Bilbao to Bordeaux distance
Bilbao and Bordeaux are 257 km (160 mi) apart in a straight line and 337 km (209 mi) apart by road: about 3 hr 45 min of driving without stops, mostly on the A63 and the AP-8. 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
- 337 km (209 mi)
- Driving time
- 3 hr 45 min
- Straight line
- 257 km (160 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 | 257 km (160 mi) geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid |
| By road | 337 km (209 mi) fastest driving route (OSRM) |
| Driving time | 3 hr 45 min no stops, no traffic |
| Road detour | +31% 1.31 times the straight line |
| Average speed | 91 km/h (56 mph) along the route, without stops |
| Bearing | 46° (northeast) leaving Bilbao toward Bordeaux |
| Midpoint | 44.0588° N, 1.7675° W near Vielle-Saint-Girons (Landes, France) |
| Halfway by road | Near Labenne (Landes, France) 168 km from each city by road |
| Time difference | None both share the same time |
| Population | Bilbao: 351,124 · Bordeaux: 265,328 INE population register, January 1, 2025; GeoNames |
Bilbao to Bordeaux by road
The fastest driving route is 337 km (209 mi) long and takes about 3 hr 45 min without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on the A63 (205 km), the AP-8 (75.7 km), and the AP-1 (27.2 km).
Of the 337 km, 119 km are in Spain and 218 km are in France. That’s an average of 91 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 5 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, Bilbao and Bordeaux are 257 km (160 mi) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.
The road is 31% longer: for every 100 km in a straight line you drive 131. That’s a big detour: the fastest route strays quite far from the straight line. Of the 34 Spain–Europe driving pairs in this series, it ranks 16th for detour (the average is 31%).
From Bilbao, Bordeaux lies to the northeast (bearing 46°), and from Bordeaux, Bilbao lies to the southwest.
Halfway between Bilbao and Bordeaux
Halfway along the straight line, 128 km (79.8 mi) from each city, is the point 44.0588° N, 1.7675° W. It falls in the water; the closest place is Vielle-Saint-Girons (Landes, France, pop. 1,087), 39.4 km away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Anglet (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France, pop. 40,658), 66.4 km away.
By road, the halfway point is 168 km (105 mi) from each city, near Labenne (Landes, France, pop. 3,633), 2.1 km away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France, pop. 44,396), 13.8 km away. The two midpoints are 57.4 km apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.
Time zone and flight
Bilbao and Bordeaux 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
Bilbao has 351,124 people (INE population register, January 1, 2025) and Bordeaux 265,328 people (GeoNames).
Frequently asked questions
How many kilometers is it from Bilbao to Bordeaux?
257 km (160 mi) in a straight line and 337 km (209 mi) by road on the fastest route (mostly on the A63 and the AP-8).
How long is the drive from Bilbao to Bordeaux?
About 3 hr 45 min without stops or traffic, according to OSRM with OpenStreetMap data; with 1 stop of 20 minutes, about 4 hr 5 min.
Where is the halfway point between Bilbao and Bordeaux?
In a straight line, in the water, near Vielle-Saint-Girons (Landes, France). By road, 168 km from each city, near Labenne (Landes, France).
Are Bilbao and Bordeaux in the same time zone?
Yes: both are on Central European Time all year.
Which direction is Bordeaux from Bilbao?
Northeast: the straight line leaves Bilbao on a bearing of 46° (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.
More distances from Bilbao
All distances- Madrid to Bilbao 322 km straight line · 397 km by road · 4 hr 25 min
- Barcelona to Bilbao 469 km straight line · 610 km by road · 6 hr 40 min
- Bilbao to San Sebastián 76.4 km straight line · 103 km by road · 1 hr 20 min
- Bilbao to Santander 75.2 km straight line · 101 km by road · 1 hr 20 min
- Burgos to Bilbao 121 km straight line · 160 km by road · 1 hr 55 min
- Bilbao to Vitoria-Gasteiz 50.7 km straight line · 65.2 km by road · 54 min
More distances from Bordeaux
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