Madrid to Cuenca distance

Madrid to Cuenca by road

The fastest driving route is 168 km (104 mi) long and takes about 2 hr without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on the A-3 (80.1 km) and the A-40 (78.4 km).

It goes through 2 autonomous communities: the Community of Madrid (71.7 km) and Castilla–La Mancha (95.8 km). That’s an average of 84 km/h (52 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, Madrid and Cuenca are 138 km (85.9 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 120 Spanish driving pairs in this series, it ranks 70th for detour (the average is 24%).

From Madrid, Cuenca lies to the east (bearing 105°), and from Cuenca, Madrid lies to the west.

Halfway between Madrid and Cuenca

Halfway along the straight line, 69.1 km (42.9 mi) from each city, is the point 40.2511° N, 2.9091° W. It falls near Illana (Guadalajara, pop. 938), 7.4 km away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Arganda del Rey (Madrid, pop. 60,419), 45.3 km away.

By road, the halfway point is 83.8 km (52.1 mi) from each city, near Tarancón (Cuenca, pop. 16,748), 2.3 km away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Arganda del Rey (Madrid, pop. 60,419), 50.7 km away. The two midpoints are 29.7 km apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.

The two cities

Madrid sits at 645 m (2,116 ft) and Cuenca at 988 m (3,241 ft), 343 m (1,125 ft) higher.

Madrid has 3.5 million people and Cuenca 53,600 people (INE population register, January 1, 2025).