Madrid to Berlin distance

Madrid to Berlin by road

The fastest driving route is 2,321 km (1,442 mi) long and takes about 24 hr without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on the A10 (574 km), the A2 (485 km), and the A-1 (258 km).

Of the 2,321 km, 468 km are in Spain, 1,021 km are in France, 190 km are in Belgium, and 642 km are in Germany. That’s an average of 97 km/h (60 mph). Spain’s traffic authority (DGT) recommends a break every two hours or 200 km: with 11 stops of 20 minutes, the trip takes about 27 hr 40 min. At about 8 hours behind the wheel a day, it’s a 3-day drive. 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, Madrid and Berlin are 1,871 km (1,163 mi) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.

The road is 24% longer: for every 100 km in a straight line you drive 124. That’s a normal detour between two cities. Of the 34 Spain–Europe driving pairs in this series, it ranks 21st for detour (the average is 31%).

From Madrid, Berlin lies to the northeast (bearing 38°), and from Berlin, Madrid lies to the southwest. The straight line reaches Berlin on a bearing of 51°: on a sphere the bearing keeps changing along the way, which is why the shortest route looks slightly curved on a flat map.

Halfway between Madrid and Berlin

Halfway along the straight line, 936 km (581 mi) from each city, is the point 46.7917° N, 3.9006° E. It falls near Luzy (Nièvre, France, pop. 2,259), 5.3 km away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Montceau-les-Mines (Saône-et-Loire, France, pop. 20,221), 38.2 km away.

By road, the halfway point is 1,161 km (721 mi) from each city, near Artenay (Loiret, France, pop. 1,855), 2.3 km away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Fleury-les-Aubrais (Loiret, France, pop. 21,085), 16.8 km away. The two midpoints are 211 km apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.

Time zone and flight

Madrid and Berlin share the same time all year: both are on Central European Time.

A direct flight would take about 2 hr 50 min. That’s an estimate: 30 minutes for takeoff, climb, descent and landing, plus the 1,871 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. Westbound flights usually take a little longer than eastbound ones because of high-altitude winds (the jet stream).

The two cities

Madrid has 3.5 million people (INE population register, January 1, 2025) and Berlin 3.4 million people (GeoNames).