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Trip from Farmington, CT to Meriden, CT

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

23m

Distance

18.1 mi

29 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 6 min
4 AM
0h 21m ★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 27m
10 AM
0h 25m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 27m
8 PM
0h 22m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Downtown Farmington, CT, CT

Farmington, CT

David Kanigan

Downtown Meriden, CT, CT

Meriden, CT

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Farmington to Meriden is 18.1 miles and takes about 23 minutes via I 691 and local roads, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Connecticut, moving from the Northeast region to the Northeast region. Expect a drive that involves frequent turns and navigating local streets, making it a more hands-on experience than a simple highway cruise. It's a straightforward hop perfect for a quick transition between towns, with minimal time commitment.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 23m. Total distance: 18.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

23m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (24%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

This route leans heavily on local roads, with about 24% of the drive on highways like I 691. You'll encounter a 'turn-heavy local drive' profile, meaning you should be prepared for frequent adjustments to your direction. The longest continuous stretch you'll experience is 4.4 miles on I 691, offering a brief period of steady driving before you transition back to navigating Queen Street and North Main Street. This back-and-forth between highway and city streets is the defining characteristic of the journey.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
I 691 is the longest continuous segment at about 4.4 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 10.1 miles in near CT 10 / South Main Street.

Driving Effort 4/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 23m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 10.1 miles (CT 10 / South Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 12.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 17 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 6 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

3
10.1 mi into trip | ~12m in | CT 10 / South Main Street

Continue onto CT 10 / South Main Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.
6
12.4 mi into trip | ~15m in

Take the exit toward I 691 East: Meriden

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early

Toward I 691 East: Meriden
7
17 mi into trip | ~20m in

Take the exit toward Meriden

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 2B Toward Meriden
5
17.4 mi into trip | ~22m in | Colony Street

At end of road, turn right onto Colony Street

Navigation decision point

4
17.9 mi into trip | ~22m in | West Main Street

Turn right onto West Main Street

Navigation decision point

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 691 4.4 mi 5m
Queen Street 2.4 mi 3m
North Main Street 2.4 mi 3m
Main Street 2.1 mi 2m
East Street 1.7 mi 2m
Farmington Avenue 1.4 mi 1m
South Main Street 1.2 mi 1m
Highland Avenue 0.5 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 691 — 4.4 mi, about 5m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Farmington, CT and Meriden, CT.

1

Start on CT 10

2.1 mi · 2 min · Main Street
2

Continue on CT 10

1.4 mi · 1 min · Farmington Avenue
3

Continue on CT 10

1.7 mi · 2 min · East Street
Use the straight lane.
4

Continue on CT 10

2.4 mi · 3 min · Queen Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
5

Continue on CT 10

2.4 mi · 3 min · North Main Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
6

Continue on CT 10

1.2 mi · 1 min · South Main Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
7

Continue on CT 10

0.4 mi · 27 sec · Norton Street
8

Turn straight onto CT 10

0.2 mi · 15 sec · Cheshire Road
9

Continue on CT 10

0.5 mi · 44 sec · Highland Avenue
10

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 16 sec
Toward I 691 East: Meriden
11

Merge onto I 691

4.4 mi · 5 min · I 691
12

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 22 sec
Exit 2B Toward Meriden Use the slight right lane.
13

Turn slight left onto Columbia Street

0.3 mi · 43 sec · Columbia Street
14

At end of road, turn right onto Colony Street

0.4 mi · 55 sec · Colony Street
15

Turn right onto West Main Street

0.2 mi · 24 sec · West Main Street
16

Arrive at destination

West Main Street

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.91 one way

$5.83 round trip

$4.09/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.50 $3.21 $6.41
premium $4.86 $3.47 $6.93
diesel $5.61 $4.00 $7.99

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 6.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 5.4 0 $1.90 $0.87
Efficient EV 4.5 0 $1.58 $0.72
EV Truck/SUV 7.2 0 $2.53 $1.16

Gas CO2

6 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (67% less)

This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.

DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Apr 17, 2026

Origin

Farmington, CT

Night in Farmington on Friday

Local time

11:37 PM

EDT

Current temp

28°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Meriden, CT

Night in Meriden on Friday

Local time

11:37 PM

EDT

Current temp

74°F

Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms

N 9 mph 54% chance Live forecast

Time zone

Same local time

Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.

Temperature spread

46 degrees warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

23m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Farmington, CT to Meriden, CT covers 18.1 miles and takes about 23m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are I 691, Queen Street, North Main Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 9 miles from Farmington, CT. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.91 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.

Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.

This is a straightforward 23m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

The main spots that need attention: at 10.1 miles (CT 10 / South Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 12.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 17 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

The route from Farmington, CT to Meriden, CT does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

How this page is built

Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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