Asking How Far Something Is

You want to know the distance or walking time to your destination.

You
Disculpe, ¿qué tan lejos está el centro histórico?
dees-KOOL-peh, keh tahn LEH-hohs ehs-TAH el SEHN-troh ees-TOH-ree-koh?
Excuse me, how far is the historic center?
'¿Qué tan lejos?' means 'How far?' — this is the Latin American phrasing. In Spain you'd hear '¿A qué distancia?'
Local
A pie está como a veinte minutos caminando.
ah pee-EH ehs-TAH KOH-moh ah VEHN-teh mee-NOO-tohs kah-mee-NAHN-doh.
On foot it's about twenty minutes walking.
'A pie' means 'on foot.' Locals often give distances in time rather than kilometers.
You
¿Y en carro cuánto toma?
ee ehn KAH-rroh KWAHN-toh TOH-mah?
And by car how long does it take?
'En carro' means 'by car.' In some countries you'll hear 'en coche' or 'en auto' instead.
Local
En carro unos cinco minutos, pero a esta hora hay tráfico. Está cerca, le recomiendo caminar.
ehn KAH-rroh OO-nohs SEEN-koh mee-NOO-tohs, PEH-roh ah EHS-tah OH-rah eye TRAH-fee-koh. ehs-TAH SEHR-kah, leh rreh-koh-mee-EHN-doh kah-mee-NAR.
By car about five minutes, but at this hour there's traffic. It's close, I recommend walking.
'Está cerca' means 'it's close' and 'está lejos' means 'it's far' — two essential phrases for gauging distance.
You
Buena idea. Entonces voy a pie. Gracias.
BWEH-nah ee-DEH-ah. ehn-TOHN-sehs voy ah pee-EH. GRAH-see-ahs.
Good idea. Then I'll go on foot. Thanks.