Comalcalco to Tlayacapan Road Trip: Route, Stops & Safety

By admin, 12 October, 2026

By road, Comalcalco and Tlayacapan are about 469 miles (755 km) apart, or roughly 8 h 5 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 Tlayacapan. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
La VentaHuatuscoCañón del Río Blanco National ParkConvent Church of Santo Domingo, PueblaInternational Museum of the BaroqueTonantzintla ObservatoryChalcatzingoMuseo Histórico del Oriente de Morelos "Casa de Morelos"Templo y Exconvento de San Juan Bautista de YecapixtlaComalcalcoTlayacapan
Route from Comalcalco to Tlayacapan with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance469 mi (755 km)
Driving time, no stops8 h 5 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-187 → MEX-180 → MEX-180D → MEX-145D → MEX-150D → MEX-190 → PUE 438D → MEX-160 → MEX-160D
Mexican states on the routeTabasco, Veracruz, Puebla, Morelos
Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap)MEX-180D, MEX-145D, MEX-150D, MEX-160D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 18.8 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.

How the Comalcalco to Tlayacapan drive plays out

MEX-145D (142 mi) and MEX-150D (131 mi) carry about 58% of the 469 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.

Which roads connect Comalcalco and Tlayacapan

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
connecting roads442–4431Morelos
MEX-160443–45916Morelos
MEX-160D459–4645Morelos
local roads464–4695Morelos
  • 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)

What to see on the way from Comalcalco to Tlayacapan

  • 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), Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla (mile 388), International Museum of the Baroque (mile 398), Chalcatzingo (mile 443), Museo Histórico del Oriente de Morelos "Casa de Morelos" (mile 457)

La Venta

Mile 68 · Archaeological site · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

La Venta was an important city of the Olmec civilization, in Tabasco near Huimanguillo. Its site museum displays more than 200 artifacts, including monumental sandstone sculptures found at the foot of the main pyramid.

Huatusco

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

Getting to the ruins of Huatusco (Cuauhtochco) means crossing a suspension bridge and hiking a steep trail; a local guide is a good idea, and there are no visitor facilities. The Mexica-era temple keeps its original finishes.

Cañón del Río Blanco National Park

Mile 306 · National park · 0.5 mi from the route

Veracruz is home to Cañón del Río Blanco National Park, a natural area that the Mexican government has set aside for protection.

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.

Chalcatzingo

Mile 443 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

At the foot of Cerro Chalcatzingo in eastern Morelos, this early site is known for stone reliefs carved mainly between 700 and 500 BC, some among the region's earliest stone sculpture and several in Olmec style, spread across the hillside.

Museo Histórico del Oriente de Morelos "Casa de Morelos"

Mile 457 · Museum · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In this 18th-century house in Cuautla, José María Morelos lived during the 1812 Siege of Cuautla. Its INAH galleries trace regional history through Morelos and Emiliano Zapata and display "El Niño," his first cannon, a gift from the Galeana family.

Templo y Exconvento de San Juan Bautista de Yecapixtla

Mile 458 · Convent · 5 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

The 16th-century church and former monastery of San Juan Bautista in Yecapixtla belongs to the Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatepetl, inscribed by UNESCO in 1994 as early missionary architecture with large open courtyards.

When you get to Tlayacapan

Templo y exconvento de San Guillermo

Convent · in Tlayacapan

Augustinian friars began the Templo y Exconvento de San Guillermo in Totolapan in the mid-16th century; part of the UNESCO-listed Popocatépetl monasteries, it was badly damaged in the 2017 earthquake, and INAH has supervised its restoration.

Templo y Exconvento de San Juan Bautista de Tlayacapan

Convent · in Tlayacapan

Augustinian friars began this fortress-like church and monastery in the 16th century. Part of the UNESCO-listed group of monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl, its former cloister now holds a museum with 17th-century murals and religious art.

More drives to Tlayacapan

From Comalcalco to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Comalcalco to Tlayacapan?

About 8 h 5 min of driving without stops, over 469 miles.

How far is Tlayacapan from Comalcalco by car?

About 469 miles (755 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 Tlayacapan?

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 Tlayacapan?

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 Tlayacapan use?

In order: MEX-187, MEX-180, MEX-180D, MEX-145D, MEX-150D, MEX-190, PUE 438D, MEX-160 and MEX-160D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.

Where can you stop on the way from Comalcalco to Tlayacapan?

Closest to the road: 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); Chalcatzingo (archaeological site, mile 443, 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 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.