London, United Kingdom → Cape Town, South Africa
5,222 nautical miles · Direction: southeast
The straight-line distance from London to Cape Town is 9,671 km (6,009 miles). Cape Town lies roughly south-southeast of London; the initial great-circle bearing is 165° (SSE). It is an international route from United Kingdom to South Africa, crossing from Europe to Africa.
London (England, United Kingdom) sits at 51.5074°N, 0.1278°W; Cape Town (Western Cape, South Africa) is at 33.9249°S, 18.4241°E. The initial great-circle bearing is 165° (SSE); on a great circle the heading changes along the way.
| Mode | Figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| ✈️ Flight | ~12h 35min | Estimate: 800 km/h + 30 min taxi. Not a schedule; total trip time is longer. |
| 🚗 Road | No estimate | No road estimate |
SnapDistance does not publish a road-distance or driving-time figure for London to Cape Town. Although the land is physically connected, a continuous drive would cross several international borders and long corridors where an ordinary road journey cannot be assumed, so a straight-line road estimate would not describe a usable route.
The geographic halfway point of the great-circle path between London and Cape Town lies at approximately 8.9035°N, 10.4841°E — the position that is an equal 4,836 km from each city along that path. It is a geometric midpoint, not a halfway point by road.
Depending on the date, Cape Town (Africa/Johannesburg) is 1 or 2 hours ahead of London (Europe/London), because daylight saving changes on different dates in the two zones or applies in only one of them.
London uses the Pound Sterling (GBP), while Cape Town uses the South African Rand (ZAR). The primary language changes from English in London to English (+ 10 others) in Cape Town.
All routes in United Kingdom · All routes in South Africa
All distances from London · All distances from Cape Town
The straight-line distance from London to Cape Town is approximately 9,671 km (6,009 miles, 5,222 nautical miles).
Cape Town lies roughly south-southeast of London; the initial great-circle bearing is 165° (SSE).
Estimated flight time is about 12h 35min (great-circle distance at 800 km/h plus 30 min for taxi, take-off and landing). It is not an airline schedule; total airport-to-airport trip time is longer.
SnapDistance does not publish a road-distance or driving-time figure for London to Cape Town. Although the land is physically connected, a continuous drive would cross several international borders and long corridors where an ordinary road journey cannot be assumed, so a straight-line road estimate would not describe a usable route.
Depending on the date, Cape Town (Africa/Johannesburg) is 1 or 2 hours ahead of London (Europe/London), because daylight saving changes on different dates in the two zones or applies in only one of them.
Straight-line distance uses the great-circle (Haversine) method. Flight and road figures, where shown, are estimates rather than schedules or live routing. How SnapDistance calculates distances