Aguascalientes to Cuautla Road Trip: Route, Tolls & Stops

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Aguascalientes to Cuautla is 370 miles (595 km), about 6 h 16 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Aguascalientes — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Jalisco — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Guanajuato — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Querétaro — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos — Level 3, Reconsider TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Morelos is the Mexican state that contains Cuautla. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Cerro de las CampanasTemplo y exconvento de San FranciscoTeotihuacanCasa de Morelos, EcatepecHistoric center of Mexico CityCerro de la Estrella National ParkMolino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National ParkIztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National ParkConvento de Santiago ApóstolAguascalientesCuautla
Route from Aguascalientes to Cuautla with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance370 mi (595 km)
Driving time, no stops6 h 16 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-45 → MEX-45D → MEX-47D → MEX-57D → MEX-5D → MEX-115
Mexican states on the routeAguascalientes (Level 2), Jalisco (Level 3), Guanajuato (Level 3), Querétaro (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), Morelos (Level 3)
Toll roadsMEX-45D, MEX-43D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-5D, MEX-115D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 14.8 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below9

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 Aguascalientes to Cuautla is like

MEX-45D (143 mi) and MEX-57D (57 mi) carry about 54% of the 370 miles. MEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-5D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-45, MEX-115 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 7 states: Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Querétaro, State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Morelos. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Aguascalientes to Cuautla, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–22Aguascalientes
MEX-452–1917Aguascalientes, Jalisco
MEX-45D19–162143Jalisco, Guanajuato
MEX-47D162–21452Guanajuato, Querétaro
MEX-57D214–27157Querétaro, State of Mexico, Hidalgo
MEX-5D271–32655State of Mexico
MEX-115326–34216State of Mexico
local roads342–35715State of Mexico, Morelos
MEX-115357–36912Morelos
local roads369–3701Morelos
  • Mile 16 of this route: Aguascalientes → Jalisco (state line)
  • Mile 65 of this route: Jalisco → Guanajuato (state line)
  • Mile 175 of this route: Guanajuato → Querétaro (state line)
  • Mile 216 of this route: Querétaro → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 249 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 268 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 349 of this route: State of Mexico → Morelos (state line)

Stops between Aguascalientes and Cuautla

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (mile 262), Casa de Morelos, Ecatepec (mile 293)
  • Nature and outdoors: Cerro de las Campanas (mile 173), Cerro de la Estrella National Park (mile 306), Molino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National Park (mile 314), Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park (mile 340)
  • Museums and history: Teotihuacan (mile 293), Casa de Morelos, Ecatepec (mile 293)

Cerro de las Campanas

Mile 173 · National Park of Mexico · 12 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Rising within Querétaro City, the Cerro de las Campanas is a hill that is protected as a Mexican national park.

Templo y exconvento de San Francisco

Mile 262 · Convent · 0.5 mi from the route

The Templo y Exconvento de San Francisco is a church and former convent located in the city of Tepeji del Río, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo.

Teotihuacan

Mile 293 · Historic site · 14 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Built between the 1st and 7th centuries AD, this UNESCO-listed ancient city lines the Avenue of the Dead, where you can walk between the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent.

Casa de Morelos, Ecatepec

Mile 293 · Museum · 0.1 mi from the route

Also called the Centro Comunitario Casa de Morelos, the Casa de Morelos is a museum in the municipality of Ecatepec de Morelos dedicated to José María Morelos y Pavón.

Historic center of Mexico City

Mile 303 · Old town · 8 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Built by the Spanish in the 16th century on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, Mexico City's Centro Histórico holds the Metropolitan Cathedral, the excavated Aztec Templo Mayor and the Palacio de Bellas Artes. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 1987.

Cerro de la Estrella National Park

Mile 306 · National Park of Mexico · 9 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Rising in eastern Mexico City's Iztapalapa borough, Cerro de la Estrella is where the Mexica lit the New Fire every 52 years; trails lead up to a pyramid-shaped site museum near the summit and to caves with traces of pre-Hispanic use.

Molino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National Park

Mile 314 · National Park of Mexico · 6 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Named for Antonio Flores de Valdés, who inherited the estate in 1642, this former hacienda and mill near Texcoco became a national park in 1937. Visitors walk among its ruins, the San Joaquín church remains and a chapel built on rock.

Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park

Mile 340 · National Park of Mexico · 8 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park, also called Izta-Popo Zoquiapan, protects the land around Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, Mexico's second- and third-highest peaks, where the states of México, Puebla and Morelos meet.

Convento de Santiago Apóstol

Mile 360 · Convent · 8 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In the town of Ocuituco, the Temple and Ex-convent of Santiago Apóstol (Templo y Exconvento de Santiago Apóstol) belongs to the UNESCO-listed group of 16th-century monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl, inscribed in 1994.

When you get to Cuautla

Museo Histórico del Oriente de Morelos "Casa de Morelos"

Museum · in Cuautla

In this 18th-century house in Cuautla, José María Morelos lived during the 1812 Siege of Cuautla. Its INAH galleries trace regional history through Morelos and Emiliano Zapata and display "El Niño," his first cannon, a gift from the Galeana family.

More drives to Cuautla

From Aguascalientes to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Aguascalientes to Cuautla?

About 6 h 16 min of driving without stops, over 370 miles.

How far is Cuautla from Aguascalientes by car?

About 370 miles (595 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 Aguascalientes to Cuautla?

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 Aguascalientes to Cuautla?

The U.S. State Department rates Aguascalientes Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Jalisco Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Guanajuato Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Querétaro Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Aguascalientes to Cuautla use?

In order: MEX-45, MEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-5D and MEX-115. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Aguascalientes and Cuautla?

Closest to the road: Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (convent, mile 262, 0.5 mi from the route); Casa de Morelos, Ecatepec (museum, mile 293, 0.1 mi from the route); Molino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National Park (National Park of Mexico, mile 314, 6 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.