🇪🇸 Same-country drive · Spain
Driving from Zaragoza to Palma
A practical guide for your drive and ferry crossing from Zaragoza to Palma, including navigation tips for the A-23 and the Spanish motorway network.
- Drive time
- 10h 42m
- Distance
- 675 km
- Same day?
- Long day
- under 12 h
- Fuel cost
- ≈ €78
- petrol · diesel ≈ €70
- Tolls
- ≈ €61
- per-km
- EV charging
- Unknown
- not yet surveyed
On this page
Route map
Route options
Other paths OSRM found between the two cities — handy when traffic, tolls, or scenery matter more than raw speed.
Shortest
+0m- Distance:
- 568 km (−106 km)
- Duration:
- 10h 43m
Via: AP-2 · Barcelona – Alcúdia · AP-7 · Ma-13
How else can you make this trip?
Driving is the focus of this guide; here's how cycling, coach, and (soon) train and plane stack up for the same pair.
10h 42m
675 km · €78 fuel
See details ↓
Not realistic
675 km is far beyond a typical multi-day cycle tour. Try a shorter pair like a day or weekend stage.
No direct service
Our coach data (FlixBus + BlaBlaCar) doesn't list a direct service for this pair. National operators (e.g., National Express in the UK, Eurolines feeders) may still cover it — check their site directly.
What the drive is like
Drafted from the route's computed data on April 25, 2026 and reviewed against the route summary card. Read our methodology.
You leave Zaragoza on the A-23, climbing through the arid, scrub-covered landscape of Aragon before the route eases into the wide Mediterranean coastal plains. As you connect to the A-7 and eventually the AP-7 toward the coast, the pace of the drive shifts; the traffic thickens considerably as you approach the logistics hubs surrounding Valencia and the busy ports. Keep a steady eye on the speedometer, as Spain’s 120 km/h limit on motorways is strictly enforced by both fixed cameras and unmarked patrol vehicles. Expect to encounter distance-based tolls on the AP-7, so keep your payment card or change ready for the automated booths that break up the long stretches of coastal highway.
The final leg requires a ferry crossing from the Valencian coast to the Balearic Islands, which effectively turns your road trip into a sea voyage. Make sure you arrive at the port terminal well in advance of your scheduled departure to handle the boarding process for your vehicle. Driving in Mallorca requires a different mindset; while the main arteries are well-maintained, the interior roads often narrow into winding lanes that demand patience and a smaller vehicle if you plan on exploring the Serra de Tramuntana. Regardless of where you stop, keep in mind that coastal winds can pick up unexpectedly, so secure any roof cargo before heading to the ferry terminal.
Fuel prices are generally competitive across the mainland, but it is wise to fill up before reaching the coastal urban centers where station locations can be fragmented. There is no vignette system in Spain, but be prepared for the transition to island driving where the rhythm of traffic slows down significantly compared to the high-speed corridors of the mainland. If you arrive in Palma during peak summer months, prepare for heavy congestion in the city center; parking is tight, and navigating the narrow, historic streets of the old town is often more trouble than it is worth compared to using local transit.
Route highlights
- The transition from the arid Ebro Valley plains to the coastal Mediterranean landscape
- The port facilities in Valencia or Dénia for the Balearic ferry crossing
- Navigating the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range once on the island
- The historic center of Zaragoza before departing the city
Trip plan
How to think about the drive: one day, split, or overnight.
Overnight recommended
Too long for a single-driver day. Plan on 1 overnight stop(s) to do this trip right.
A natural overnight stop near the halfway point: Segorbe (es).
- Distance:
- 675 km
- Duration:
- 10h 42m (free-flow, no traffic)
Where to stop
Places along the route that make natural breaks for coffee, lunch, or a night.
-
Teruel 🇪🇸 es
≈135 km≈ 36.7 km detour from the main route
-
Sagunto 🇪🇸 es
≈270 km≈ 14.9 km detour from the main route
-
Ondara 🇪🇸 es
≈405 km≈ 16.2 km detour from the main route
-
Ibiza 🇪🇸 es
≈540 km≈ 1.5 km detour from the main route
Key moves
Things to know before you set off — borders, sides of the road, tolls.
Tolls on motorways in ES
Budget for motorway tolls — France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal charge per-km, Croatia and Greece by section. Contactless cards work almost everywhere; have one loaded.
Long rural stretch on Gandia - Eivissa
Plan for about 149 km of two-lane country roads. Slower than motorway, but often the pretty part — fewer overtakes after dark.
Long rural stretch on Palma - Eivissa
Plan for about 130 km of two-lane country roads. Slower than motorway, but often the pretty part — fewer overtakes after dark.
Must-know before you go
The things a driver from another country wouldn't think to ask about — fines, stickers, payment cards, opening hours.
City access & emission zones
Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla now run ZBE low-emission zones
Must knowSpain's Zonas de Bajas Emisiones (ZBE) cover central Madrid (24/7), Barcelona inside the Rondes (weekdays 7:00–20:00), Sevilla, Valencia and a growing list. Foreign plates need to register at the city portal in advance — your Euro emission class determines whether you get in. Without registration, cameras log entry and the fine reaches your home address.
Tolls, vignettes & road payment
Most Spanish tolls were abolished in 2024
TipThe AP-1, AP-7 (Bilbao stretch) and most of the Mediterranean coast highways are now toll-free. A handful remain: AP-9 (Galicia), AP-66 (León–Asturias), Catalonia's C-32/C-16 tunnel approach. Spain is no longer a high-toll country for cars — your fuel + a few specific bridge fees is the realistic budget.
Driving rules & habits
Plan your stops, not just your finish time
UsefulOSRM gives you free-flow drive time. Realistic add: 10% on motorway-heavy routes, 25% if you're crossing two cities. Eat at off-peak hours (11:30 lunch, 18:00 dinner) — service-area queues at noon kill 20 minutes. EU fatigue research is consistent: 15-minute break every 2 hours, full 45-minute break before 6 hours. The drive between hours 7 and 9 is where avoidable accidents cluster.
Fuel stations
Off-motorway stations close late evening
TipSpanish provincial fuel stations often close 22:00–07:00, especially in the south. Motorway services (Cepsa, Repsol on the autovía) run 24/7. If you're routing through an Andalusian backroad, fuel before sunset and don't bank on a small-town pump.
Contactless cards work at virtually every motorway pump
TipMajor brand stations (Shell, Total, BP, Repsol, Cepsa, OMV, Eni, Esso) take Visa and Mastercard contactless without an issue. American Express and Diners are spotty south of the Alps. A €100 pre-authorisation hold is normal — it releases within 5 days. Carry €50 cash for the rare independent station.
Money & connectivity
EU roaming covers calls, texts and data at no extra cost
TipYour home EU SIM works at home rates across every EU member, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The "fair use" cap on data only applies if you're abroad more than four months. For a 2-week road trip, just use your phone normally — but switch off "data roaming" if you're leaving the EU into UK / CH for any segment.
Emergency & breakdown
112 works everywhere in the EU and continental neighbours
TipSingle number for police, ambulance, fire — works from any phone, any network, any country. On motorways, the orange SOS pillars every 2km connect direct to the regional traffic control centre and pinpoint your location. Use them over your phone if you can — it speeds the response.
Rules, fees, and thresholds change. Always verify against the official source the day before you drive — this page is a checklist, not a legal reference.
Main roads
The highways this route spends the most kilometres on.
-
A-23 Autovía Mudéjar273 km
-
AP-7 Autopista de la Mediterrània / Autopista del Mediterráneo45 km
-
A-7 Autovia de la Mediterrània45 km
-
A-38 —3 km
-
V-23 —3 km
-
N-330 Carretera de Alicante a Francia por Zaragoza3 km
-
Ma-1 Avinguda de Gabriel Roca2 km
Route character
How much of the drive is motorway vs. secondary vs. rural.
Mixed motorway + secondary — varied pace, some scenic stretches.
- Motorway
- 55%
- Secondary
- 1%
- Other / rural
- 44%
Drive difficulty
At-a-glance feel: how demanding is this drive for one driver?
Overall
Demanding
Tough drive — multiple complicating factors compound fatigue. Strongly recommend splitting across days.
- Long drive: 10h 42m behind the wheel at free-flow speeds.
- About 280 km on non-motorway roads where speeds and conditions vary.
Fuel & tolls
Rough cost expectation for a typical EU passenger car. Treat as an estimate — pump prices change weekly.
Petrol (RON 95)
≈ €78
50.6 L × €1.54 / L · 7.5 L/100 km
Diesel
≈ €70
40.5 L × €1.72 / L · 6 L/100 km
Electric (DC fast)
≈ €76
118 kWh × €0.64 / kWh · 17.5 kWh/100 km
Public DC fast charging — slower AC charging at home or hotels typically costs about half.
Motorway tolls & vignettes
≈ €61
- ES — €0.09/km on the motorway network (≈ 675 km in-country ≈ €61) Toll-free on the A-network; charged only on AP roads.
Prices last refreshed 2026-05-11.
Weather by month
Average daytime high / overnight low and typical monthly rainfall, over the past five years.
🇪🇸 Zaragoza
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
12°
4°
|
14°
5°
|
18°
8°
|
22°
10°
|
26°
13°
|
32°
18°
|
34°
20°
|
35°
21°
|
27°
16°
|
23°
14°
|
17°
9°
|
12°
5°
|
| 31mm | 34mm | 58mm | 28mm | 44mm | 48mm | 9mm | 15mm | 57mm | 76mm | 24mm | 25mm |
hot mild cold
🇪🇸 Palma
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
16°
9°
|
16°
8°
|
18°
11°
|
21°
12°
|
24°
15°
|
29°
20°
|
32°
23°
|
32°
23°
|
28°
20°
|
25°
18°
|
20°
13°
|
16°
9°
|
| 35mm | 68mm | 76mm | 42mm | 53mm | 37mm | 16mm | 34mm | 62mm | 42mm | 51mm | 34mm |
hot mild cold
Next 5 days at Palma
Live forecast — refreshes every few hours.
-
Thu 21
☀️
27° / 17°
—
-
Fri 22
☀️
28° / 17°
—
-
Sat 23
☀️
28° / 16°
—
-
Sun 24
☀️
29° / 18°
—
-
Mon 25
☀️
29° / 19°
—
Forecast: MET Norway
Directions
Turn-by-turn summary of the main manoeuvres, generated by OSRM.
Show all 29 manoeuvres
- Paseo de Echegaray y Caballero 1 km
- Paseo de María Agustín 0.2 km
- Rotonda Ciudad de Toulouse
- Rotonda Ciudad de Toulouse
- Vía Ibérica 2 km
- Carretera de Alicante a Francia por Zaragoza (N-330) 3 km
- Carretera de Alicante a Francia por Zaragoza (N-330)
- — 0.1 km
- — 0.2 km
- Autovía Mudéjar (A-23) 273 km
- Autovía Mudéjar (A-23) 1.0 km
- (V-23) 3 km
- — 2 km
- Autovia de la Mediterrània (A-7) 45 km
- Autopista de la Mediterrània / Autopista del Mediterráneo (AP-7) 45 km
- (A-38) 3 km
- — 0.5 km
- Carrer dels Degans
- Carrer del Palangre
- Carrer de la Goleta
- Carrer de la Goleta
- —
- Gandia - Eivissa 149 km
- Palma - Eivissa 130 km
- —
- —
- Avinguda de Gabriel Roca (Ma-1) 2 km
- Plaça de la Reina
- Carrer de la Cadena
Frequently asked
Do I need a vignette for Spanish motorways?
No, Spain does not use a vignette system. You will encounter distance-based tolls on certain sections of the AP-7, which can be paid by card or cash at the toll plazas.
What should I be aware of when driving in Mallorca?
While the motorways are straightforward, many roads in the interior and near the mountains are narrow and winding. Parking in Palma city center is limited, so look for public car parks on the outskirts.
Is the ferry included in the navigation time?
The duration provided accounts for the driving time to the port, but you must ensure you book your specific ferry crossing in advance as these operate on strict schedules independent of your road travel.
How this page is built
Compiled by COD Solutions Oy from open European data — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for the route geometry, Open-Meteo for monthly climate normals, and Google Gemini drafts the narrative and FAQ from the computed route data. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.