- Flight
- about 2.5 hours
- Departs
- Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas
- Lands at
- Heathrow
- Time difference
- London is 1 hour behind
- Currency
- Pounds sterling, in cash
Madrid to London is about two and a half hours, and London is one hour behind. Spain is the fourth largest source of visitors to London, and this is its busiest route.
British Airways and Iberia are the same company
Both belong to IAG, so Madrid to Heathrow is effectively one coordinated schedule flown under two names. The timings sit close together and the fares usually do too. It is worth checking both anyway, because the connecting fares can differ even when the flights do not.
Ryanair and easyJet fly the route to Stansted, Gatwick and Luton. Cheaper, and an hour or more further out at the London end.
Two and a half hours, one hour of clock
Spain keeps the same clock as France and Germany, an hour ahead of London, and changes it on the same dates. So you lose an hour of the day going north and get it back coming home, and there is nothing else to adjust to.
The evening starts earlier here
This catches Spanish visitors out more than the flight does. London eats at seven or eight, not ten, and the evening winds down correspondingly early. Anything arranged for eleven at night is late by local standards rather than normal. Plan the evening the way Londoners do and it works better.
What applies in England and Wales
Different from Spain, and worth reading rather than assuming. Paying another adult for sex, in private, is not an offence in England and Wales. Running premises, soliciting in the street and controlling someone for gain all are. The UK law guide covers it, and the rates guide has the measured London figures, which run higher than Madrid.
Before you book
Visitors from Spain who do not need a visa still need an electronic travel authorisation, or ETA, before they fly. It is a short online application, and it should be made through the official GOV.UK ETA service, not a site that charges extra to do it for you. The rules change, so check them before you book.
When to get in touch
London runs 1 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 12pm and 12am your time land during London working hours, which is when replies actually come. For most people that is the evening and the night, so send in the evening and expect the answer to be waiting when you wake.
Areas near where you land at Heathrow
The big figure is the straight line distance from the airport in miles, and nothing about travel time, which in London is always longer. Each page has the stations, the route from Heathrow and the measured rates.
Also close to where you land, with no profiles of their own but a guide to getting there and how outcall works: Feltham, Hayes, Hounslow, Southall.
Other cities in Southern Europe and Turkey
See every departure city
Cities with a similar flight time
Common questions
How long is the flight from Madrid to London?
The flight from Adolfo Suarez Madrid Barajas takes about 2.5 hours. Add the connection time if your fare has a stop, and allow for getting to and through the airport at both ends.
What is the time difference between Madrid and London?
London is 1 hour behind. The United Kingdom and most other countries change their clocks on different dates, so for a few weeks each spring and autumn the gap shifts by an hour.
What time should I message from Madrid?
London runs 1 hours behind you. Messages sent between about 12pm and 12am your time land during London working hours, which is when replies actually come. For most people that is the evening and the night, so send in the evening and expect the answer to be waiting when you wake.
Which London airport do flights from Madrid land at?
Most land at Heathrow, about fifteen miles west of central London and on the Piccadilly line and the Elizabeth line. Some services use Gatwick, to the south, so check the airport on your ticket before you book a hotel.
Do I need an ETA to fly from Madrid to London?
Most visitors from Spain who do not need a visa need an electronic travel authorisation, or ETA, before they fly. Apply through the official GOV.UK service only, and check the current rules before you book, because they change.
Do I need to arrange things before I fly?
It helps. Good diaries fill days ahead, and arranging from home means you are doing it awake and unhurried instead of jet lagged in an unfamiliar city.
Is escorting legal in the UK?
Yes, in England and Wales it is legal for two consenting adults to exchange sex or company for money. What is illegal is the activity around it, such as soliciting in the street, running a brothel or controlling someone else's work. The Crown Prosecution Service sets this out in its published guidance.
Is prostitution legal in the UK?
Selling and buying sex between consenting adults is not itself a crime in England, Wales or Scotland. Northern Ireland is the exception, where paying for sex has been an offence since 1 June 2015. Public soliciting, brothel keeping and exploiting another person's work are offences in different forms across the UK.