Parcs nationaux de France publishes the boundaries of the 11 national parks of France, from Port-Cros and Vanoise, created in 1963, to the Parc national de forêts in 2019. Three are overseas: Guadeloupe, La Réunion and the Parc amazonien de Guyane. For each we give the creation decree as the data names it.1
Which national parks are there?
The dataset's title and description name 11 national parks. Each has several zones in the data, such as the core and the surrounding area; we list each park once.1
| National park (as the data names it) | Creation decree (as the data gives it) | Year of the creation decree |
|---|---|---|
| Parc national de Port-Cros | Décret n°63-1235 du 14 décembre 1963 créant le Parc national de Port-Cros1 | 19631 |
| Parc national de la Vanoise | Décret n°63-651 du 6 juillet 1963 créant le Parc national de la Vanoise1 | 19631 |
| Parc national des Pyrénées | Décret n° 67-265 du 23 mars 1967 créant le Parc national des Pyrénées1 | 19671 |
| Parc national des Cévennes | Décret n° 70-777 du 2 septembre 1970 créant le Parc national des Cévennes1 | 19701 |
| Parc national des Ecrins | Décret n°73-378 du 27 mars 1973 créant le Parc national des Ecrins1 | 19731 |
| Parc national du Mercantour | Décret n°79-696 du 18 août 1979 créant le Parc national du Mercantour1 | 19791 |
| Parc national de la Guadeloupe | Décret n°89-144 du 20 février 1989 créant le Parc national de la Guadeloupe1 | 19891 |
| Parc amazonien de Guyane | Décret n° 2007-266 du 27 février 2007 créant le Parc amazonien de Guyane1 | 20071 |
| Parc national de La Réunion | Décret n° 2007-296 du 5 mars 2007 créant le Parc national de La Réunion1 | 20071 |
| Parc national des Calanques | Décret n° 2012-507 du 18 avril 2012 créant le Parc national des Calanques1 | 20121 |
| Parc national de forêts | Décret n° 2019-1132 du 6 novembre 2019 créant le Parc national de Forêts1 | 20191 |
Names are as the data writes them, so des Ecrins has no accent and de forêts is in lower case; the decree for that park writes Forêts.
What does the year mean?
It is the date of creation of each park's core in the data, which is the date of the decree creating the park. Later dates in the data for the surrounding areas belong to other acts, so we do not use them.1
Can this list be reused?
The dataset is under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0.1 The licence allows reuse for commercial or non-commercial purposes if the reuser names the source and the date of its last update, and does not suggest any endorsement by the grantor.2
What this page cannot tell you
- No regions here. The dataset has no region field.
- Boundaries are not shown. We use the names and decrees, not the maps.
Related: National parks around the world · National parks of Japan · Officially recognised places.
Key takeaways
- France has 11 national parks in the Parcs nationaux de France dataset.
- The oldest decrees date from 1963 and the newest from 2019.
- Three of the parks are overseas.
- What we would skip: reading the list as a ranking or a travel guide. It records an official designation; it says nothing about opening, access or conditions, so check each park's own information before you go.
Sources
The list comes from Parcs nationaux de France's dataset on data.gouv.fr, last updated on 11 February 2026 and read on 1 October 2026. See how we research.
- Parcs nationaux de France, Contours des 11 Parcs nationaux de France (updated 11 February 2026). Read the dataset on data.gouv.fr. Accessed 1 October 2026.
- Etalab, Open Licence / Licence Ouverte, version 2.0. Read the licence (PDF). Accessed 1 October 2026.
Credit and licence. Parcs nationaux de France - Original data downloaded from https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/contours-des-11-parcs-nationaux-de-france, updated on 11 February 2026. Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab). Changes made. We listed each park once, from its core zone in the data, with the decree and its year, and translated the explanations into English. We use no logos or images from these sources. Gallivanting Gadabout is not connected with, or endorsed by, Parcs nationaux de France or any public body.