Atlixco to Tepotzotlán Road Trip: Route, Stops & Safety

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Atlixco to Tepotzotlán is 122 miles (196 km), about 2 h 29 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; 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 Tepotzotlán. See the full advisory for current details.
San Gabriel Franciscan Convent, CholulaMuseo Regional de CholulaLos Volcanes Biosphere ReserveTepetlaoztocMolino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National ParkTexcoco CathedralPaleontological Museum in TocuilaHistoric center of Mexico CityEl Tepeyac National ParkAtlixcoTepotzotlán
Route from Atlixco to Tepotzotlán with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance122 mi (196 km)
Driving time, no stops2 h 29 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-190D → MEX-190 → MEX-150D → MEX-M40D → MEX-136 → MEX-142 → MEX-132
Mexican states on the routePuebla (Level 2), Tlaxcala (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-190D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 4.9 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 Tepotzotlán is like

MEX-136 (33 mi) and MEX-M40D (19 mi) carry about 43% of the 122 miles. MEX-190D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-190, MEX-136, MEX-142, MEX-132 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 3 states: Puebla, Tlaxcala, State of Mexico. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Atlixco to Tepotzotlán, 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-M40D39–5819Puebla, Tlaxcala
MEX-13658–9133Tlaxcala, State of Mexico
MEX-14291–1009State of Mexico
MEX-132100–1044State of Mexico
connecting roads104–1051State of Mexico
local roads105–12217State of Mexico
  • Mile 43 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
  • Mile 77 of this route: Tlaxcala → State of Mexico (state line)

Stops between Atlixco and Tepotzotlán

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Los Volcanes Biosphere Reserve (mile 74), Texcoco Cathedral (mile 89)
  • Nature and outdoors: Los Volcanes Biosphere Reserve (mile 74), Molino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National Park (mile 87), El Tepeyac National Park (mile 105)
  • Museums and history: Museo Regional de Cholula (mile 21), Tepetlaoztoc (mile 85), Texcoco Cathedral (mile 89), Paleontological Museum in Tocuila (mile 91)

San Gabriel Franciscan Convent, Cholula

Mile 21 · Convent · 2 mi from the route

The San Gabriel Franciscan Convent, also called San Gabriel Friary, is a church and friary in Cholula, part of the Puebla metropolitan area.

Museo Regional de Cholula

Mile 21 · Anthropology museum · 1 mi from the route

Right beside the Great Pyramid and archaeological zone of Cholula, this public museum displays collections ranging from pre-Hispanic and colonial art to contemporary and folk art.

Los Volcanes Biosphere Reserve

Mile 74 · Biosphere reserve · 0.6 mi from the route

Surrounding the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, Los Volcanes is a UNESCO biosphere reserve in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, where North American and tropical wildlife zones meet.

Tepetlaoztoc

Mile 85 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route

Tepetlaoztoc, also spelled Tepetlaoxtoc, was an Aztec-Nahua settlement of the Late Postclassic period in central Mexico, and it stayed occupied into the colonial era.

Molino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National Park

Mile 87 · National Park of Mexico · 1 mi from the route

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.

Texcoco Cathedral

Mile 89 · Cathedral · 0.8 mi from the route

Texcoco's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception occupies a former convent built by the Franciscans in the 16th century, one of the order's early convent complexes in the Americas.

Paleontological Museum in Tocuila

Mile 91 · Paleontological museum · 1 mi from the route

The Paleontological Museum in Tocuila, in Texcoco, State of Mexico, is a fossil museum displaying part of a rich deposit of Late Pleistocene animals from the Americas.

Historic center of Mexico City

Mile 105 · Old town · 13 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.

El Tepeyac National Park

Mile 105 · National Park of Mexico · 8 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Decreed in 1937 on reforested slopes of the Sierra de Guadalupe, including Cerro del Tepeyac, this national park was created for rest and recreation, with views toward Mexico City and the old Lake Texcoco plain.

When you get to Tepotzotlán

Cuautitlán Cathedral

Catholic cathedral · in Tepotzotlán

Cuautitlán's St. Bonaventure Cathedral (Catedral de San Buenaventura) is a Catholic church that forms part of the convent of the same name in this State of Mexico municipality.

Parque Espejo de los Lirios

Park · in Tepotzotlán

Espejo de los Lirios is a lake park in Cuautitlán Izcalli, opened as a park in 1973 and declared a protected natural area in 2009 along with the city's Central Park.

Museo Nacional del Virreinato

Museum · in Tepotzotlán

Housed in the former Jesuit college of San Francisco Javier in Tepotzotlán, begun in 1606, this national museum covers three centuries of colonial art. Its Baroque church, built 1670-1682, keeps altarpieces designed by Miguel Cabrera and Higinio de Chávez.

More drives to Tepotzotlán

From Atlixco to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Atlixco to Tepotzotlán?

About 2 h 29 min of driving without stops, over 122 miles.

How far is Tepotzotlán from Atlixco by car?

About 122 miles (196 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 Tepotzotlán?

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 Tepotzotlán?

The U.S. State Department rates Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; 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 Atlixco to Tepotzotlán use?

In order: MEX-190D, MEX-190, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D, MEX-136, MEX-142 and MEX-132. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Atlixco and Tepotzotlán?

Closest to the road: Los Volcanes Biosphere Reserve (biosphere reserve, mile 74, 0.6 mi from the route); Texcoco Cathedral (cathedral, mile 89, 0.8 mi from the route); Paleontological Museum in Tocuila (paleontological museum, mile 91, 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.