Origin
Franklin, TN
Late night in Franklin on Tuesday
Local time
3:10 AM
CDT
Current temp
76°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Franklin, TN to Nashville, TN
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
29m
Distance
22 mi
35 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 27m
★
6 AM
0h 29m
8 AM
0h 34m
10 AM
0h 31m
12 PM
0h 30m
3 PM
0h 31m
5 PM
0h 34m
8 PM
0h 28m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Franklin, TN
Wikimedia Commons
Nashville, TN
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling the 22 miles from Franklin to Nashville is a quick, straightforward journey that typically takes about 29 minutes. Because this is a short, localized trip within the Southeast, you can easily complete the entire route in a single day without needing an overnight stay. Expect to spend roughly $3 on fuel, making this a very budget-friendly commute. You will rely primarily on I-65 and the Downtown Loop to navigate between these two Tennessee cities. It is a highly practical drive for those looking to transition from the suburbs into the heart of the state capital.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 65 | 17 mi | 19m |
| Murfreesboro Road | 2.4 mi | 3m |
| Downtown Loop | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. Boulevard | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| 3rd Avenue South | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| George L Davis Boulevard | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| 7th Avenue North | 0.2 mi | 1m |
| Public Square | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 65
— 17 mi, about 19m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Franklin, TN and Nashville, TN.
1
Start on US 31 Business; TN 96
418 ft
·
7 sec
·
Public Square
2
Continue on 3rd Avenue South
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
·
3rd Avenue South
Use the straight / right lanes.
3
Continue on SR 96
2.4 mi
·
3 min
·
Murfreesboro Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
Use the left lane.
5
Merge onto I 65
17 mi
·
18 min
·
I 65
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight left at fork onto I 65
0.4 mi
·
55 sec
·
I 65
Exit 82A
Toward I 40 West, I 65 North: Memphis, Louisville
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
7
Merge onto I 40; I 65
0.6 mi
·
45 sec
·
Downtown Loop
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 209
Toward Church Street, Charlotte Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn straight onto US 70
0.3 mi
·
28 sec
·
George L Davis Boulevard
Use the straight / left lanes.
10
Turn right onto Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. Boulevard
Use the right lane.
11
Turn left onto 7th Avenue North
0.2 mi
·
1 min
·
7th Avenue North
12
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 2.9 and 20.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
2.9 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Take the exit
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
3.2 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
I 65
Merge onto I 65
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
19.7 mi into trip
|
~23m in
|
I 65
Keep slight left at fork onto I 65 toward I 40 West, I 65 North: Memphis, Louisville
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Exit 82A
Toward I 40 West, I 65 North: Memphis, Louisvil...
5
20.1 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
I 40; I 65 / Downtown Loop
Merge onto I 40; I 65 / Downtown Loop
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
20.7 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Take the exit toward Church Street, Charlotte Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 209
Toward Church Street, Charlotte Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.44 one way
$6.88 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $3.78 | $7.55 |
| premium | $4.89 | $4.23 | $8.47 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.86 | $9.71 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.7 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 | 6.6 | 0 | $2.31 | $1.06 |
| Efficient EV | 5.5 | 0 | $1.92 | $0.88 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.8 | 0 | $3.08 | $1.41 |
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
Nashville, TN
Late night in Nashville on Tuesday
Local time
3:10 AM
CDT
Current temp
78°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
2 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
29m 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.
What kind of drive is this?
This is a highway-focused drive, with 77% of your time spent on major thoroughfares. You will experience a significant 17-mile stretch on I-65, which serves as the backbone of your journey before you transition into the Downtown Loop. While the route is efficient, it lacks the technical variety of backroads, favoring direct, high-speed travel instead. You should be prepared for a consistent, interstate-heavy experience that prioritizes speed over scenic detours. Once you exit the interstate, the character of the road shifts slightly as you navigate the final approach into the city center.
77% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 17 mi on I 65.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 65 and Murfreesboro Road. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.9 miles in.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 22 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 29m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 3.2 miles (I 65): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 19.7 miles (I 65): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Franklin, TN to Nashville, TN, road signs begin pointing toward Louisville along the way.
Louisville
19.7 mi in
|
~23m
|
via I 65
About the Cities
Starting in Franklin, TN
Full guide →Franklin is a city of 81,000 people (2018) in Tennessee, just a few miles south of Nashville. There are two main areas of interest. One is the Cool Springs area, which is identified by its corporate and retail growth surrounding one of the largest malls in the Southeast, the CoolSprings Galleria. The other is historic downtown Franklin which retains much of its small town charm. It is a walkable, friendly historic downtown district, recognized as a Great American Main Street.
Arriving in Nashville, TN
Full guide →Nashville is the capital of the American state of Tennessee. With 716,000 residents in 2022, it is the state's largest city. Nashville is sometimes called the "Country Music Capital of the World" or more often "Music City, USA"; however, Nashville has done much to escape its country music image and become a regional center of culture and commerce. In fact, Dell, Nissan, and Amazon have all moved some operations to or near the city. The music is various; major rap artists and rock bands (Jelly Roll, Young Buck, Haystak, Kings of Leon, Paramore, and Ben Folds) claim Nashville as their hometown, and the city is also the epicenter of the contemporary Christian music industry. Nashville has been the home of the world-famous Grand Ole Opry since 1925. Nashville also has a great bar scene. If you like to drink, you can go "Honky-tonking," also known as bar-hopping.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 29m. Total distance: 22 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
29m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (77%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 17 miles on I 65. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Nashville, TN before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 2.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 3.2 miles (I 65): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 19.7 miles (I 65): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Stones River National Battlefield. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Nashville, TN before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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