Atlixco to Tequisquiapan Road Trip: Where to Stop on the Way

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Atlixco to Tequisquiapan is 202 miles (325 km), about 3 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; 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 Tequisquiapan. See the full advisory for current details.
International Museum of the BaroqueHistoric centre of PueblaMuseo Regional de CholulaCholulaParque nacional XicoténcatlXochitecatlTeotihuacanAtlantean figuresTula National ParkAtlixcoTequisquiapan
Route from Atlixco to Tequisquiapan with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance202 mi (325 km)
Driving time, no stops3 h 29 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-190D → MEX-190 → MEX-150D → MEX-M40D → MEX-57D → MEX-120
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 8.1 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 Tequisquiapan is like

MEX-M40D (106 mi) and MEX-57D (42 mi) carry about 73% of the 202 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. None of the 9 stops below is right on the road, so plan each as a short side trip.

The route from Atlixco to Tequisquiapan, 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-120189–20112Querétaro
local roads201–2021Querétaro
  • 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 Tequisquiapan

  • Nature and outdoors: Parque nacional Xicoténcatl (mile 32), Tula National Park (mile 134)
  • Museums and history: International Museum of the Baroque (mile 16), Museo Regional de Cholula (mile 21), Cholula (mile 21), Xochitecatl (mile 34), Teotihuacan (mile 86)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Xochitecatl

Mile 34 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route

Xochitécatl is a pre-Hispanic archaeological site in the state of Tlaxcala. INAH runs it together with nearby Cacaxtla as a single zone, and the Xochitécatl site museum displays finds from the area.

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.

Atlantean figures

Mile 134 · Atlantean figures · 1 mi from the route

Crowning the main pyramid at the Tula archaeological zone, these basalt sculptures of Toltec warriors stand more than four meters tall in what was once the Toltec capital; the nearby Wall of Snakes shows carved serpents devouring skeletons.

Tula National Park

Mile 134 · National Park of Mexico · 1 mi from the route

This park protects the ruins of Tula, ancient capital of the Toltecs. Walk up to the main pyramid to stand beside the Atlantes, basalt warrior figures more than four meters tall, and look for the Coatepantli wall's reliefs of snakes devouring skeletons.

When you get to Tequisquiapan

Galería Libertad

Art museum · in Tequisquiapan

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 Tequisquiapan

From Atlixco to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Atlixco to Tequisquiapan?

About 3 h 29 min of driving without stops, over 202 miles.

How far is Tequisquiapan from Atlixco by car?

About 202 miles (325 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 Tequisquiapan?

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 Tequisquiapan?

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 Tequisquiapan use?

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

What are good stops between Atlixco and Tequisquiapan?

Closest to the road: International Museum of the Baroque (art museum, mile 16, 1 mi from the route); Atlantean figures (atlantean figures, mile 134, 1 mi from the route); Tula National Park (National Park of Mexico, mile 134, 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.