Calpulalpan to Palizada Road Trip: Route, Stops & Safety

By admin, 12 October, 2026

Plan on about 9 h 52 min of driving for the 528-mile (850 km) trip from Calpulalpan to Palizada, before any stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Tlaxcala — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Veracruz — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Tabasco — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Campeche — Level 1, Exercise Normal PrecautionsAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Campeche is the Mexican state that contains Palizada. See the full advisory for current details.

Route from Calpulalpan to Palizada with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).

Total distance	528 mi (850 km)
Time at the wheel, no stops	9 h 52 min
Main roads, in order	MEX-136 → MEX-M40D → MEX-150D → MEX-145D → MEX-180D → MEX-180 → MEX-186 → MEX-217
Mexican states on the route	Tlaxcala, Puebla, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche
Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap)	MEX-M40D, MEX-150D, MEX-145D, MEX-180D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)	about 21.1 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below	9

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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 insurance	Required 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.

How the Calpulalpan to Palizada drive plays out

MEX-150D (152 mi) and MEX-180 (59 mi) carry about 40% of the 528 miles. It runs through 5 states: Tlaxcala, Puebla, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-M40D, MEX-150D and MEX-145D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.

Calpulalpan to Palizada: the road sequence

Road	Route miles (from–to)	Length, mi	State
MEX-136	0–9	9	Tlaxcala
MEX-M40D	9–27	18	Tlaxcala, Puebla
connecting roads	27–28	1	Puebla
MEX-150D	28–180	152	Puebla, Veracruz
local roads	180–290	110	Veracruz
MEX-145D	290–322	32	Veracruz
MEX-180D	322–342	20	Veracruz
MEX-180	342–362	20	Veracruz, Tabasco
MEX-180D	362–395	33	Tabasco
MEX-180	395–434	39	Tabasco
local roads	434–438	4	Tabasco
MEX-186	438–457	19	Tabasco
local roads	457–515	58	Tabasco
MEX-217	515–528	13	Tabasco, Campeche

Mile 24 of this route: Tlaxcala → Puebla (state line)
Mile 112 of this route: Puebla → Veracruz (state line)
Mile 360 of this route: Veracruz → Tabasco (state line)
Mile 517 of this route: Tabasco → Campeche (state line)

Discover stops along your route

Breaking up the drive: stops between Calpulalpan and Palizada

Right off the route (under 1 mile): Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (mile 124), Casa Museo Cnel. Gregorio Méndez Magaña (mile 437)
Nature and outdoors: Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (mile 124)
Museums and history: Cacaxtla (mile 33), Xochitecatl (mile 33), Casa del Mendrugo (mile 48), Orizaba Cathedral (mile 133), La Venta (mile 362), Museo de Antropología Carlos Pellicer (mile 437), Casa Museo Cnel. Gregorio Méndez Magaña (mile 437)

Cacaxtla

Mile 33 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Built on a hill rising above the Tlaxcala-Puebla valley, Cacaxtla is known for its pre-Hispanic murals on the Gran Basamento, a large platform now sheltered under a roof. INAH manages it together with nearby Xochitécatl.

Xochitecatl

Mile 33 · 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.

Casa del Mendrugo

Mile 48 · Museum · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Dating back to the early years of Puebla, founded in 1531, the Casa del Mendrugo is a historic house at 4 Sur 304 in the city's historic center.

Teatro Principal

Mile 48 · Theater · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

The Teatro Principal is a historic theater in the city of Puebla that is still active as a stage for performances.

Cañón del Río Blanco National Park

Mile 124 · National park · 0.5 mi from the route

Protected as a national park by Mexico's government, Cañón del Río Blanco is a natural area in Veracruz state.

Orizaba Cathedral

Mile 133 · Cathedral · 1 mi from the route

The Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel is the main Catholic church of Orizaba, in the state of Veracruz, and the seat of the Diocese of Orizaba.

La Venta

Mile 362 · Archaeological site · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

More than 200 artifacts fill the site museum at La Venta, among them massive sandstone sculptures discovered at the base of the main pyramid. The once-important Olmec city lies in Tabasco, near Huimanguillo.

Museo de Antropología Carlos Pellicer

Mile 437 · Museum · 1 mi from the route

Villahermosa's regional anthropology museum, named for poet Carlos Pellicer Cámara, displays Olmec and Maya pieces found across Tabasco, along with loans from other parts of Mexico such as Teotihuacan. It opened in 1980.

Casa Museo Cnel. Gregorio Méndez Magaña

Mile 437 · Museum · 0.8 mi from the route

Colonel Gregorio Méndez Magaña, a hero of the fight against the French intervention in Tabasco, was born in this house in Jalpa de Méndez in 1836; today it serves as a house museum in his honor.

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Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Calpulalpan to Palizada?

About 9 h 52 min of driving without stops, over 528 miles.

What is the driving distance from Calpulalpan to Palizada?

About 528 miles (850 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 Calpulalpan to Palizada?

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 Calpulalpan to Palizada?

The U.S. State Department rates Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Veracruz Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Tabasco Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Campeche Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Calpulalpan to Palizada use?

In order: MEX-136, MEX-M40D, MEX-150D, MEX-145D, MEX-180D, MEX-180, MEX-186 and MEX-217. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.

Where can you stop on the way from Calpulalpan to Palizada?

Closest to the road: Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (national park, mile 124, 0.5 mi from the route); Orizaba Cathedral (cathedral, mile 133, 1 mi from the route); Casa Museo Cnel. Gregorio Méndez Magaña (museum, mile 437, 0.8 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 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: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place 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.