Atlixco to Bernal Road Trip: Route, Stops & Safety

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Atlixco to Bernal is 219 miles (353 km), about 4 h 3 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Querétaro — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Querétaro is the Mexican state that contains Bernal. See the full advisory for current details.
International Museum of the BaroqueHistoric centre of PueblaGreat Pyramid of CholulaParque nacional XicoténcatlTeotihuacanMuseo Arqueológico de ApaxcoTulaGalería LibertadAtlixcoBernal
Route from Atlixco to Bernal with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance219 mi (353 km)
Driving time, no stops4 h 3 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-190D → MEX-190 → MEX-150D → MEX-M40D → MEX-57D → MEX-120 → QRO 5
Mexican states on the routePuebla (Level 2), Tlaxcala (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Querétaro (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-190D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D, MEX-57D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 8.8 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 Atlixco to Bernal is like

MEX-M40D (106 mi) and MEX-57D (42 mi) carry about 68% of the 219 miles. MEX-190D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D, MEX-57D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-190, MEX-120 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 5 states: Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Querétaro. Of the 8 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Atlixco to Bernal, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–33Puebla
MEX-190D3–1613Puebla
MEX-19016–259Puebla
connecting roads25–261Puebla
MEX-150D26–3913Puebla
MEX-M40D39–145106Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico
connecting roads145–1461Hidalgo
MEX-57D146–18842Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Querétaro
connecting roads188–1891Querétaro
MEX-120189–21223Querétaro
QRO 5212–2164Querétaro
local roads216–2193Querétaro
  • Mile 43 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
  • Mile 66 of this route: Tlaxcala → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 74 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 87 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 104 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 117 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 147 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 180 of this route: State of Mexico → Querétaro (state line)

Stops between Atlixco and Bernal

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Galería Libertad (mile 201)
  • Nature and outdoors: Parque nacional Xicoténcatl (mile 32)
  • Museums and history: International Museum of the Baroque (mile 16), Teotihuacan (mile 86), Museo Arqueológico de Apaxco (mile 118), Tula (mile 134), Galería Libertad (mile 201)

International Museum of the Baroque

Mile 16 · Art museum · 1 mi from the route

Designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito and opened in 2016, Puebla's baroque museum wraps its galleries in curving white concrete walls beside a reflecting pond. Exhibits cover baroque painting, sculpture, architecture, music, theater and literature.

Historic centre of Puebla

Mile 17 · Urban area · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Laid out from scratch in 1531, Puebla's UNESCO-listed core is a grid of tile-covered houses, colonial churches and the 16th–17th-century cathedral, with the old archbishop's palace that houses the Palafox Library, established in 1646.

Great Pyramid of Cholula

Mile 21 · Pyramid · 2 mi from the route

Under a hilltop church dedicated to the Virgin of los Remedios lies Tlachihualtepetl, a pyramid built in superimposed stages with a base about 400 meters per side. Excavations have opened roughly 8 km of tunnels inside the mound.

Parque nacional Xicoténcatl

Mile 32 · National Park of Mexico · 10 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Covering roughly 600 hectares in central Tlaxcala, Xicohténcatl National Park takes in the historic center of Tlaxcala city plus Quiahuixtlán, Ocotelulco and Tepeticpac, which correspond to three of the old Tlaxcalan lordships.

Teotihuacan

Mile 86 · Historic site · 13 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.

Museo Arqueológico de Apaxco

Mile 118 · Museum · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Founded in 1985, the Museo Arqueológico de Apaxco sits across from the parish church of San Francisco de Asís and beside the town hall in Apaxco, State of Mexico.

Tula

Mile 134 · Archaeological site · 1 mi from the route

Once the Toltec capital, the Tula archaeological zone is best known for its Atlantes, basalt warrior figures over four meters (13 feet) tall crowning the main pyramid. Visitors also see a ball court, the Burnt Palace and the Coatepantli wall, carved with snakes devouring skeletons.

Galería Libertad

Mile 201 · Art museum · 0.4 mi from the route

Run by Querétaro's state culture department, Galería Libertad is a public gallery in the historic center of Santiago de Querétaro devoted to exhibiting, promoting and teaching the visual arts.

More drives to Bernal

From Atlixco to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Atlixco to Bernal?

About 4 h 3 min of driving without stops, over 219 miles.

How far is Bernal from Atlixco by car?

About 219 miles (353 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 Atlixco to Bernal?

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 Atlixco to Bernal?

The U.S. State Department rates Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Querétaro Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Atlixco to Bernal use?

In order: MEX-190D, MEX-190, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D, MEX-57D, MEX-120 and QRO 5. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Atlixco and Bernal?

Closest to the road: International Museum of the Baroque (art museum, mile 16, 1 mi from the route); Tula (archaeological site, mile 134, 1 mi from the route); Galería Libertad (art museum, mile 201, 0.4 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.