Cuernavaca to Atlatlahucan Road Trip: Where to Stop on the Way

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Cuernavaca to Atlatlahucan is 33 miles (53 km), about 44 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Morelos — Level 3, Reconsider TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Morelos is the Mexican state that contains Atlatlahucan. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
El TepoztecoTepoztlán Ex Convento MuseumFormer convent of Saint Dominic de GuzmánCuernavacaAtlatlahucan
Route from Cuernavaca to Atlatlahucan with the 3 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance33 mi (53 km)
Driving time, no stops44 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-95D → MEX-160D → MOR 2
Mexican states on the routeMorelos (Level 3)
Toll roadsMEX-95D, MEX-160D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 1.3 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below3

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 Cuernavaca to Atlatlahucan is like

MEX-160D (13 mi) and MEX-95D (5 mi) carry about 55% of the 33 miles. MEX-95D, MEX-160D are toll highways (cuota). Of the 3 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Cuernavaca to Atlatlahucan, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–44Morelos
MEX-95D4–95Morelos
MEX-160D9–2213Morelos
MOR 222–275Morelos
connecting roads27–281Morelos
local roads28–335Morelos

Stops between Cuernavaca and Atlatlahucan

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum (mile 15), Former convent of Saint Dominic de Guzmán (mile 26)
  • Museums and history: El Tepozteco (mile 14), Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum (mile 15)

El Tepozteco

Mile 14 · Archaeological site · 1 mi from the route

High on a hill above Tepoztlán, El Tepozteco holds the remains of a shrine to Ometochtli-Tepoztécatl, god of pulque, fertility and the harvest, along with terraced platforms built from around AD 1200.

Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum

Mile 15 · Museum · 0.6 mi from the route

Tepoztlán's Dominican monastery, built between 1555 and 1580, keeps original 16th-century murals in its cloister. Upstairs, the museum covers local daily life, faith, festivals and dances, and the complex is part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing.

Former convent of Saint Dominic de Guzmán

Mile 26 · Convent · 0.9 mi from the route

In Oaxtepec, the Exconvento de Santo Domingo de Guzmán is among the first convents the Dominicans built in Mexico, and its walls preserve extensive fresco painting from the colonial era.

When you get to Atlatlahucan

Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl

World Heritage Site · in Atlatlahucan

Inscribed by UNESCO in 1994, this World Heritage site groups early 16th-century monasteries that Franciscan, Dominican and Augustinian friars built on the slopes of Popocatépetl, with large open spaces used to evangelize the Indigenous population.

Templo y Exconvento de San Mateo Apóstol

Convent · in Atlatlahucan

Built by Augustinian friars, the Templo y Exconvento de San Mateo Apóstol in Atlatlahucan is well preserved, with murals and decorated vaults, and is associated with the origins of the Chinelo dancers.

Templo y exconvento de San Guillermo

Convent · in Atlatlahucan

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.

More drives to Atlatlahucan

From Cuernavaca to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Cuernavaca to Atlatlahucan?

About 44 min of driving without stops, over 33 miles.

How far is Atlatlahucan from Cuernavaca by car?

About 33 miles (53 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 Atlatlahucan?

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 Atlatlahucan?

The U.S. State Department rates Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Cuernavaca to Atlatlahucan use?

In order: MEX-95D, MEX-160D and MOR 2. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Cuernavaca and Atlatlahucan?

Closest to the road: El Tepozteco (archaeological site, mile 14, 1 mi from the route); Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum (museum, mile 15, 0.6 mi from the route); Former convent of Saint Dominic de Guzmán (convent, mile 26, 0.9 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.