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Barcelona · Spain

Car hire and driving in Barcelona

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalToursCruises

In Spain traffic drives on the right. Picking up at BCN means 12 km (7 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648909 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648910.

Drives from Barcelona

Car rental from Barcelona: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Barcelona to MataróSpain29 km (18 mi)about 27 min
Barcelona to TarragonaSpain82 km (51 mi)about 1 h 15 min
Barcelona to GironaSpain86 km (54 mi)about 1 h 19 min
Barcelona to ReusSpain92 km (57 mi)about 1 h 24 min
Barcelona to LleidaSpain130 km (81 mi)about 1 h 59 min
Barcelona to PerpignanFrance158 km (98 mi)about 2 h 24 min
Barcelona to PalmaSpain207 km (128 mi)about 3 h 9 min
Barcelona to Castelló de la PlanaSpain243 km (151 mi)about 3 h 42 min
Barcelona to ToulouseFrance253 km (157 mi)about 3 h 52 min
Barcelona to ZaragozaSpain255 km (158 mi)about 3 h 53 min
Barcelona to MontpellierFrance284 km (177 mi)about 4 h 20 min
Barcelona to ValenciaSpain302 km (188 mi)about 4 h 37 min
Barcelona to LondonUnited Kingdom1,139 km (708 mi)about 17 h 22 min
Barcelona to BerlinGermany1,500 km (932 mi)about 22 h 53 min
Barcelona to MadridSpain504 km (313 mi)about 7 h 41 min
Barcelona to RomeItaly862 km (535 mi)about 13 h 8 min
Barcelona to ParisFrance830 km (516 mi)about 12 h 40 min
Barcelona to HamburgGermany1,473 km (915 mi)about 22 h 28 min
Barcelona to BudapestHungary1,498 km (931 mi)about 22 h 51 min
Barcelona to ViennaAustria1,350 km (839 mi)about 20 h 36 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Auto EuropeA broker specialising in Europe, often with clearer all-in pricing for US renters.Get European rates on Auto Europe (opens www.autoeurope.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Barcelona?

The right, as everywhere in Spain.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.