🥾 The French cities with the most hikers

Per inhabitant, the town with the most licensed hikers in France is Guidel, with 21.3 / 1,000 inhab., ahead of Sanary-sur-Mer (20.7 / 1,000 inhab.) and Pornichet (18.4 / 1,000 inhab.).

What are the 10 French cities with the most hikers per inhabitant?
In order: Guidel, Sanary-sur-Mer, Pornichet, Canet-en-Roussillon, Chantepie, Biscarrosse, Fouesnant, Verrières-le-Buisson, Saint-Cyprien and Royan.
What is the top 5 of French cities with the most hikers per inhabitant?
Guidel (21.3 / 1,000 inhab.), Sanary-sur-Mer (20.7 / 1,000 inhab.), Pornichet (18.4 / 1,000 inhab.), Canet-en-Roussillon (17.5 / 1,000 inhab.) and Chantepie (17.1 / 1,000 inhab.).
Which city is 2nd in the ranking of French cities with the most hikers per inhabitant?
Sanary-sur-Mer, at 20.7 / 1,000 inhab., just behind Guidel (21.3 / 1,000 inhab.).
Is Guidel really the French city with the most hikers per inhabitant?
Yes, at 21.3 / 1,000 inhab., ahead of Sanary-sur-Mer (20.7 / 1,000 inhab.) and Pornichet (18.4 / 1,000 inhab.).
In which département is Guidel?
Guidel is in département 56, in the Bretagne region.
What is the difference between Guidel and Sanary-sur-Mer?
Guidel is at 21.3 / 1,000 inhab., Sanary-sur-Mer at 20.7 / 1,000 inhab. The table gives the same figure for all 100 places, so any two of them can be compared the same way.
Which city is 10th in the ranking of French cities with the most hikers per inhabitant?
Royan, at 15.2 / 1,000 inhab.
How many French cities does this ranking compare?
1,026, with the top 100 listed in full in the table below.
What are the French cities with the most hikers per inhabitant in 2026?
This ranking uses the most recent official figures published as of 2026: Guidel leads with 21.3 / 1,000 inhab.
Is there a complete ranking of French cities with the most hikers per inhabitant?
Yes, the table below: the top 100 of 1,026, each with its département and its region, and the exact method and scope stated underneath it.
Where do people hike most in France?
Guidel (21.3 / 1,000 inhab.), Sanary-sur-Mer (20.7 / 1,000 inhab.), Pornichet (18.4 / 1,000 inhab.), Canet-en-Roussillon (17.5 / 1,000 inhab.) and Chantepie (17.1 / 1,000 inhab.). Mountain and foothill towns lead, and the rate counts federation licences, not everyone who walks a marked trail on a Sunday.

The table below ranks the top 100 of the 1,026 cities in the dataset, each with its département, its region and the figure it is ranked on (hikers per 1,000 inhabitants), so you can see not just the order but how far apart the places are. The numbers are official public data: INSEE legal populations and the IGN commune registry, with the exact method and the exact scope stated under the table rather than left to be guessed at.

The same data answers neighbouring questions too: see The French cities with the most chess players and The most populated cities in France, or all rankings for the full list. All of it comes from Le Bon Rang, a free daily game that gives you five French cities and one of these statistics and asks you for the order.

Top 100 of 1,026 cities
#CityRegionHikers / 1,000Population
156GuidelBretagne21.3 / 1,000 inhab.12,338
283Sanary-sur-MerProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur20.7 / 1,000 inhab.18,538
344PornichetPays de la Loire18.4 / 1,000 inhab.12,800
466Canet-en-RoussillonOccitanie17.5 / 1,000 inhab.13,227
535ChantepieBretagne17.1 / 1,000 inhab.10,670
640BiscarrosseNouvelle-Aquitaine16.2 / 1,000 inhab.15,836
729FouesnantBretagne15.9 / 1,000 inhab.10,436
891Verrières-le-BuissonÎle-de-France15.6 / 1,000 inhab.15,057
966Saint-CyprienOccitanie15.6 / 1,000 inhab.12,068
1017RoyanNouvelle-Aquitaine15.2 / 1,000 inhab.19,425
1166Saint-EstèveOccitanie14.9 / 1,000 inhab.11,630
1244Sainte-Luce-sur-LoirePays de la Loire14.6 / 1,000 inhab.16,400
1383La Londe-les-MauresProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur14.6 / 1,000 inhab.10,584
1413Fos-sur-MerProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur14.5 / 1,000 inhab.15,862
1512RodezOccitanie13.9 / 1,000 inhab.23,981
1684L'Isle-sur-la-SorgueProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur13.9 / 1,000 inhab.20,244
1786BuxerollesNouvelle-Aquitaine13.8 / 1,000 inhab.10,289
1891YerresÎle-de-France13.7 / 1,000 inhab.27,906
1987Saint-JunienNouvelle-Aquitaine13.6 / 1,000 inhab.11,415
2069FranchevilleAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes13.5 / 1,000 inhab.15,604
2106Mandelieu-la-NapouleProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur13.1 / 1,000 inhab.21,640
2244VertouPays de la Loire13 / 1,000 inhab.26,227
2383La CrauProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur12.8 / 1,000 inhab.19,556
2422PlérinBretagne12.8 / 1,000 inhab.14,425
2545La Chapelle-Saint-MesminCentre-Val de Loire12.8 / 1,000 inhab.11,017
2684Le PontetProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur12.7 / 1,000 inhab.18,386
2735ChâteaugironBretagne12.7 / 1,000 inhab.10,845
2834LattesOccitanie12.6 / 1,000 inhab.17,351
2978RambouilletÎle-de-France12.5 / 1,000 inhab.27,724
3022LannionBretagne12.2 / 1,000 inhab.20,315
3164HendayeNouvelle-Aquitaine12 / 1,000 inhab.18,102
3222PloufraganBretagne12 / 1,000 inhab.11,507
3312Onet-le-ChâteauOccitanie11.8 / 1,000 inhab.12,080
3407Tournon-sur-RhôneAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes11.7 / 1,000 inhab.11,279
3530Villeneuve-lès-AvignonOccitanie11.6 / 1,000 inhab.13,148
3683Le MuyProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur11.6 / 1,000 inhab.10,118
3785Les Sables-d'OlonnePays de la Loire11.4 / 1,000 inhab.49,603
3842Le Chambon-FeugerollesAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes11.4 / 1,000 inhab.12,314
3983HyèresProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur11.3 / 1,000 inhab.55,858
4077Ozoir-la-FerrièreÎle-de-France11.3 / 1,000 inhab.21,238
4137Saint-AvertinCentre-Val de Loire11.3 / 1,000 inhab.14,999
4283Six-Fours-les-PlagesProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur11.1 / 1,000 inhab.37,109
4335BettonBretagne11.1 / 1,000 inhab.12,964
4478Montigny-le-BretonneuxÎle-de-France11 / 1,000 inhab.32,465
4564BiarritzNouvelle-Aquitaine10.9 / 1,000 inhab.26,206
4648MendeOccitanie10.7 / 1,000 inhab.12,464
4774Thonon-les-BainsAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes10.5 / 1,000 inhab.37,928
4857Marly (57)Grand Est10.5 / 1,000 inhab.10,286
4921TalantBourgogne-Franche-Comté10.4 / 1,000 inhab.11,896
5083Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-BaumeProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur10.3 / 1,000 inhab.17,896
5144La Chapelle-sur-ErdrePays de la Loire10.2 / 1,000 inhab.20,690
5221BeauneBourgogne-Franche-Comté10.1 / 1,000 inhab.20,352
5306VenceProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur10.1 / 1,000 inhab.19,917
5477Vaires-sur-MarneÎle-de-France10 / 1,000 inhab.13,931
5522Lamballe-ArmorBretagne9.9 / 1,000 inhab.17,241
5635FougèresBretagne9.8 / 1,000 inhab.20,307
5781AlbiOccitanie9.7 / 1,000 inhab.51,290
5813GardanneProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur9.7 / 1,000 inhab.21,597
5912Villefranche-de-RouergueOccitanie9.7 / 1,000 inhab.11,271
6013Bouc-Bel-AirProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur9.6 / 1,000 inhab.15,381
6191BrunoyÎle-de-France9.4 / 1,000 inhab.25,643
6256PloemeurBretagne9.4 / 1,000 inhab.18,872
6307Guilherand-GrangesAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes9.4 / 1,000 inhab.11,235
6445SaranCentre-Val de Loire9.3 / 1,000 inhab.17,316
6544GuérandePays de la Loire9.2 / 1,000 inhab.16,804
6637La RicheCentre-Val de Loire9.2 / 1,000 inhab.10,487
6779ThouarsNouvelle-Aquitaine9.1 / 1,000 inhab.13,891
6846CahorsOccitanie9 / 1,000 inhab.20,050
6947MarmandeNouvelle-Aquitaine9 / 1,000 inhab.17,328
7011Lézignan-CorbièresOccitanie9 / 1,000 inhab.10,343
7142FirminyAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes8.9 / 1,000 inhab.17,060
7205BriançonProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur8.9 / 1,000 inhab.11,411
7321Chevigny-Saint-SauveurBourgogne-Franche-Comté8.8 / 1,000 inhab.11,108
7491Sainte-Geneviève-des-BoisÎle-de-France8.7 / 1,000 inhab.35,438
7577Moret-Loing-et-OrvanneÎle-de-France8.7 / 1,000 inhab.12,810
7677Dammartin-en-GoëleÎle-de-France8.7 / 1,000 inhab.11,907
7741Romorantin-LanthenayCentre-Val de Loire8.6 / 1,000 inhab.18,373
7845GienCentre-Val de Loire8.6 / 1,000 inhab.13,459
7931Plaisance-du-TouchOccitanie8.5 / 1,000 inhab.21,079
8044BlainPays de la Loire8.5 / 1,000 inhab.10,376
8183Le BeaussetProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur8.5 / 1,000 inhab.10,219
8213LambescProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur8.5 / 1,000 inhab.10,024
8306Mouans-SartouxProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur8.4 / 1,000 inhab.11,015
8433GradignanNouvelle-Aquitaine8.3 / 1,000 inhab.26,952
8504Digne-les-BainsProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur8.3 / 1,000 inhab.17,979
8676BarentinNormandie8.3 / 1,000 inhab.12,022
8733ParempuyreNouvelle-Aquitaine8.3 / 1,000 inhab.10,672
8845Saint-Jean-de-BrayeCentre-Val de Loire8.2 / 1,000 inhab.23,147
8949Segré-en-Anjou BleuPays de la Loire8.2 / 1,000 inhab.17,667
9044La Baule-EscoublacPays de la Loire8.2 / 1,000 inhab.16,912
9113MartiguesProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur8.1 / 1,000 inhab.48,298
9283La Valette-du-VarProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur8.1 / 1,000 inhab.23,719
9326Bourg-lès-ValenceAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes8.1 / 1,000 inhab.19,992
9477Brie-Comte-RobertÎle-de-France8.1 / 1,000 inhab.19,003
9585Les HerbiersPays de la Loire8.1 / 1,000 inhab.16,521
9679NiortNouvelle-Aquitaine8 / 1,000 inhab.59,854
9783Saint-RaphaëlProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur8 / 1,000 inhab.37,113
9845OlivetCentre-Val de Loire8 / 1,000 inhab.23,507
9985Montaigu-VendéePays de la Loire8 / 1,000 inhab.21,134
10081GaillacOccitanie8 / 1,000 inhab.16,162

Scope: France, metropolitan and overseas, Corsica and the DROM included. This dataset holds every commune of 10,000 inhabitants or more, plus smaller communes famous enough to be household names, 1,131 in all. It is not the full list of 35,000 French communes, so a village can sit outside a ranking whose extreme it would otherwise hold. This particular ranking is a rate per inhabitant, so it covers towns of 10,000 people or more only: in a village of a hundred, three licence holders would read as thirty per thousand and outrank a town with a professional club, so no rate is published below that size rather than a meaningless one.

Method and sources: populations are the INSEE legal populations, boundaries and coordinates come from the IGN commune registry, both served by geo.api.gouv.fr. Density is the population divided by the commune's area; distances are measured as the crow flies from the commune's centre. Data read on August 11, 2026.

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FAQ

Which French city hikes the most?

Per inhabitant, the town with the most licensed hikers in France is Guidel, with 21.3 / 1,000 inhab., ahead of Sanary-sur-Mer (20.7 / 1,000 inhab.) and Pornichet (18.4 / 1,000 inhab.).

What are the top 10?

In order: Guidel (21.3 / 1,000 inhab.), Sanary-sur-Mer (20.7 / 1,000 inhab.), Pornichet (18.4 / 1,000 inhab.), Canet-en-Roussillon (17.5 / 1,000 inhab.), Chantepie (17.1 / 1,000 inhab.), Biscarrosse (16.2 / 1,000 inhab.), Fouesnant (15.9 / 1,000 inhab.), Verrières-le-Buisson (15.6 / 1,000 inhab.), Saint-Cyprien (15.6 / 1,000 inhab.), Royan (15.2 / 1,000 inhab.).

Why the coast rather than the Alps?

Because this counts club membership, not kilometres walked. A licence buys insurance, guided outings and a group, which is worth most where there is a large, settled, often retired population with time for a weekly walk: the Breton and Mediterranean coasts. Mountain towns are full of walkers who never take a licence, because the path starts at the end of the street.

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