 | Grigny Essonne | 8.7 | 7.2% | 0% | 170 km |
| 6 | Le Plessis-Robinson Hauts-de-Seine | 8.6 | 13% | 0% | 153 km |
| 7 | Élancourt Yvelines | 8.2 | 26% | 3.5% | 138 km |
| 8 | Vanves Hauts-de-Seine | 7.3 | 3.4% | 0% | 150 km |
| 9 | Cormeilles-en-Parisis Val-d'Oise | 7.2 | 14% | 0% | 133 km |
| 10 | Gradignan Gironde | 6.8 | 17% | 0% | 26 km |
| 11 | Yerres Essonne | 6.6 | 36% | 0% | 169 km |
| 12 | Sannois Val-d'Oise | 6 | 17% | 0% | 135 km |
| 13 | Bussy-Saint-Georges Seine-et-Marne | 5.9 | 31% | 2.3% | 167 km |
| 14 | Charenton-le-Pont Val-de-Marne | 5.9 | 0.7% | 0% | 155 km |
| 15 | Armentières Nord | 5.9 | 3.8% | 0% | 50 km |
| 16 | Sucy-en-Brie Val-de-Marne | 5.7 | 31% | 0% | 165 km |
| 17 | Blagnac Haute-Garonne | 5.6 | 5.4% | 7.5% | 152 km |
| 18 | Cenon Gironde | 5.4 | 8.9% | 0% | 18 km |
| 19 | Limeil-Brévannes Val-de-Marne | 4.8 | 29% | 0% | 165 km |
| 20 | Lambersart Nord | 4.7 | 3.4% | 0% | 59 km |
| 21 | Bois-Colombes Hauts-de-Seine | 4.6 | 0% | 0% | 141 km |
| 22 | Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire Loire-Atlantique | 4.5 | 9.9% | 23% | 41 km |
| 23 | Orvault Loire-Atlantique | 3.9 | 17% | 0% | 37 km |
| 24 | Sotteville-lès-Rouen Seine-Maritime | 3.9 | 1.4% | 0% | 53 km |
| 25 | Illkirch-Graffenstaden Bas-Rhin | 3.9 | 30% | 26% | 454 km |
| 26 | La Garde Var | 3.8 | 7.6% | 25% | On it |
| 27 | Dieppe Seine-Maritime | 3.3 | 2.9% | 2.7% | On it |
| 28 | Périgueux Dordogne | 3.1 | 10% | 0% | 105 km |
| 29 | Sens Yonne | 3.1 | 4.6% | 0% | 249 km |
| 30 | Brétigny-sur-Orge Essonne | 3 | 9.5% | 0% | 169 km |
| 31 | Montfermeil Seine-Saint-Denis | 2.9 | 8.2% | 5.5% | 155 km |
| 32 | Soissons Aisne | 2.7 | 7.5% | 0% | 148 km |
| 33 | Rambouillet Yvelines | 2.6 | 48% | 74% | 139 km |
| 34 | Maubeuge Nord | 2.6 | 2.2% | 0.1% | 129 km |
| 35 | Lunel Hérault | 2.2 | 0.4% | 0.6% | 14 km |
| 36 | Gonesse Val-d'Oise | 2.1 | 4% | 0% | 141 km |
| 37 | Villeparisis Seine-et-Marne | 1.9 | 13% | 0% | 153 km |
| 38 | Vallauris Alpes-Maritimes | 1.5 | 16% | 0% | On it |
| 39 | La Teste-de-Buch Gironde | 1.1 | 56% | 46% | On it |
| 40 | Étampes Essonne | 1 | 12% | 0% | 172 km |
| 41 | Bergerac Dordogne | 1 | 14% | 1.9% | 86 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 Rambouillet
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Domaine de Rambouillet leads, at 1,032 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Forêt domaniale de Rambouillet
Wood or forest
1,262 ha41.2 km of path
9 h 10 minto walk all 41.2 km of path
3.5 km north-eastfrom the center
Route de ClérambaultRoute de la Maison NouhanRoute Sommaire+5 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Espace Rambouillet
Wood or forest · 140 m outside the commune
245 ha3.7 km of path
50 minto walk all 3.7 km of path
4.1 km south-eastfrom the center
Domaine des CerfsCircuit des Volières
Directionsto a point inside
Jardin Anglais
Park or garden
16 ha2.8 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.8 km of path
2.3 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc de Groussay
Park or garden
8.6 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
1.2 km north-westfrom the center
Parc Nature
Directionsto a point inside
Le Quinconce des tilleuls
Park or garden
1.4 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
1.4 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Bois des Cheminots
Park or garden
2.9 ha
0.9 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 13 named parks, gardens and woods
Domaine de RambouilletPark or garden · 1,032 ha · 22.1 km of path
DirectionsForêt domaniale de RambouilletWood or forest · 1,262 ha · 41.2 km of path
DirectionsEspace RambouilletWood or forest · 245 ha · 3.7 km of path · just outside
DirectionsJardin AnglaisPark or garden · 16 ha · 2.8 km of path
DirectionsParc de GroussayPark or garden · 8.6 ha · 1.1 km of path
DirectionsLe Quinconce des tilleulsPark or garden · 1.4 ha · 1 km of path
DirectionsParc du Bois des CheminotsPark or garden · 2.9 ha
DirectionsÎle aux PoulesWood or forest · 6.6 ha
DirectionsÎle du PotagerWood or forest · 6.4 ha
DirectionsJardin du Palais du Roi de RomePark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsPlace André Thome et Jacqueline Thome-PatenôtrePark or garden · 0.7 ha
DirectionsJardins de la MottePark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsJardin de Madame DuchetPark or garden · 0.2 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Protected land in and around Rambouillet
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Regional nature park
Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park
50% of the commune0.6 km from the center
Nature reserve
Forêt de Rambouillet nature reserve
1% of the commune3.8 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Massif de Rambouillet et zones humides proches
59% of the commune1.1 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Forêt de Rambouillet
0.8% of the commune3.8 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area74%
Regional nature park50%
Nature reserve1%
Natura 2000 site60%
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.
74% of Rambouillet’s land is protected, more than in 90% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Yvelines has 0%. A regional nature park is a charter between communes to look after a landscape: farming, building and hunting go on inside it.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
94 km of footpaths and 22 km of hiking routes cross Rambouillet
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
94 km
2.6 km per km²
Hiking routes
22 km
waymarked: 0.6 km per km²
Woodland
48%
about 17.1 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
RambouilletYvelines medianFrance median
Footpaths2.6
Hiking routes0.6
02.55 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
RambouilletYvelines medianFrance median
Woodland48%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 68% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 90% 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 Rambouillet is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
7 named hiking routes within 2 km
GR (long-distance)PR (local walk)Other named walk
GR 1C10 km
GR655 OT5.6 km
PR 785.3 km
Chemin de Trèves, Igny - Rambouillet8.4 km
Via Turonensis, Rambouillet - Chartres8.3 km
Grande faune et rigoles royales4.8 km
Chemin de Trèves, Rambouillet - Chartres2.7 km
2 GR routes pass within 2 km of Rambouillet: GR 1C and GR655 OT.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Rambouillet: April and June to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at St-Leger_Sapc, 9.4 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) | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 15.2 | 16.1 | 15.7 | 14.3 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 8.3 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 58 | 50 | 50 | 51 | 74 | 57 | 54 | 60 | 51 | 64 | 64 | 75 |
March is the driest month (50 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 25 °C). 75 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 54 nights a year. The climate in Rambouillet →
Neighbors
Next to Rambouillet
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Le Perray-en-YvelinesLes Essarts-le-RoiSaint-Arnoult-en-YvelinesÉpernonCoignièresLe Mesnil-Saint-DenisRambouillet
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rambouillet | 74% | 48% | 2.6 |
| Le Perray-en-Yvelines 6,480 · 5.2 km | 100% | 33% | 1.6 |
| Les Essarts-le-Roi 6,831 · 9.1 km | 100% | 34% | 1.8 |
| Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines 5,875 · 11 km | 0.1% | 50% | 3.7 |
| Épernon 5,715 · 12 km | 0% | 16% | 2.4 |
| Coignières 4,321 · 13 km | 0.1% | 29% | 2.3 |
| Le Mesnil-Saint-Denis 7,276 · 14 km | 100% | 13% | 2.2 |
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 Rambouillet
Is Rambouillet in a national or regional nature park?
Yes: Rambouillet lies in Haute Vallée de Chevreuse Regional Nature Park (50% of the commune).
Are there good walks in Rambouillet?
OpenStreetMap maps 94 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 2.6 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 22 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Rambouillet is woodland?
48% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Rambouillet near the sea?
No: the coast is 139 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Rambouillet?
April and June 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.