City Distance Finder
Find the distance between two cities.
How far apart two cities are
This finds the distance between two cities, using their locations from live data. It is useful for travel planning, understanding how far apart places are, or simply satisfying curiosity about the distance between two points on the globe.
Enter two cities to find the distance between them.
Straight-line versus travel distance
An important distinction to understand is between straight-line distance and travel distance. The straight-line, or great-circle, distance is the shortest path over the curved surface of the Earth between two cities — the distance a plane roughly follows and a useful measure of how far apart places truly are. Travel distance by road, however, is usually longer, since roads wind around geography and rarely go straight, so the driving distance between two cities exceeds the straight-line figure, often considerably. Which you want depends on your purpose: straight-line for understanding raw distance or flight paths, road distance for planning a drive. Because the Earth is a sphere, calculating true distance between distant cities means accounting for the planet's curvature, which is why long-distance figures use great-circle calculation rather than flat-map measurement. The lookup uses live location data and needs an internet connection. For understanding how far apart two places are, whether for travel, curiosity, or context, a city distance finder gives a clear answer.
Frequently asked questions
Is this straight-line or driving distance?
Typically the straight-line (great-circle) distance — the shortest path over Earth's curved surface. Road distance is usually longer, since roads wind around geography.
Why does distance calculation account for Earth's curvature?
Because Earth is a sphere, so the true distance between distant cities follows a curve, which great-circle calculation handles rather than flat-map measurement.
Does it need an internet connection?
Yes — it uses live location data, so a connection is needed.