Barcelona to Montpellier distance
Barcelona and Montpellier are 284 km (177 mi) apart in a straight line and 343 km (213 mi) apart by road: about 3 hr 50 min of driving without stops, mostly on the A9 and the AP-7. Below you’ll find the route map, both halfway points, the bearing and where every figure comes from.
By the All Map Tools Team
- By road
- 343 km (213 mi)
- Driving time
- 3 hr 50 min
- Straight line
- 284 km (177 mi)
- Driving route
- Straight line
- Straight-line midpoint
- Halfway by road
Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection centered on the midpoint. Route: FOSSGIS OSRM with data © OpenStreetMap contributors, calculated on November 1, 2026; simplified line.
The figures
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Straight line | 284 km (177 mi) geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid |
| By road | 343 km (213 mi) fastest driving route (OSRM) |
| Driving time | 3 hr 50 min no stops, no traffic |
| Road detour | +21% 1.21 times the straight line |
| Average speed | 90 km/h (56 mph) along the route, without stops |
| Bearing | 29° (northeast) leaving Barcelona toward Montpellier |
| Midpoint | 42.4999° N, 3.0118° E near Argeles (Pyrénées-Orientales, France) |
| Halfway by road | In Le Boulou (Pyrénées-Orientales, France) 172 km from each city by road |
| Time difference | None both share the same time |
| Population | Barcelona: 1,731,649 · Montpellier: 248,252 INE population register, January 1, 2025; GeoNames |
Barcelona to Montpellier by road
The fastest driving route is 343 km (213 mi) long and takes about 3 hr 50 min without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on the A9 (172 km) and the AP-7 (136 km).
Of the 343 km, 160 km are in Spain and 183 km are in France. That’s an average of 90 km/h (56 mph). Spain’s traffic authority (DGT) recommends a break every two hours or 200 km: with 1 stop of 20 minutes, the trip takes about 4 hr 10 min. The time is OSRM’s estimate with OpenStreetMap data: no traffic and speeds somewhat below the limits, so real trips can differ.
Straight-line distance and bearing
In a straight line, the shortest distance over the Earth’s surface, Barcelona and Montpellier are 284 km (177 mi) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.
The road is 21% longer: for every 100 km in a straight line you drive 121. That’s a normal detour between two cities. Of the 34 Spain–Europe driving pairs in this series, it ranks 27th for detour (the average is 31%).
From Barcelona, Montpellier lies to the northeast (bearing 29°), and from Montpellier, Barcelona lies to the southwest.
Halfway between Barcelona and Montpellier
Halfway along the straight line, 142 km (88.3 mi) from each city, is the point 42.4999° N, 3.0118° E. It falls near Argeles (Pyrénées-Orientales, France, pop. 10,044), 5.3 km away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales, France, pop. 110,706), 24.0 km away.
By road, the halfway point is 172 km (107 mi) from each city, in Le Boulou (Pyrénées-Orientales, France, pop. 4,952). The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales, France, pop. 110,706), 19.0 km away. The two midpoints are 15.5 km apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.
Time zone and flight
Barcelona and Montpellier share the same time all year: both are on Central European Time.
No flight time is given: under 500 km (311 miles) in a straight line, time at the airport outweighs time in the air.
The two cities
Barcelona has 1.7 million people (INE population register, January 1, 2025) and Montpellier 248,252 people (GeoNames).
Frequently asked questions
How many kilometers is it from Barcelona to Montpellier?
284 km (177 mi) in a straight line and 343 km (213 mi) by road on the fastest route (mostly on the A9 and the AP-7).
How long is the drive from Barcelona to Montpellier?
About 3 hr 50 min without stops or traffic, according to OSRM with OpenStreetMap data; with 1 stop of 20 minutes, about 4 hr 10 min.
Where is the halfway point between Barcelona and Montpellier?
In a straight line, near Argeles (Pyrénées-Orientales, France). By road, 172 km from each city, in Le Boulou (Pyrénées-Orientales, France).
Are Barcelona and Montpellier in the same time zone?
Yes: both are on Central European Time all year.
Which direction is Montpellier from Barcelona?
Northeast: the straight line leaves Barcelona on a bearing of 29° (0° is north and 90° is east).
Measure it yourself on the map
The same two cities, already set up in the tools: move the points, get the route by bike or on foot and download the map.
- Distance between two points Measure the distance between any two places or points on the map, in miles or kilometers.
- Straight line vs driving distance Compare the as-the-crow-flies distance with the real driving distance and see how much the road adds.
- Halfway point Find the exact halfway point between two places and see it on the map, ready to share.
Similar pairs
The ones in this series whose cities are closest to these two, in case another one suits you better.
- Barcelona to Marseille 339 km straight line · 506 km by road · 5 hr 30 min Marseille, 127 km from Montpellier
- Barcelona to Perpignan 158 km straight line · 194 km by road · 2 hr 15 min Perpignan, 129 km from Montpellier
- Barcelona to Toulouse 254 km straight line · 396 km by road · 4 hr 20 min Toulouse, 196 km from Montpellier
- Barcelona to Girona 85.8 km straight line · 103 km by road · 1 hr 20 min Girona, 200 km from Montpellier
More distances from Barcelona
All distances- Barcelona to Lyon 531 km straight line · 640 km by road · 6 hr 45 min
- Barcelona to Nice 491 km straight line · 664 km by road · 7 hr 10 min
- Barcelona to Geneva 623 km straight line · 786 km by road · 8 hr 10 min
- Barcelona to Lisbon 1,010 km straight line · 1,245 km by road · 13 hr 25 min
- Barcelona to London 1,139 km straight line · 1,510 km by road · 16 hr 20 min
- Barcelona to New York 6,182 km straight line · 8 hr 15 min flight
Sources
- Driving route: FOSSGIS OSRM, car profile (calculated on November 1, 2026) · FOSSGIS e.V.
- Roads, streets and places · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
- Straight line, bearings and midpoint (geodesics on the WGS84 ellipsoid) · GeographicLib (C. F. F. Karney)
- Location and elevation of Spanish cities (gazetteer and DEM) · Instituto Geográfico Nacional (CC BY 4.0)
- Location and population of cities outside Spain and the US · GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
- Population register, January 1, 2025 · INE (Spain)
- Places near the midpoints: All Map Tools gazetteer (GeoNames, INE, IGN and Census) · All Map Tools
- Time zones (timezone-boundary-builder outlines and the IANA database) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
- Map: provinces (IGN), states (US Census Bureau) and countries (Natural Earth) · IGN, Census and Natural Earth
- Methodology