Travel time from London to Madrid

How long does it really take to fly from London to Madrid? Here's a sample itinerary for a commercial flight plan. If you want to know the total travel time to reach Madrid, you need to include time at the airports. Eventually, you'll be able to customize this itinerary to select other nearby airports and choose your preferred airline.

Tuesday, 1:51 pm:  start in London
drive for about 1 hour
most airlines recommend you get to the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight, so arrive by 4:00 pm at the latest

3:05 pm:  London Gatwick (LGW)
if you need to check luggage, make sure you do it at least 30-60 minutes before departure, or in this case, by 4:30 pm

3:35 pm:  get your boarding pass and go through TSA security
allow enough time for long security lines during busy travel seasons or holidays, and prepare for the wait time

4:35 pm:  arrive at the gate
once you're ready to board, you can get something to eat in the airport or just relax near the gate

5:05 pm:  prepare for boarding
check your boarding pass for your group number or listen to the gate agent as they announce boarding, some airlines require you to be in the boarding area 10-15 minutes before departure or risk losing your seat

5:20 pm:  board Air Europa flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route

5:30 pm:  this is your scheduled departure time
but remember flights can be delayed, so take that into account
it takes the plane an average of 15 minutes to taxi to the runway

5:45 pm:  wheels up! take-off from LGW
fly for about 2 hours in the air

8:49 pm (local time):  Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas (MAD)
Madrid is 1 hour ahead of London
so the time in London is actually 7:49 pm
taxi on the runway for an average of 15 minutes to the gate

9:04 pm (local time):  arrive at the gate at MAD
deboard the plane, and claim any baggage
if you're renting a car, check if you need to take a shuttle to car rental agency, otherwise you can ride in a cab, limo, or Uber for about 26 minutes to your destination

9:30 pm (local time):  arrive in Madrid

Total travel time: 7 hours

How far is Madrid from London? Here's the quick answer if you have a private jet and you can fly in the fastest possible straight line.

Flight distance: 785 miles or 1263 km

Flight time: 2 hours, 4 minutes

Compare this to a whole day of commercial travel with the airports and waiting in line for security, which ends up taking a total of 6 hours, 39 minutes.

Flying private is roughly 3.3x faster, and saves you about 4.5 hours in your total travel time.

Because of the curvature of the Earth, the shortest distance is actually the "great circle" distance, or "as the crow flies" which is calculated using an iterative Vincenty formula. For a long distance, this appears as a curve on the map, and this is often the route that commercial airlines will take so it's a good estimate of the frequent flyer miles you'll accumulate as well.

This is a medium length flight, so unless you have a nice private jet, you might be booking a commercial flight. In that case, your travel time would really need to include how many minutes to get to your local airport, wait for security, board and taxi on the runway, land at the other airport, and get to your destination. The flight itinerary at the top of the page takes into account all these factors to get a more accurate estimate of your actual flight time.

The most common route is LGW to MAD, so that's what we used in the sample itinerary. However, you may want to explore travel alternatives, you could try one of these routes:

1. LHR to MAD
   London Heathrow to Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas
2. LTN to MAD
   London Luton to Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas
3. STN to MAD
   London Stansted to Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas
4. LGW to MAD
   London Gatwick to Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas
5. LHR to TOJ
   London Heathrow to Torrejon AFB
6. BQH to MAD
   Biggin Hill to Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas
7. LTN to TOJ
   London Luton to Torrejon AFB
8. LCY to MAD
   London City to Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas
9. STN to TOJ
   London Stansted to Torrejon AFB
10. LGW to TOJ
    London Gatwick to Torrejon AFB
11. BQH to TOJ
    Biggin Hill to Torrejon AFB
12. LCY to TOJ
    London City to Torrejon AFB

We picked Air Europa for your main flight, but there are other airlines that you should check if you're looking for the cheapest flight, or you need a different schedule. Check the websites of these airlines:

1. Air Europa (UX)
2. British Airways Plc (BA)
3. Iberia Air Lines Of Spain (IB)

Trippy has a ton of information that can help you plan your trip to Madrid, Spain. Start by reading the Trippy page on where to stay in Madrid. If you're looking for a place to stay, you might want to check out Radisson Blu Hotel, Madrid Prado. A great place to eat might be Mercado de San Miguel. Trippy members can suggest things to do in Madrid like Plaza Mayor. Check out some of the questions people have asked about Madrid like Should we spend 3 days in Madrid in January? Click the button below to explore Madrid in detail.

The distance is the same either way if you're flying a straight line. But for a real trip, there can be plenty of differences so go ahead and check the reverse flight itinerary to fly from Madrid to London, or go to the main page to calculate other flight times.

You can also compare the travel time if you were to drive instead. Get the full itinerary for a London to Madrid road trip. Or if you're more interested in the distance, How far is it from London to Madrid?

If you happen to know London, don't forget to help other travelers and answer some questions about London!