Coatepec to Pabellón de Hidalgo Road Trip: Route & Stops

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Coatepec to Pabellón de Hidalgo is 492 miles (791 km), about 8 h 23 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Veracruz — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; 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; Guanajuato — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Jalisco — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Aguascalientes — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Aguascalientes is the Mexican state that contains Pabellón de Hidalgo. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Xalapa CathedralKaná, Museo de Ciencia y TecnologíaXalapa Museum of AnthropologyParque Nacional Cofre de PeroteMuseo de Sitio de CantonaTeotihuacanTulaEl Cimatario National ParkMuseo Regional de AguascalientesCoatepecPabellón de Hidalgo
Route from Coatepec to Pabellón de Hidalgo with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance492 mi (791 km)
Driving time, no stops8 h 23 min
Main roads, in orderVER 7 → MEX-140 → MEX-140D → MEX-136 → MEX-M40D → MEX-57D → MEX-47D → MEX-45D → MEX-45 → AGS 20
Mexican states on the routeVeracruz (Level 2), Puebla (Level 2), Tlaxcala (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Querétaro (Level 2), Guanajuato (Level 3), Jalisco (Level 3), Aguascalientes (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-140D, MEX-M40D, MEX-57D, MEX-47D, MEX-45D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 19.7 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 Coatepec to Pabellón de Hidalgo is like

MEX-45D (141 mi) and MEX-M40D (87 mi) carry about 46% of the 492 miles. MEX-140D, MEX-M40D, MEX-57D, MEX-47D, MEX-45D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-140, MEX-136, MEX-45 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 9 states: Veracruz, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Aguascalientes. Of the 9 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Coatepec to Pabellón de Hidalgo, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–11Veracruz
VER 71–65Veracruz
connecting roads6–82Veracruz
MEX-1408–135Veracruz
connecting roads13–141Veracruz
MEX-140D14–8066Veracruz, Puebla, Tlaxcala
connecting roads80–811Tlaxcala
MEX-13681–13251Tlaxcala
MEX-M40D132–21987Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico
connecting roads219–2212Hidalgo
MEX-57D221–25534State of Mexico, Querétaro
MEX-47D255–30954Querétaro, Guanajuato
MEX-45D309–450141Guanajuato, Jalisco
MEX-45450–48030Jalisco, Aguascalientes
local roads480–4833Aguascalientes
MEX-45483–4885Aguascalientes
AGS 20488–4913Aguascalientes
local roads491–4921Aguascalientes
  • Mile 46 of this route: Veracruz → Puebla (state line)
  • Mile 72 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
  • Mile 141 of this route: Tlaxcala → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 149 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 162 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 178 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 192 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 221 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 254 of this route: State of Mexico → Querétaro (state line)
  • Mile 296 of this route: Querétaro → Guanajuato (state line)
  • Mile 406 of this route: Guanajuato → Jalisco (state line)
  • Mile 454 of this route: Jalisco → Aguascalientes (state line)

Stops between Coatepec and Pabellón de Hidalgo

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Xalapa Cathedral (mile 7), Kaná, Museo de Ciencia y Tecnología (mile 7), Xalapa Museum of Anthropology (mile 11), Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (mile 468)
  • Nature and outdoors: Parque Nacional Cofre de Perote (mile 37), El Cimatario National Park (mile 291)
  • Museums and history: Xalapa Cathedral (mile 7), Kaná, Museo de Ciencia y Tecnología (mile 7), Xalapa Museum of Anthropology (mile 11), Museo de Sitio de Cantona (mile 55), Teotihuacan (mile 160), Tula (mile 209), Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (mile 468)

Xalapa Cathedral

Mile 7 · Cathedral · 0.8 mi from the route

One of Xalapa's oldest buildings, the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception mixes a baroque core with neo-Gothic touches added in 1895, and holds the remains of Bishop Rafael Guízar y Valencia.

Kaná, Museo de Ciencia y Tecnología

Mile 7 · Museum · 1 mi from the route

Kaná, Museo de Ciencia y Tecnología is a modern interactive science and technology museum in Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz, formerly known as the Museo Interactivo de Xalapa.

Xalapa Museum of Anthropology

Mile 11 · Archaeological museum · 0.8 mi from the route

Run by the Universidad Veracruzana in a building designed by Edward Durell Stone, the Xalapa Museum of Anthropology displays more than 1,500 pieces from Olmec, central Veracruz and Huastec cultures, including several Olmec colossal heads, amid subtropical gardens.

Parque Nacional Cofre de Perote

Mile 37 · National Park of Mexico · 10 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Cofre de Perote National Park protects the forested slopes of the mountain, and its role is practical as well as scenic: a little over 40 percent of the water used in Xalapa comes from here.

Museo de Sitio de Cantona

Mile 55 · Museum · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

At the Cantona archaeological zone in Tepeyahualco, this site museum shows finds from more than 20 years of digs: pottery, obsidian and stone tools, musical instruments, greenstone and shell ornaments, and burial remains.

Teotihuacan

Mile 160 · 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.

Tula

Mile 209 · 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.

El Cimatario National Park

Mile 291 · National Park of Mexico · 9 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

El Cimatario National Park protects about 24 square kilometers of land just south of the city of Santiago de Querétaro.

Museo Regional de Aguascalientes

Mile 468 · History museum · 0.2 mi from the route

An early 20th-century building by self-taught architect Refugio Reyes holds this INAH museum of Aguascalientes history, with fossils, archaeological finds, colonial paintings by Juan Correa and more than 300 devotional ex-voto paintings.

When you get to Pabellón de Hidalgo

Museo de la Insurgencia

Museum · in Pabellón de Hidalgo

Set in a 17th-century estate, the Museo de la Insurgencia opened in 1964 to tell the story of Mexico's independence movement. One hall shows farm, mining and textile tools from hacienda work; another displays everyday objects from past eras.

More drives to Pabellón de Hidalgo

From Coatepec to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Coatepec to Pabellón de Hidalgo?

About 8 h 23 min of driving without stops, over 492 miles.

How far is Pabellón de Hidalgo from Coatepec by car?

About 492 miles (791 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 Coatepec to Pabellón de Hidalgo?

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 Coatepec to Pabellón de Hidalgo?

The U.S. State Department rates Veracruz Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; 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; Guanajuato Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Jalisco Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Aguascalientes Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Coatepec to Pabellón de Hidalgo use?

In order: VER 7, MEX-140, MEX-140D, MEX-136, MEX-M40D, MEX-57D, MEX-47D, MEX-45D, MEX-45 and AGS 20. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Coatepec and Pabellón de Hidalgo?

Closest to the road: Xalapa Cathedral (cathedral, mile 7, 0.8 mi from the route); Xalapa Museum of Anthropology (archaeological museum, mile 11, 0.8 mi from the route); Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (history museum, mile 468, 0.2 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.