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UpToWhere · Can you see it?

Can you see Puig Major, Mallorca from Barcelona (Tibidabo)?

Yes — you can

188 km line of sight toward the south-southeast (bearing 162°), computed on 30 m Copernicus terrain with Earth curvature and standard atmospheric refraction.

Every few winters, a photo of Mallorca taken from the Catalan coast goes viral and the same argument erupts: can you actually see the island from Barcelona, or is it always a trick of the light?

3D terrain view from Barcelona (Tibidabo) toward Puig Major, Mallorca
Straight-line distance188 km
Direction162° south-southeast
Observer eye level521 m
Target elevation1,435 m
Curvature drop at the target2,423 m
Clearance margin+24 m

From Barcelona (Tibidabo), at an eye level of 521 m, the sightline to Puig Major, Mallorca runs 188 km and clears every ridge in between. Over that distance Earth's curvature drops the target 2,423 m below a flat-earth line — but at 1,435 m, it still rises above the horizon. The view is geometrically real: whether you actually get it depends on haze, not terrain. The tightest squeeze is mid-path, where the sightline passes just 24 m above the terrain at km 188.

The line on the map

Satellite map with the sightline from Barcelona (Tibidabo) to Puig Major, Mallorca drawn in red
The 188 km sightline over satellite imagery, drawn as the great-circle path light would follow.

The terrain profile

-0 m2,000 m4,000 m sea level (curved) sightlineBarcelonaPuig Major 0 km188 km50100150
Elevation profile from Barcelona (Tibidabo) to Puig Major, Mallorca. Like every elevation profile, the vertical axis is stretched (≈15× here) — but the geometry is real: mid-path, Earth's surface genuinely stands 696 m above the straight line between the two points (the dashed arc is sea level). Light bends only slightly around that bulge, so whatever it covers stays hidden.
Check your own two points with the calculator →

Frequently asked questions

Can you see Puig Major, Mallorca from Barcelona (Tibidabo)?

Yes. The terrain-limited line of sight is clear across 188 km, accounting for Earth's curvature and standard atmospheric refraction. Atmospheric haze is the only thing that can hide the view.

How far is Puig Major, Mallorca from Barcelona (Tibidabo) in a straight line?

188 km great-circle distance, on a bearing of 162° (south-southeast).

How much does Earth's curvature hide over 188 km?

At the target's distance the curvature drop is about 2,423 m: anything lower than that (relative to the observer's horizon plane) is hidden behind the bulge of the Earth. Puig Major, Mallorca is tall enough to rise above it.

How was this calculated?

UpToWhere walks the full terrain profile between the two points on 30 m-resolution Copernicus GLO-30 elevation data, applying Earth curvature and standard atmospheric refraction (k = 0.13) — the same physics surveyors use. You can run the same point-to-point check between any two places on Earth.

More famous sightlines

Wondering about a different pair?

The free calculator shows how far you can see from any point on Earth. Pro adds point-to-point checks — this exact analysis, between any two places you choose.

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