Cuautla to Comalcalco Road Trip: Route, Stops & Safety

By admin, 12 October, 2026

Plan on about 8 h 4 min of driving for the 452-mile (728 km) trip from Cuautla to Comalcalco, before any stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Morelos — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Veracruz — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Tabasco — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Tabasco is the Mexican state that contains Comalcalco. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Las Pilas archaeological siteChalcatzingoHistoric centre of PueblaInternational Museum of the BaroqueConvent Church of Santo Domingo, PueblaCañón del Río Blanco National ParkOrizaba CathedralVeracruz State Art MuseumLa VentaCuautlaComalcalco
Route from Cuautla to Comalcalco with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance452 mi (728 km)
Time at the wheel, no stops8 h 4 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-160 → PUE 438D → MEX-190D → MEX-190 → MEX-150D → MEX-145D → MEX-180D → MEX-180 → MEX-187
Mexican states on the routeMorelos, Puebla, Veracruz, Tabasco
Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap)MEX-190D, MEX-150D, MEX-145D, MEX-180D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 18.1 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.

On the road from Cuautla to Comalcalco

MEX-150D (125 mi) and MEX-180D (53 mi) carry about 39% of the 452 miles. It runs through 4 states: Morelos, Puebla, Veracruz, Tabasco. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-190D, MEX-150D and MEX-145D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

Roads you'll take from Cuautla to Comalcalco

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–11Morelos
MEX-1601–1615Morelos
PUE 438D16–5034Morelos, Puebla
MEX-190D50–6010Puebla
connecting roads60–611Puebla
MEX-19061–7514Puebla
connecting roads75–761Puebla
MEX-150D76–201125Puebla, Veracruz
local roads201–312111Veracruz
MEX-145D312–34432Veracruz
MEX-180D344–36420Veracruz
MEX-180364–38319Veracruz, Tabasco
MEX-180D383–41633Tabasco
MEX-180416–42812Tabasco
MEX-187428–44921Tabasco
local roads449–4523Tabasco
  • Mile 24 of this route: Morelos → Puebla (state line)
  • Mile 134 of this route: Puebla → Veracruz (state line)
  • Mile 382 of this route: Veracruz → Tabasco (state line)

What to see on the way from Cuautla to Comalcalco

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (mile 146)
  • Nature and outdoors: Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (mile 146)
  • Museums and history: Las Pilas archaeological site (mile 14), Chalcatzingo (mile 16), Historic centre of Puebla (mile 60), International Museum of the Baroque (mile 60), Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla (mile 71), Orizaba Cathedral (mile 155), Veracruz State Art Museum (mile 157), La Venta (mile 384)

Las Pilas archaeological site

Mile 14 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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.

Chalcatzingo

Mile 16 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route

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.

Historic centre of Puebla

Mile 60 · Historic center · 5 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.

International Museum of the Baroque

Mile 60 · 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.

Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla

Mile 71 · 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.

Cañón del Río Blanco National Park

Mile 146 · National park · 0.4 mi from the route

Cañón del Río Blanco National Park is a protected natural area in the Mexican state of Veracruz, set aside by the government as a national park.

Orizaba Cathedral

Mile 155 · 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.

Veracruz State Art Museum

Mile 157 · 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.

La Venta

Mile 384 · 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.

Arriving in Comalcalco

Comalcalco

Archaeological site · in Comalcalco

Next to the modern city of the same name in Tabasco, Comalcalco is an ancient Maya site that stands out as a major Maya city built with bricks instead of limestone, and the westernmost of the civilization.

More drives to Comalcalco

From Cuautla to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

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

About 8 h 4 min of driving without stops, over 452 miles.

How far is Comalcalco from Cuautla by car?

About 452 miles (728 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 Cuautla to Comalcalco?

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 Cuautla to Comalcalco?

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

Which highways go from Cuautla to Comalcalco?

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

What are good stops between Cuautla and Comalcalco?

Closest to the road: Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (national park, mile 146, 0.4 mi from the route); Orizaba Cathedral (cathedral, mile 155, 1 mi from the route); Veracruz State Art Museum (art museum, mile 157, 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.