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Madrid · Spain

Car hire and driving in Madrid

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

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In Spain traffic drives on the right. Picking up at MAD means 14 km (9 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 Madrid

Car rental from Madrid: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Madrid to Alcalá de HenaresSpain30 km (19 mi)about 27 min
Madrid to ValladolidSpain162 km (101 mi)about 2 h 28 min
Madrid to SalamancaSpain176 km (110 mi)about 2 h 41 min
Madrid to BurgosSpain214 km (133 mi)about 3 h 16 min
Madrid to AlbaceteSpain223 km (139 mi)about 3 h 24 min
Madrid to LogroñoSpain251 km (156 mi)about 3 h 49 min
Madrid to ZaragozaSpain274 km (170 mi)about 4 h 11 min
Madrid to Gasteiz / VitoriaSpain284 km (176 mi)about 4 h 20 min
Madrid to LeónSpain288 km (179 mi)about 4 h 24 min
Madrid to JaénSpain294 km (183 mi)about 4 h 29 min
Madrid to CórdobaSpain296 km (184 mi)about 4 h 30 min
Madrid to ValenciaSpain302 km (188 mi)about 4 h 36 min
Madrid to LondonUnited Kingdom1,264 km (785 mi)about 19 h 16 min
Madrid to RomeItaly1,365 km (848 mi)about 20 h 49 min
Madrid to ParisFrance1,052 km (654 mi)about 16 h 3 min
Madrid to HamburgGermany1,786 km (1,110 mi)about 27 h 14 min
Madrid to BarcelonaSpain504 km (313 mi)about 7 h 41 min
Madrid to MunichGermany1,484 km (922 mi)about 22 h 38 min
Madrid to MilanItaly1,188 km (738 mi)about 18 h 7 min
Madrid to PragueCzechia1,772 km (1,101 mi)about 27 h 2 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 Madrid?

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.