Barcelona to Bilbao distance
Barcelona and Bilbao are 469 km (292 mi) apart in a straight line and 610 km (379 mi) apart by road: about 6 hr 40 min of driving without stops, mostly on the AP-68 and the AP-2. Below you’ll find the route map, both halfway points, the bearing and where every figure comes from.
By the Mapsfera Team
- By road
- 610 km (379 mi)
- Driving time
- 6 hr 40 min
- Straight line
- 469 km (292 mi)
- Driving route
- Straight line
- Straight-line midpoint
- Halfway by road
Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection centered on the midpoint. Route: FOSSGIS OSRM with data © OpenStreetMap contributors, calculated on October 31, 2026; simplified line.
The figures
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Straight line | 469 km (292 mi) geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid |
| By road | 610 km (379 mi) fastest driving route (OSRM) |
| Driving time | 6 hr 40 min no stops, no traffic |
| Road detour | +30% 1.30 times the straight line |
| Average speed | 92 km/h (57 mph) along the route, without stops |
| Bearing | 298° (northwest) leaving Barcelona toward Bilbao |
| Midpoint | 42.3517° N, 0.3350° W near Arguis (Huesca) |
| Halfway by road | Near Zaragoza 305 km from each city by road |
| Time difference | None both share the same time |
| Elevation | Barcelona: 13 m (43 ft) · Bilbao: 7 m (23 ft) IGN (Spain) |
| Population | Barcelona: 1,731,649 · Bilbao: 351,124 INE population register, January 1, 2025 |
Barcelona to Bilbao by road
The fastest driving route is 610 km (379 mi) long and takes about 6 hr 40 min without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on the AP-68 (293 km), the AP-2 (214 km), and the AP-7 (48.8 km).
It goes through 5 autonomous communities: Catalonia (188 km), Aragon (182 km), Navarre (39.6 km), La Rioja (119 km), and the Basque Country (82.3 km). That’s an average of 92 km/h (57 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 7 hr 40 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, Barcelona and Bilbao are 469 km (292 mi) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.
The road is 30% longer: for every 100 km in a straight line you drive 130. That’s a normal detour between two cities. Of the 40 Spanish pairs in this series, it ranks 10th for detour (the average is 24%).
From Barcelona, Bilbao lies to the northwest (bearing 298°), and from Bilbao, Barcelona lies to the southeast. The straight line reaches Bilbao on a bearing of 295°: 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 Barcelona and Bilbao
Halfway along the straight line, 235 km (146 mi) from each city, is the point 42.3517° N, 0.3350° W. It falls near Arguis (Huesca, pop. 167), 9.5 km away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Huesca (pop. 55,454), 24.2 km away.
By road, the halfway point is 305 km (190 mi) from each city, near Zaragoza (pop. 693,091), 3.4 km away. The two midpoints are 86.1 km apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.
By plane
No flight time is given: under 500 km (311 miles) in a straight line, time at the airport outweighs time in the air.
The two cities
Barcelona and Bilbao sit at almost the same elevation: 13 m (43 ft) and 7 m (23 ft).
Barcelona has 1.7 million people and Bilbao 351,124 people (INE population register, January 1, 2025).
Frequently asked questions
How many kilometers is it from Barcelona to Bilbao?
469 km (292 mi) in a straight line and 610 km (379 mi) by road on the fastest route (mostly on the AP-68 and the AP-2).
How long is the drive from Barcelona to Bilbao?
About 6 hr 40 min without stops or traffic, according to OSRM with OpenStreetMap data; with 3 stops of 20 minutes, about 7 hr 40 min.
Where is the halfway point between Barcelona and Bilbao?
In a straight line, near Arguis (Huesca). By road, 305 km from each city, near Zaragoza.
Which direction is Bilbao from Barcelona?
Northwest: the straight line leaves Barcelona on a bearing of 298° (0° is north and 90° is east).
Measure it yourself on the map
The same two cities, already set up in the tools: move the points, get the route by bike or on foot and download the map.
- Distance between two points Measure the distance between any two places or points on the map, in miles or kilometers.
- Straight line vs driving distance Compare the as-the-crow-flies distance with the real driving distance and see how much the road adds.
- Halfway point Find the exact halfway point between two places and see it on the map, ready to share.
More distances from Barcelona
All distances- Barcelona to Girona 85.8 km straight line · 103 km by road · 1 hr 20 min
- Barcelona to Tarragona 82.8 km straight line · 96.8 km by road · 1 hr 20 min
- Barcelona to Seville 831 km straight line · 997 km by road · 11 hr 5 min
- Barcelona to Paris 830 km straight line · 1,036 km by road · 10 hr 50 min
- Barcelona to Andorra la Vella 136 km straight line · 199 km by road · 2 hr 45 min
- Madrid to Barcelona 506 km straight line · 617 km by road · 6 hr 50 min
More distances from Bilbao
Sources
- Driving route: FOSSGIS OSRM, car profile (calculated on October 31, 2026) · FOSSGIS e.V.
- Roads, streets and places · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
- Straight line, bearings and midpoint (geodesics on the WGS84 ellipsoid) · GeographicLib (C. F. F. Karney)
- Location and elevation of Spanish cities (gazetteer and DEM) · Instituto Geográfico Nacional (CC BY 4.0)
- Population register, January 1, 2025 · INE (Spain)
- Places near the midpoints: Mapsfera gazetteer (GeoNames, INE, IGN and Census) · Mapsfera
- Time zones (timezone-boundary-builder outlines and the IANA database) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
- Map: provinces (IGN), states (US Census Bureau) and countries (Natural Earth) · IGN, Census and Natural Earth
- Methodology