Madrid
Reaching Madrid from London emits 37.3 kg CO₂e return by rail (16h 6m each way) against 318 kg by air — 9× the carbon. It averages 28.2 °C in August and 6.0 °C in December.
Madrid is Spain's capital and largest city. — Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0
When to go: Madrid is warmest in August (28.2 °C), sunniest in July (14.0 h a day); coldest in December (6.0 °C). Month by month
Getting there
By air: nearest airport Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas (MAD), about 15 km away. Direct from London: yes (LHR, LGW, LCY, LTN, STN). Metro, Cercanías train or airport bus into Madrid. source
| From | Distance | By rail | Rail time | By air | Air time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | 1,481 km | 43.7 kg | 16h 30m | 373 kg | 5h 30m |
| Barcelona | 504 km | 14.9 kg | 4h | 127 kg | 4h 12m |
| Berlin | 1,870 km | 55.2 kg | 21h 54m | 470 kg | 6h |
| Birmingham | 1,349 km | 50.4 kg | 18h 54m | 339 kg | 5h 18m |
| Bristol | 1,230 km | 51.0 kg | 19h 6m | 310 kg | 5h 6m |
| Brussels | 1,316 km | 38.8 kg | 14h 36m | 331 kg | 5h 18m |
| Cardiff | 1,231 km | 54.3 kg | 19h 24m | 310 kg | 5h 6m |
| Copenhagen | 2,072 km | 61.2 kg | 27h 24m | 521 kg | 6h 18m |
| Dublin | 1,449 km | — | — | 365 kg | 5h 24m |
| Edinburgh | 1,728 km | 80.2 kg | 21h 54m | 435 kg | 5h 48m |
| Frankfurt | 1,446 km | 42.7 kg | 16h 48m | 364 kg | 5h 24m |
| Glasgow | 1,718 km | 81.9 kg | 22h | 432 kg | 5h 48m |
| Leeds | 1,497 km | 59.1 kg | 19h 42m | 376 kg | 5h 30m |
| Lisbon | 503 km | 14.9 kg | 9h 12m | 127 kg | 4h 12m |
| Liverpool | 1,446 km | 60.3 kg | 19h 42m | 364 kg | 5h 24m |
| London | 1,264 km | 37.3 kg | 16h 6m | 318 kg | 5h 12m |
| Manchester | 1,457 km | 58.3 kg | 19h 36m | 366 kg | 5h 24m |
| Milan | 1,188 km | 35.1 kg | 17h 18m | 299 kg | 5h 6m |
| Munich | 1,484 km | 43.8 kg | 18h 54m | 373 kg | 5h 30m |
| Newcastle | 1,626 km | 69.3 kg | 20h 24m | 409 kg | 5h 42m |
| Nottingham | 1,407 km | 51.4 kg | 19h 12m | 354 kg | 5h 24m |
| Oslo | 2,388 km | 70.5 kg | 36h 30m | 601 kg | 6h 42m |
| Paris | 1,052 km | 31.1 kg | 11h 48m | 265 kg | 4h 54m |
| Prague | 1,772 km | 52.3 kg | 25h 42m | 446 kg | 5h 54m |
| Rome | 1,365 km | 40.3 kg | 21h 18m | 343 kg | 5h 18m |
| Sheffield | 1,452 km | 55.6 kg | 19h 30m | 365 kg | 5h 24m |
| Southampton | 1,180 km | 46.2 kg | 18h 48m | 297 kg | 5h 6m |
| Stockholm | 2,593 km | 76.5 kg | 33h 42m | 652 kg | 7h |
| Vienna | 1,809 km | 53.4 kg | 24h | 455 kg | 5h 54m |
| Warsaw | 2,290 km | 67.6 kg | 29h 24m | 576 kg | 6h 36m |
| Zurich | 1,247 km | 36.8 kg | 16h 54m | 314 kg | 5h 12m |
The year in Madrid
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp °C | 6.1 | 7.4 | 11.2 | 15.6 | 17.6 | 22.4 | 28.1 | 28.2 | 19.7 | 16.3 | 10.9 | 6.0 |
| Sun h/day | 6.6 | 8.4 | 9.1 | 11.9 | 12.6 | 12.3 | 14.0 | 12.7 | 10.7 | 7.9 | 7.3 | 7.3 |
| Rain mm/day | 1.6 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
When to go
Madrid is warmest in August at 28.2 °C but brightest in July, averaging 14.0 hours of sun a day — the two do not always coincide, which is worth knowing before booking. Its coldest is December at 6.0 °C.
On these lists
Three months worth booking
The same year of measurements, decided rather than tabulated. Each opens the map below on dates in that month.
Staying there
A hotel room in Spain emits about 7 kg CO₂e per night under UK Government 2026 factors — a country average per occupied room, not this or any particular hotel. 7 nights in one room adds roughly 49 kg — about 3.3× the carbon of one person getting there by rail from Barcelona. Two sharing the room halve that share each; the journey does not halve.
How busy it gets
Madrid records 4.5 overnight stays per resident a year (32,320,997 nights in 2024). Comparatively quiet by European standards.
Eurostat, nights spent at tourist accommodation by NUTS 3 region, against resident population. Shown for context only — it plays no part in which destinations appear or in what order. Eurostat does not cover the United Kingdom after 2016, nor North Africa or the Levant at all, so this figure is absent for roughly a third of the destinations here.
Where to stay in Madrid
Places to stay in Madrid, Spain, on a live map. Prices and availability come from Stay22 and its booking partners.
Search places to stay in Madrid →Opens the booking search in a new tab. Same partners as the map below.
Affiliate disclosure. A booking made through this map may earn 0xCarbon a commission, at no extra cost to you. It changes nothing above it: the emissions figures come from UK Government conversion factors and are computed before anyone is paid anything.See the method.
Distances are great-circle. Rail assumes international rail at 0.01135 kg CO₂e per passenger-km with a 1.3× track detour allowance; flights use 0.12576 kg per passenger-km including radiative forcing. Journey times are modelled, not timetabled. Full method.