Humans and domestic animal are exposed to Ixodes ricinus tick bites during their outdoor activities. These bites constitute a threat for their health because ticks harbor large bacterial communities, and can transmit various diseases, e.g. Lyme disease. Forests are considered as tick primary habitat as they provide favorable micro-conditions. As such, they are often considered as a homogenous land cover harboring abundant tick populations. However, little is known about the heterogeneity in tick density within a peri-urban forest, where human visits, and therefore exposure, is high. We collected ticks in seven sites in the Bois de Lauzelle, to investigate the homogeneous character of tick abundance in a forest unit and assessed the role of intra-forest habitat characteristics. These sites were sampled every two weeks during the period of tick activity, from March to November. Ticks were collected, stored, identified and screened for the presence of three zoonotic pathogens: Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Coxiella burnetii, Francisella tularensis, the causative agents of Lyme disease, Q-fever and tularemia respectively. 868 nymphal and adult ticks were collected. The abundance was temporally and spatially variable, with the highest abundance during late-spring. Only the most typical I. ricinus habitat yielding consistently higher abundances than the other sites. Mean abundance was also lower in sites assumed to have higher human exposure. The prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l. was estimated below 5%, C. burnetii was only detected twice and F. tularensis was not detected. Fine-scale characteristics affected tick abundance but no clear association with pathogen presence was identified. Tick-borne diseases constitute a challenge in public and animal health because of the implication of specific environmental characteristics, animal presence and movements, and human behaviors. Our results question the assumption that forest constitute a homogenously suitable tick habitat and underline the necessity to account for ...