Acapulco to Toluca Road Trip: Route, Tolls & Stops

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Acapulco to Toluca is 245 miles (395 km), about 4 h 26 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Guerrero — Level 4, Do Not Travel; Morelos — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; State of Mexico — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. State of Mexico is the Mexican state that contains Toluca. This route passes through a state at the advisory's highest level. Read the full advisory before you plan this drive.
TehuacalcoChilpancingo CathedralMuseo Regional de GuerreroCuetlajuchitlánXochicalcoGrutas de Cacahuamilpa National ParkDesierto del Carmen National ParkNevado de Toluca National ParkAcapulcoToluca
Route from Acapulco to Toluca with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance245 mi (395 km)
Driving time, no stops4 h 26 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-95D → MEX-95 → MEX-55 → MEX-55D
Mexican states on the routeGuerrero (Level 4), Morelos (Level 3), State of Mexico (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-95D, MEX-55D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 9.8 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below8

Driving this route in a car with U.S. plates

Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP)Required: this route is outside the zones where U.S.-registered cars can skip the temporary import permit (Baja California, Baja California Sur and part of Sonora)
Mexican auto insuranceRequired for all vehicles: buy a Mexican policy before you drive

Sources: U.S. State Department, Mexico travel information (updated August 11, 2026); permits are issued by Banjercito.

What the drive from Acapulco to Toluca is like

MEX-95D (143 mi) and MEX-55D (25 mi) carry about 69% of the 245 miles. MEX-95D, MEX-55D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-95, MEX-55 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 3 states: Guerrero, Morelos, State of Mexico. Of the 8 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Acapulco to Toluca, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–33Guerrero
MEX-95D3–6360Guerrero
MEX-9563–707Guerrero
MEX-95D70–15383Guerrero, Morelos
connecting roads153–1563Morelos
local roads156–1637Morelos
MEX-95163–17916Morelos, Guerrero
MEX-55179–20223Guerrero, State of Mexico
local roads202–2064State of Mexico
MEX-55D206–23125State of Mexico
connecting roads231–2332State of Mexico
local roads233–24512State of Mexico
  • Mile 150 of this route: Guerrero → Morelos (state line)
  • Mile 176 of this route: Morelos → Guerrero (state line)
  • Mile 184 of this route: Guerrero → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 191 of this route: State of Mexico → Guerrero (state line)
  • Mile 194 of this route: Guerrero → State of Mexico (state line)

Stops between Acapulco and Toluca

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Chilpancingo Cathedral (mile 66), Museo Regional de Guerrero (mile 66), Cuetlajuchitlán (mile 124), Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 183)
  • Nature and outdoors: Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 183), Desierto del Carmen National Park (mile 211), Nevado de Toluca National Park (mile 226)
  • Museums and history: Tehuacalco (mile 39), Chilpancingo Cathedral (mile 66), Museo Regional de Guerrero (mile 66), Cuetlajuchitlán (mile 124), Xochicalco (mile 163)

Tehuacalco

Mile 39 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Near Chilpancingo, Tehuacalco is an archaeological site tied to the Yope people, with excavation work carried out in the 2000s.

Chilpancingo Cathedral

Mile 66 · Cathedral · 0.6 mi from the route

Chilpancingo's neoclassical cathedral of the Assumption hosted the Congress of Anáhuac in 1813, a key moment of the independence movement whose work led to the Apatzingán Constitution, with its ideas of popular sovereignty and separation of powers.

Museo Regional de Guerrero

Mile 66 · Museum · 0.6 mi from the route

Chilpancingo's former Government Palace, a Neoclassical building from 1902, now houses the INAH regional museum, with Mezcala-culture stone miniatures, Manila galleon and independence-era pieces, and four murals around the central courtyard.

Cuetlajuchitlán

Mile 124 · Archaeological site · 0.2 mi from the route

Discovered in 1991 while the Autopista del Sol was being built, Cuetlajuchitlán (Los Querende) preserves plazas, ritual baths, sunken courtyards and pink stone walls with drainage channels from a settlement that peaked between 200 BC and AD 200.

Xochicalco

Mile 163 · Archaeological site · 12 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

A fortified hilltop city that thrived between about 650 and 900, Xochicalco is a UNESCO World Heritage site where you can see the Pyramid of the Plumed Serpent with its carved reliefs, ball courts, an underground observatory and a site museum.

Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park

Mile 183 · National Park of Mexico · 0.2 mi from the route

Protected as a national park since 1936, this area near Taxco centers on the Cacahuamilpa caverns, where a guided route of about 4 km passes chambers up to 80 meters high, decorated with flowstone and floor-to-ceiling columns.

Desierto del Carmen National Park

Mile 211 · National Park of Mexico · 7 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Declared a national park on October 10, 1942, Desierto del Carmen is a protected area in the municipality of Tenancingo, in the State of Mexico.

Nevado de Toluca National Park

Mile 226 · Flora and fauna protection area · 7 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

The Nevado de Toluca volcano was declared a flora and fauna protection area in 2013, a protected zone spanning ten municipalities of the State of Mexico, including Toluca, Zinacantepec and Temascaltepec.

When you get to Toluca

Museum José María Velasco

Art museum · in Toluca

In Toluca's historic center, the Museo José María Velasco shares the work of 19th-century Mexican painter José María Velasco, with Plaza de los Mártires to the south and the Government Palace to the east.

José María Morelos y Pavón University History Museum

History museum · in Toluca

The Museo de Historia Universitaria José María Morelos y Pavón is a history museum located in the city of Toluca de Lerdo.

Toluca Cathedral

Catholic cathedral · in Toluca

Begun in 1867 and finished only in 1978, Toluca's Cathedral of Saint Joseph has a neoclassical facade and a bronze statue of the saint on its dome. It also preserves the 18th-century baroque front of the former San Elzeario church.

More drives to Toluca

From Acapulco to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Acapulco to Toluca?

About 4 h 26 min of driving without stops, over 245 miles.

How far is Toluca from Acapulco by car?

About 245 miles (395 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.

Do I need a permit to drive my U.S. car from Acapulco to Toluca?

Yes. A temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) is required for a U.S.-registered car on this route, which is outside the zones where it can be skipped. Mexican auto insurance is required for every vehicle.

Is it safe to drive from Acapulco to Toluca?

The U.S. State Department rates Guerrero Level 4: Do Not Travel; Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel; State of Mexico Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Acapulco to Toluca use?

In order: MEX-95D, MEX-95, MEX-55 and MEX-55D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Acapulco and Toluca?

Closest to the road: Chilpancingo Cathedral (cathedral, mile 66, 0.6 mi from the route); Cuetlajuchitlán (archaeological site, mile 124, 0.2 mi from the route); Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (National Park of Mexico, mile 183, 0.2 mi from the route). All stops are described above.

How we put this guide together

Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway mile markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route (roughly 2 to 7 miles depending on the type, farther for World Heritage sites): at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, with no more than five of one type, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place and city descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on September 29, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.

Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.