Origin
Paris, KY
Late night in Paris on Friday
Local time
3:51 AM
EDT
Current temp
73°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Paris, KY to Lexington, KY
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
32m
Distance
22.8 mi
37 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 30m
★
6 AM
0h 33m
8 AM
0h 38m
10 AM
0h 35m
12 PM
0h 34m
3 PM
0h 35m
5 PM
0h 38m
8 PM
0h 31m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Paris, KY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 22.8-mile drive from Paris, KY to Lexington, KY, will take you about 32 minutes to complete. It's a straightforward trip that's perfect for a single-day adventure, with no need to break it up into an overnight stay. You'll be navigating a mix of local roads, with a low highway share of 5%, making for a more direct, turn-heavy experience. With an estimated fuel cost of just $4, this is an economical option for exploring the Southeast region of Kentucky. This route is ideal if you're looking for a quick transition between two nearby points without much time commitment.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 32m. Total distance: 22.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
32m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (5%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a turn-heavy local drive on this route, characterized by its profile. The journey primarily utilizes Lexington Road, Paris Pike, and West New Circle Road, offering a varied driving experience. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 6.8 miles on Lexington Road. Given its low highway share of 5%, this drive is less about high-speed cruising and more about navigating through local areas, providing a more connected feel to the landscape you're passing through.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Lexington Road is the longest continuous segment at about 6.8 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 early in the drive near US 68 Business / High 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 32m drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (US 68 Business / High Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (US 68 Business / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 15.6 miles (KY 4 / West New Circle Road): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 9 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 68 Business / High Street
Turn left onto US 68 Business / High Street
Navigation decision point
4
0.4 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 68 Business / Main Street
At end of road, turn right onto US 68 Business / Main Street
Navigation decision point
4
15.6 mi into trip
|
~19m in
|
KY 4 / West New Circle Road
Turn left onto KY 4 / West New Circle Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
20.8 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Take the exit toward Alumni Drive
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 16
Toward Alumni Drive
4
21.4 mi into trip
|
~29m in
|
Yellowstone Parkway
Turn right onto Yellowstone Parkway
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Lexington Road | 6.8 mi | 7m |
| Paris Pike | 5.9 mi | 6m |
| West New Circle Road | 5.2 mi | 8m |
| North Broadway | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Main Street | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| Pimlico Parkway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Alumni Drive | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| High Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Lexington Road
— 6.8 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Paris, KY and Lexington, KY.
1
Start on this road
46 ft
·
8 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto US 68 Business
0.4 mi
·
33 sec
·
High Street
3
At end of road, turn right onto US 68 Business
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Main Street
4
Continue on US 27; US 68
6.8 mi
·
7 min
·
Lexington Road
5
Continue on US 27; US 68
5.9 mi
·
6 min
·
Paris Pike
6
Continue on US 27; US 68
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
North Broadway
7
Turn left onto KY 4
5.2 mi
·
8 min
·
West New Circle Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
37 sec
Exit 16
Toward Alumni Drive
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn left onto Alumni Drive
0.4 mi
·
48 sec
·
Alumni Drive
10
Turn right onto Yellowstone Parkway
0.3 mi
·
48 sec
·
Yellowstone Parkway
11
Turn right onto Pimlico Parkway
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Pimlico Parkway
12
Turn right onto Gainesway Drive
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
Gainesway Drive
13
Turn right onto Coldstream Drive
261 ft
·
9 sec
·
Coldstream Drive
14
Arrive at destination
Coldstream Drive
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.56 one way
$7.13 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $3.91 | $7.83 |
| premium | $4.89 | $4.39 | $8.78 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.03 | $10.07 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.39 | $1.09 |
| Efficient EV | 5.7 | 0 | $1.99 | $0.91 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.1 | 0 | $3.19 | $1.46 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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.
Destination
Lexington, KY
Late night in Lexington on Friday
Local time
3:51 AM
EDT
Current temp
73°F
Unavailable
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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
32m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Paris, KY to Lexington, KY covers 22.8 miles and takes about 32m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Lexington Road, Paris Pike, West New Circle Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 11.4 miles from Paris, KY. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.56 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 32m drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (US 68 Business / High Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (US 68 Business / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 15.6 miles (KY 4 / West New Circle Road): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Paris, KY to Lexington, KY does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Camp Nelson National Monument.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. National park proximity is from the NPS API. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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