Madrid to Girona distance

Madrid to Girona by road

The fastest driving route is 686 km (426 mi) long and takes about 7 hr 35 min without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on the A-2 (368 km), the C-25 (154 km), and the AP-2 (123 km).

It goes through 5 autonomous communities: the Community of Madrid (40.4 km), Castilla–La Mancha (99.4 km), Castile and León (39.8 km), Aragon (253 km), and Catalonia (253 km). 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 3 stops of 20 minutes, the trip takes about 8 hr 35 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, Madrid and Girona are 573 km (356 mi) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.

The road is 20% longer: for every 100 km in a straight line you drive 120. That’s a normal detour between two cities. Of the 120 Spanish driving pairs in this series, it ranks 82nd for detour (the average is 24%).

From Madrid, Girona lies to the east (bearing 70°), and from Girona, Madrid lies to the west. The straight line reaches Girona on a bearing of 75°: 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 Girona

Halfway along the straight line, 287 km (178 mi) from each city, is the point 41.2472° N, 0.4724° W. It falls near La Puebla de Híjar (Teruel, pop. 935), 4.3 km away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Zaragoza (pop. 693,091), 56.6 km away.

By road, the halfway point is 343 km (213 mi) from each city, in Osera de Ebro (Zaragoza, pop. 442). The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Zaragoza (pop. 693,091), 27.5 km away. The two midpoints are 34.4 km apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.

By plane

A direct flight would take about 1 hr 15 min. That’s an estimate: 30 minutes for takeoff, climb, descent and landing, plus the 573 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

Madrid sits at 645 m (2,116 ft) and Girona at 68 m (223 ft), 577 m (1,893 ft) lower.

Madrid has 3.5 million people and Girona 108,666 people (INE population register, January 1, 2025).