Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca distance

Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca in a straight line

In a straight line, the shortest distance over the Earth’s surface, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca are 205 km (128 mi) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”. There’s no road between them: Palma de Mallorca is on Mallorca, and the straight line crosses 183 km of sea.

From Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca lies to the south (bearing 169°), and from Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona lies to the north.

If the plane kept the same bearing all the way (169°, to the south), it would follow the rhumb line, the one that looks straight on a Mercator map: 205 km (128 mi), almost the same, because the trip is short.

What the route flies over

Under the straight line there are 183 km of sea (89%) and 22.5 km of land, over Spain.

Planes don’t follow the line exactly: they fly along airways, chase tailwinds and avoid closed airspace, but on long flights they stay close to it.

Halfway between Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca

Halfway along the straight line, 103 km (63.8 mi) from each city, is the point 40.4760° N, 2.4171° E. It falls at sea; the nearest town is Fornalutx (Balearic Islands, pop. 743), 81.8 km away.

By plane

A direct flight would take about 45 min. That’s an estimate: 30 minutes for takeoff, climb, descent and landing, plus the 205 km straight line at 800 km/h (about 497 mph), a typical airliner cruising speed. Real schedules depend on wind, routing and airports, and not every pair has a direct flight.

The two cities

Palma de Mallorca is 1.8° farther south than Barcelona. They sit at almost the same elevation: 13 m (43 ft) and 19 m (62 ft). Barcelona has 1.7 million people and Palma de Mallorca 434,786 people (INE population register, January 1, 2025).