Plan on about 8 h 33 min of driving for the 405-mile (652 km) trip from Actopan to La Pesca, before any stops.
| Total distance | 405 mi (652 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 8 h 33 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-85 → MEX-130 → MEX-132D → MEX-130D → MEX-180D → MEX-180 → TAM 143 → TAM 113 → TAM 52 |
| Mexican states on the route | Hidalgo, Puebla, Veracruz, Tamaulipas |
| Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap) | MEX-132D, MEX-130D, MEX-180D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 16.2 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
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 insurance | Required 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.
The Actopan–La Pesca drive in a few lines
MEX-180 (93 mi) and MEX-132D (88 mi) carry about 45% of the 405 miles. It runs through 4 states: Hidalgo, Puebla, Veracruz, Tamaulipas. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-132D, MEX-130D and MEX-180D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Actopan to La Pesca, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Hidalgo |
| MEX-85 | 2–16 | 14 | Hidalgo |
| local roads | 16–25 | 9 | Hidalgo |
| MEX-130 | 25–44 | 19 | Hidalgo |
| MEX-132D | 44–132 | 88 | Hidalgo, Puebla, Veracruz |
| MEX-130D | 132–147 | 15 | Veracruz |
| MEX-180D | 147–210 | 63 | Veracruz |
| connecting roads | 210–211 | 1 | Veracruz |
| MEX-180 | 211–249 | 38 | Veracruz |
| local roads | 249–255 | 6 | Tamaulipas |
| TAM 143 | 255–265 | 10 | Tamaulipas |
| TAM 113 | 265–312 | 47 | Tamaulipas |
| local roads | 312–321 | 9 | Tamaulipas |
| MEX-180 | 321–376 | 55 | Tamaulipas |
| TAM 52 | 376–405 | 29 | Tamaulipas |
- Mile 70 of this route: Hidalgo → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 124 of this route: Puebla → Veracruz (state line)
- Mile 249 of this route: Veracruz → Tamaulipas (state line)
Where to stop on the way to La Pesca
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Parque Cultural Hidalguense (mile 21), Parque Ecológico Cubitos (mile 23), Huapalcalco (mile 52)
- Nature and outdoors: El Chico National Park (mile 19), Parque Cultural Hidalguense (mile 21), Parque Ecológico Cubitos (mile 23), El Hiloche (mile 25)
- Museums and history: Templo y exconvento de San Andrés Apóstol (mile 33), Tulancingo Cathedral (mile 50), Huapalcalco (mile 52), El Tajín (mile 133), Aduana de Tampico (mile 249)
El Chico National Park
In Hidalgo, El Chico National Park is known for towering cliffs such as Las Ventanas and Peña del Cuervo, popular with climbers, and forest wildlife including gray foxes, ringtails, armadillos, hawks, falcons and woodpeckers.
Parque Cultural Hidalguense
Formerly Parque David Ben Gurión, Pachuca's Parque Cultural Hidalguense reopened in 2025 after a major renovation, with a monumental chess board, an artificial lake with fountains, a skate park and Byron Gálvez's restored artwork known as el Pisal.
Parque Ecológico Cubitos
Between Pachuca de Soto and Mineral de la Reforma, Parque Ecológico Cubitos is a 90-hectare protected natural area whose public section has a botanical garden, an arboretum, a herpetarium, a farm, a maze, a zip line and a bike path.
El Hiloche
Bosque El Hiloche is a state park of about 100 hectares of forest in Mineral del Monte, Hidalgo, and one of the geosites of the Comarca Minera Geopark.
Templo y exconvento de San Andrés Apóstol
Augustinian friars raised this 16th-century church and convent in Epazoyucan, Hidalgo; the complex keeps its posa chapels, open chapel and atrium, and its stonework mixes Plateresque carving with Indigenous tequitqui craftsmanship.
Tulancingo Cathedral
Tulancingo Cathedral grew from a 16th-century Franciscan mission. The present church, designed by architect José Damián Ortiz de Castro and consecrated in 1806, has an unusual Neoclassical portico with Ionic columns and a triangular pediment.
Huapalcalco
About 5 kilometers north of Tulancingo, the pre-Columbian site of Huapalcalco sits on the western slope of a hill called Tecolote.
El Tajín
Look for elaborately carved reliefs on columns and friezes at El Tajín, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Veracruz, along with the Pyramid of the Niches and some of the site's 17 ballcourts.
Aduana de Tampico
Tampico's old customs house is a Porfirian-era building on the north bank of the Pánuco River mouth that began operating in 1902. Its ground floor now holds a museum on the 1829 Battle of Tampico, with a period cannon, weapons and uniforms.
More drives to La Pesca
- Saltillo to La Pesca
- Cadereyta to La Pesca
- Otumba to La Pesca
- Parras de la Fuente to La Pesca
- Pabellón de Hidalgo to La Pesca
- Puebla to La Pesca
From Actopan to other places in Mexico
- Actopan to Otumba
- Actopan to Cadereyta
- Actopan to Ezequiel Montes
- Actopan to Amealco
- Actopan to Pedro Escobedo
- Actopan to El Oro
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Actopan to La Pesca?
About 8 h 33 min of driving without stops, over 405 miles.
How far is La Pesca from Actopan by car?
About 405 miles (652 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 Actopan to La Pesca?
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 Actopan to La Pesca?
The U.S. State Department rates Hidalgo Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Veracruz Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Tamaulipas Level 4: Do Not Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Actopan to La Pesca?
In order: MEX-85, MEX-130, MEX-132D, MEX-130D, MEX-180D, MEX-180, TAM 143, TAM 113 and TAM 52. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Actopan and La Pesca?
Closest to the road: Parque Cultural Hidalguense (park, mile 21, 0.7 mi from the route); Parque Ecológico Cubitos (park, mile 23, 0.7 mi from the route); Huapalcalco (archaeological site, mile 52, 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 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: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place 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.