The Wayro route from Cuernavaca to Apizaco is 127 miles (204 km), about 2 h 18 min of driving without stops.
| Distance | 127 mi (204 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 2 h 18 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-95D → MEX-160D → MEX-160 → PUE 438D → MEX-190D → MEX-190 → MEX-119D → MEX-117D → MEX-136 |
| Mexican states on the route | Morelos (Level 3), Puebla (Level 2), Tlaxcala (Level 2) |
| Toll roads | MEX-95D, MEX-160D, MEX-190D, MEX-119D, MEX-117D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 5.1 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
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.
What the drive from Cuernavaca to Apizaco is like
PUE 438D (34 mi) and MEX-160D (21 mi) carry about 43% of the 127 miles. MEX-95D, MEX-160D, MEX-190D, MEX-119D, MEX-117D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-160, MEX-190, MEX-136 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 3 states: Morelos, Puebla, Tlaxcala. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Cuernavaca to Apizaco, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–4 | 4 | Morelos |
| MEX-95D | 4–9 | 5 | Morelos |
| MEX-160D | 9–30 | 21 | Morelos |
| MEX-160 | 30–47 | 17 | Morelos |
| PUE 438D | 47–81 | 34 | Morelos, Puebla |
| MEX-190D | 81–92 | 11 | Puebla |
| MEX-190 | 92–102 | 10 | Puebla |
| MEX-119D | 102–113 | 11 | Puebla, Tlaxcala |
| MEX-117D | 113–124 | 11 | Tlaxcala |
| MEX-136 | 124–127 | 3 | Tlaxcala |
- Mile 55 of this route: Morelos → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 105 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
Stops between Cuernavaca and Apizaco
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museo Carlos Pellicer (mile 15), Parque ecológico Los Ladrillos (mile 106)
- Nature and outdoors: Parque ecológico Los Ladrillos (mile 106), La Malinche National Park (mile 117)
- Museums and history: Museo Carlos Pellicer (mile 15), Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla (mile 94), Cholula (mile 98), La Constancia Mexicana (mile 100), Museo Miguel N. Lira (mile 115)
Museo Carlos Pellicer
Tepoztlán's Museo de Arte Prehispánico Carlos Pellicer, opened in 1965 and named for the poet and museographer, displays a collection of pre-Hispanic objects in the former granary of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Natividad.
Convento de San Juan Bautista
This convent in Tetela del Volcán, known for its carved wooden sacristy and light-filled cloister walks, was cleaned of soot left from its use as a barracks during the Mexican Revolution in a conservation project completed in 2009.
Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla
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.
Tonantzintla Observatory
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.
Cholula
Cholula's Great Pyramid grew in successive construction phases around an adobe core. INAH repair work on its Pocito staircase after the 2017 earthquakes turned up broken pre-Hispanic braziers and a small limestone figure of the rain god Tláloc.
La Constancia Mexicana
A textile factory founded in 1835 in Puebla now houses the La Constancia museum complex, with a children's museum, a puppet house, a Mexican music museum, an automobile museum and a park of miniature world monuments.
Parque ecológico Los Ladrillos
Opened on April 2, 2015, Los Ladrillos Ecological Park is a nature reserve in the municipality of Zacatelco, in Tlaxcala.
Museo Miguel N. Lira
Downtown Tlaxcala's Museo Miguel N. Lira fills the old State Printing Office, linked to the writer and poet. Visitors see his manuscripts, family photos and personal belongings, plus the original linotype machines and the press that printed his work.
La Malinche National Park
Tlaxcala's La Malinche National Park surrounds the inactive Matlalcuéyetl volcano, with pine, oak and fir forests on its slopes, hiking trails, birdwatching, and stone cabins and campsites at the Malintzi Vacation Center.
When you get to Apizaco
Basílica de Nuestra Señora de las Misericordias, Apizaco
In the city of Apizaco, this Catholic basilica (Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia) was begun in the third decade of the 20th century and completed in 1961.
Museo Casa de Piedra
Apizaco's old railroad station, dating from 1916, now houses the Museo Casa de Piedra. Inside, photographs and documents trace the town's history, especially its long ties to the railroads.
Ex Convento de Santa María de la Concepción Atlihuetzia
The ruined walls of this 16th-century Franciscan convent in Atlihuetzia rise as high as 21 meters beside the 17th-century Purísima Concepción church. The site also holds a sanctuary to Cristóbal, honored as the first Catholic child martyr in the Americas.
More drives to Apizaco
- Mexico City to Apizaco
- Tepotzotlán to Apizaco
- Cuautla to Apizaco
- Toluca to Apizaco
- Taxco to Apizaco
- Zitácuaro to Apizaco
From Cuernavaca to other places in Mexico
- Cuernavaca to Valle de Bravo
- Cuernavaca to Zitácuaro
- Cuernavaca to El Oro
- Cuernavaca to Tlalpujahua
- Cuernavaca to San Juan del Río
- Cuernavaca to Amealco
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Cuernavaca to Apizaco?
About 2 h 18 min of driving without stops, over 127 miles.
How far is Apizaco from Cuernavaca by car?
About 127 miles (204 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 Cuernavaca to Apizaco?
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 Cuernavaca to Apizaco?
The U.S. State Department rates Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Cuernavaca to Apizaco use?
In order: MEX-95D, MEX-160D, MEX-160, PUE 438D, MEX-190D, MEX-190, MEX-119D, MEX-117D and MEX-136. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Cuernavaca and Apizaco?
Closest to the road: Museo Carlos Pellicer (museum, mile 15, 0.5 mi from the route); Parque ecológico Los Ladrillos (park, mile 106, 0.4 mi from the route); Museo Miguel N. Lira (museum, mile 115, 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.