Bilbao to Vitoria-Gasteiz distance

Bilbao to Vitoria-Gasteiz by road

The fastest driving route is 65.2 km (40.5 mi) long and takes about 54 min without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on the AP-68 (35.6 km) and the N-622 (19.7 km).

The whole route stays in the Basque Country. That’s an average of 73 km/h (45 mph), and at under two hours you can do it without stopping. 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 Vitoria-Gasteiz are 50.7 km (31.5 mi) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.

The road is 29% longer: for every 100 km in a straight line you drive 129. That’s a normal detour between two cities. Of the 120 Spanish driving pairs in this series, it ranks 35th for detour (the average is 24%).

From Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz lies to the southeast (bearing 156°), and from Vitoria-Gasteiz, Bilbao lies to the northwest.

Halfway between Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz

Halfway along the straight line, 25.3 km (15.7 mi) from each city, is the point 43.0556° N, 2.7975° W. It falls near Zeanuri (Biscay, pop. 1,234), 6.1 km away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Durango (Biscay, pop. 30,192), 18.3 km away.

By road, the halfway point is 32.6 km (20.3 mi) from each city, near Amurrio (Álava, pop. 10,364), 7.8 km away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Basauri (Biscay, pop. 40,274), 23.2 km away. The two midpoints almost coincide (9.8 km apart), because the road doesn’t stray far from the straight line.

The two cities

Bilbao sits at 7 m (23 ft) and Vitoria-Gasteiz at 524 m (1,719 ft), 517 m (1,696 ft) higher.

Bilbao has 351,124 people and Vitoria-Gasteiz 260,699 people (INE population register, January 1, 2025).