Madrid to Rome distance

Madrid to Rome by road

The fastest driving route is 1,942 km (1,207 mi) long and takes about 21 hr without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on the A-2 (370 km), the A1 (272 km), and the A9 (225 km).

Of the 1,942 km, 742 km are in Spain, 532 km are in France, and 655 km are in Italy. That’s an average of 93 km/h (58 mph). Spain’s traffic authority (DGT) recommends a break every two hours or 200 km: with 10 stops of 20 minutes, the trip takes about 24 hr 20 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 Rome are 1,368 km (850 mi) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.

The road is 42% longer: for every 100 km in a straight line you drive 142. 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 7th for detour (the average is 31%).

From Madrid, Rome lies to the east (bearing 78°), and from Rome, Madrid lies to the west. The straight line reaches Rome on a bearing of 89°: 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 Rome

Halfway along the straight line, 684 km (425 mi) from each city, is the point 41.4415° N, 4.3184° E. It falls in the water; the closest place is Begur (Girona, pop. 4,291), 109 km away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Palafrugell (Girona, pop. 24,543), 110 km away.

By road, the halfway point is 971 km (604 mi) from each city, in Caissargues (Gard, France, pop. 3,858). The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Nîmes (Gard, France, pop. 148,236), 3.5 km away. The two midpoints are 263 km apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.

Time zone and flight

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

A direct flight would take about 2 hr 15 min. That’s an estimate: 30 minutes for takeoff, climb, descent and landing, plus the 1,368 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 Rome 2.3 million people (GeoNames).