Comalcalco to Tlaltizapán Road Trip: Where to Stop on the Way

By admin, 12 October, 2026

By road, Comalcalco and Tlaltizapán are about 472 miles (760 km) apart, or roughly 8 h 7 min of driving.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Tabasco — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Veracruz — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos — Level 3, Reconsider TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Morelos is the Mexican state that contains Tlaltizapán. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
La VentaHuatuscoVeracruz State Art MuseumOrizaba CathedralCañón del Río Blanco National ParkConvent Church of Santo Domingo, PueblaInternational Museum of the BaroqueTonantzintla ObservatoryLas Pilas archaeological siteComalcalcoTlaltizapán
Route from Comalcalco to Tlaltizapán with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance472 mi (760 km)
Drive time without stops8 h 7 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-187 → MEX-180 → MEX-180D → MEX-145D → MEX-150D → MEX-190 → PUE 438D → MEX-94D → MOR 9
Mexican states on the routeTabasco, Veracruz, Puebla, Morelos
Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap)MEX-180D, MEX-145D, MEX-150D, MEX-94D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 18.9 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.

On the road from Comalcalco to Tlaltizapán

MEX-145D (142 mi) and MEX-150D (131 mi) carry about 58% of the 472 miles. It runs through 4 states: Tabasco, Veracruz, Puebla, Morelos. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-180D, MEX-145D and MEX-150D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

Road-by-road breakdown: Comalcalco to Tlaltizapán

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
MEX-1870–2424Tabasco
connecting roads24–251Tabasco
MEX-18025–3510Tabasco
MEX-180D35–6833Tabasco
MEX-18068–8820Tabasco, Veracruz
MEX-180D88–10921Veracruz
MEX-145D109–251142Veracruz
MEX-150D251–382131Veracruz, Puebla
connecting roads382–3831Puebla
MEX-190383–39815Puebla
local roads398–40911Puebla
PUE 438D409–44233Puebla, Morelos
MEX-94D442–46018Morelos
connecting roads460–4622Morelos
MOR 9462–4708Morelos
local roads470–4722Morelos
  • Mile 71 of this route: Tabasco → Veracruz (state line)
  • Mile 319 of this route: Veracruz → Puebla (state line)
  • Mile 435 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)

Stops between Comalcalco and Tlaltizapán

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (mile 306)
  • Nature and outdoors: Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (mile 306)
  • Museums and history: La Venta (mile 68), Huatusco (mile 258), Veracruz State Art Museum (mile 296), Orizaba Cathedral (mile 298), Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla (mile 388), International Museum of the Baroque (mile 398), Las Pilas archaeological site (mile 445)

La Venta

Mile 68 · 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.

Huatusco

Mile 258 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Above the Atoyac River in Carrillo Puerto, the ruins of Huatusco (Cuauhtochco) include a Mexica-era temple that still keeps original surface finishes. There are no visitor facilities; reaching it means crossing a suspension bridge and climbing a steep trail, ideally with a local guide.

Veracruz State Art Museum

Mile 296 · Art museum · 1 mi from the route

Housed in Orizaba's 18th-century former Oratorio of San Felipe Neri, later a hospital and then a jail, the Veracruz State Art Museum (Museo de Arte del Estado) holds more than 700 works, including 36 by Diego Rivera.

Orizaba Cathedral

Mile 298 · 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.

Cañón del Río Blanco National Park

Mile 306 · 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.

Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla

Mile 388 · Church · 4 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.

International Museum of the Baroque

Mile 398 · 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.

Tonantzintla Observatory

Mile 400 · Observatory · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

The Tonantzintla Observatory in Puebla was home to the National Astrophysical Observatory directed by Guillermo Haro. Its main instrument, a Schmidt camera, was a wide-field telescope built for photographing the sky.

Las Pilas archaeological site

Mile 445 · Archaeological site · 1 mi from the route

Set inside a bathing park in Jonacatepec, Las Pilas was a ceremonial center devoted to water, where inhabitants built channels to collect and store underground water for irrigation; burials were found within the channel system.

Once you reach Tlaltizapán

Xochicalco

Archaeological site · about 14 mi from Tlaltizapán

A fortified hilltop city that thrived between about 650 and 900, Xochicalco is a UNESCO World Heritage site where you can see the Pyramid of the Plumed Serpent with its carved reliefs, ball courts, an underground observatory and a site museum.

More drives to Tlaltizapán

From Comalcalco to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to drive from Comalcalco to Tlaltizapán?

About 8 h 7 min of driving without stops, over 472 miles.

What is the driving distance from Comalcalco to Tlaltizapán?

About 472 miles (760 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 Comalcalco to Tlaltizapán?

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 Comalcalco to Tlaltizapán?

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

What roads does the drive from Comalcalco to Tlaltizapán use?

In order: MEX-187, MEX-180, MEX-180D, MEX-145D, MEX-150D, MEX-190, PUE 438D, MEX-94D and MOR 9. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.

What are good stops between Comalcalco and Tlaltizapán?

Closest to the road: Veracruz State Art Museum (art museum, mile 296, 1 mi from the route); Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (national park, mile 306, 0.5 mi from the route); International Museum of the Baroque (art museum, mile 398, 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 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.

Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.