Atlixco to Paracho Road Trip: Distance, Time & Stops

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Atlixco to Paracho is 351 miles (565 km), about 5 h 58 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; Michoacán — Level 4, Do Not TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Michoacán is the Mexican state that contains Paracho. This route passes through a state at the advisory's highest level. Read the full advisory before you plan this drive.
Convent Church of Santo Domingo, PueblaCholulaCasa del Caballero ÁguilaAqueduct of Padre TemblequeMuseo Arqueológico de ApaxcoJorge R. Acosta MuseumTeatro Morelos de MaravatíoHistoric Centre of MoreliaBasilica of Nuestra Señora de la Salud, PátzcuaroAtlixcoParacho
Route from Atlixco to Paracho with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance351 mi (565 km)
Driving time, no stops5 h 58 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-190D → MEX-190 → MEX-150D → MEX-M40D → MEX-15D → MEX-37D → MEX-14D → MEX-14 → MEX-37
Mexican states on the routePuebla (Level 2), Tlaxcala (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Michoacán (Level 4)
Toll roadsMEX-190D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D, MEX-15D, MEX-37D, MEX-14D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 14.0 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 Atlixco to Paracho is like

MEX-M40D (139 mi) and MEX-15D (90 mi) carry about 65% of the 351 miles. MEX-190D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D, MEX-15D, MEX-37D, MEX-14D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-190, MEX-14, MEX-37 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 5 states: Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Michoacán. None of the 9 stops below is right on the road, so plan each as a short side trip.

The route from Atlixco to Paracho, 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-M40D39–178139Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico
connecting roads178–1791State of Mexico
MEX-15D179–26990State of Mexico, Michoacán
connecting roads269–2701Michoacán
MEX-37D270–30838Michoacán
MEX-14D308–32012Michoacán
connecting roads320–3211Michoacán
MEX-14321–3243Michoacán
local roads324–34420Michoacán
MEX-37344–3506Michoacán
local roads350–3511Michoacán
  • 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 148 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 197 of this route: State of Mexico → Michoacán (state line)

Stops between Atlixco and Paracho

Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla

Mile 17 · Church building · 5 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Behind the facade of Puebla's Santo Domingo church hides the Capilla del Rosario, inaugurated in 1690. Gold covers its walls, pilasters and vaults, and contemporaries hailed it as the eighth wonder of the New World.

Cholula

Mile 21 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route

Cholula's Great Pyramid grew in successive construction phases around an adobe core. INAH repair work on its Pocito staircase after the 2017 earthquakes turned up broken pre-Hispanic braziers and a small limestone figure of the rain god Tláloc.

Casa del Caballero Águila

Mile 21 · Museum · 2 mi from the route

Facing the old pre-Hispanic plaza of San Pedro Cholula, the Casa del Caballero Águila is a colonial house built in the late 16th century.

Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque

Mile 83 · Aqueduct · 2 mi from the route

Built by Franciscan friar Francisco de Tembleque between 1554 and 1572, this 16th-century water system runs more than 48 km between Zempoala and Otumba. Its tallest arcade at Tepeyahualco reaches almost 40 meters, and UNESCO listed it in 2015.

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.

Jorge R. Acosta Museum

Mile 134 · Museum · 1 mi from the route

Next to the Tula ruins, the Museo de Sitio Jorge R. Acosta traces the rise and decline of the Toltecs and their city, Tollan Xicocotitlan. It moved into new facilities in 1982 and covers nearly 20 years of digs led by archaeologist Jorge R. Acosta.

Teatro Morelos de Maravatío

Mile 218 · Opera house · 1 mi from the route

Maravatío's Teatro Morelos is a late-19th-century theater in a French-influenced neoclassical style, designed by architect Rafael Guerrero Torres. It opened on January 11, 1879, with a performance by opera singer Ángela Peralta.

Historic Centre of Morelia

Mile 282 · Urban area · 9 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Morelia's old core, founded in the 16th century as Valladolid, keeps more than 200 historic buildings in the region's pink stone around its cathedral and checkerboard streets. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 1991.

Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Salud, Pátzcuaro

Mile 312 · Minor basilica · 2 mi from the route

Pátzcuaro's basilica (Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud) rises on pre-Hispanic platforms beside its own plaza. Bishop Vasco de Quiroga planned it as a five-nave cathedral, only one nave was finished, and his remains rest inside.

More drives to Paracho

From Atlixco to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Atlixco to Paracho?

About 5 h 58 min of driving without stops, over 351 miles.

How far is Paracho from Atlixco by car?

About 351 miles (565 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 Paracho?

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 Paracho?

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; Michoacán Level 4: Do Not Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Atlixco to Paracho use?

In order: MEX-190D, MEX-190, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D, MEX-15D, MEX-37D, MEX-14D, MEX-14 and MEX-37. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Atlixco and Paracho?

Closest to the road: Casa del Caballero Águila (museum, mile 21, 2 mi from the route); Jorge R. Acosta Museum (museum, mile 134, 1 mi from the route); Teatro Morelos de Maravatío (opera house, mile 218, 1 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.