The Wayro route from Cuernavaca to Zacatecas is 422 miles (679 km), about 7 h 51 min of driving without stops.
| Distance | 422 mi (679 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 7 h 51 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-95D → Periférico → MEX-57 → MEX-47D → MEX-45D → MEX-45 |
| Mexican states on the route | Morelos (Level 3), Mexico City (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), Querétaro (Level 2), Guanajuato (Level 3), Jalisco (Level 3), Aguascalientes (Level 2), Zacatecas (Level 4) |
| Toll roads | MEX-95D, MEX-57D, MEX-47D, MEX-45D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 16.9 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 Zacatecas is like
MEX-45D (161 mi) and MEX-57 (70 mi) carry about 55% of the 422 miles. MEX-95D, MEX-47D, MEX-45D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-57, MEX-45 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 9 states: Morelos, Mexico City, State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Cuernavaca to Zacatecas, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–12 | 12 | Morelos |
| MEX-95D | 12–31 | 19 | Morelos, Mexico City |
| local roads | 31–35 | 4 | Mexico City |
| Periférico | 35–65 | 30 | Mexico City, State of Mexico |
| MEX-57 | 65–135 | 70 | State of Mexico, Hidalgo |
| connecting roads | 135–136 | 1 | Querétaro |
| MEX-47D | 136–190 | 54 | Querétaro, Guanajuato |
| MEX-45D | 190–331 | 141 | Guanajuato, Jalisco |
| MEX-45 | 331–360 | 29 | Jalisco, Aguascalientes |
| local roads | 360–364 | 4 | Aguascalientes |
| MEX-45 | 364–393 | 29 | Aguascalientes, Zacatecas |
| MEX-45D | 393–413 | 20 | Zacatecas |
| MEX-45 | 413–422 | 9 | Zacatecas |
- Mile 18 of this route: Morelos → Mexico City (state line)
- Mile 51 of this route: Mexico City → State of Mexico (state line)
- Mile 83 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
- Mile 103 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
- Mile 135 of this route: State of Mexico → Querétaro (state line)
- Mile 177 of this route: Querétaro → Guanajuato (state line)
- Mile 286 of this route: Guanajuato → Jalisco (state line)
- Mile 334 of this route: Jalisco → Aguascalientes (state line)
- Mile 388 of this route: Aguascalientes → Zacatecas (state line)
Stops between Cuernavaca and Zacatecas
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Luis Barragán House and Studio (mile 48), Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (mile 349)
- Nature and outdoors: Viveros de Coyoacán (mile 45), El Tepeyac National Park (mile 60), Tula National Park (mile 98), Cerro de las Campanas (mile 178)
- Museums and history: Luis Barragán House and Studio (mile 48), Museo de Arte Moderno (mile 49), Cuautitlán Cathedral (mile 68), Celaya Cathedral (mile 201), Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (mile 349)
Viveros de Coyoacán
Part tree nursery, part public park, Viveros de Coyoacán covers 96 acres and was founded in the early 20th century by Miguel Ángel de Quevedo to grow seedlings for reforesting Mexico's forests.
Luis Barragán House and Studio
Luis Barragán built his own house and studio in Mexico City in 1948, blending modern design with Mexican vernacular touches. The concrete house and its private garden joined UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2004.
Museo de Arte Moderno
In Chapultepec Park, the Museo de Arte Moderno is part of Mexico's national fine arts institute (INBAL) and shows modern Mexican art along with exhibitions by Mexican and international artists.
El Tepeyac National Park
Decreed in 1937 on reforested slopes of the Sierra de Guadalupe, including Cerro del Tepeyac, this national park was created for rest and recreation, with views toward Mexico City and the old Lake Texcoco plain.
Cuautitlán Cathedral
Cuautitlán's St. Bonaventure Cathedral (Catedral de San Buenaventura) is a Catholic church that forms part of the convent of the same name in this State of Mexico municipality.
Tula National Park
This park protects the ruins of Tula, ancient capital of the Toltecs. Walk up to the main pyramid to stand beside the Atlantes, basalt warrior figures more than four meters tall, and look for the Coatepantli wall's reliefs of snakes devouring skeletons.
Cerro de las Campanas
Rising within Querétaro City, the Cerro de las Campanas is a hill that is protected as a Mexican national park.
Celaya Cathedral
Celaya's main Catholic church, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, occupies the space of a former chapel that was annexed to the neighboring Temple of St. Francis.
Museo Regional de Aguascalientes
An early 20th-century building by self-taught architect Refugio Reyes holds this INAH museum of Aguascalientes history, with fossils, archaeological finds, colonial paintings by Juan Correa and more than 300 devotional ex-voto paintings.
When you get to Zacatecas
Zacatecas climbs the steep slopes of a narrow valley between the Bufa and Grillo hills in north-central Mexico. Founded in 1546 after the discovery of a rich silver lode, its historic center has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993, and the city is also part of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the colonial silver route listed by UNESCO in 2010.
- Zacatecas Cathedral: Built between 1730 and 1760, the cathedral dominates downtown with Baroque façades that mix European and Indigenous decorative elements. source
- Teatro Calderón: The downtown theater dates from 1834 and is one of the civic landmarks UNESCO highlights in the historic center. source
- Mercado González Ortega: The iron-framed market building from 1886 stands in the historic center near the cathedral. source
Teatro Fernando Calderón
Built between 1891 and 1897 to plans by architect George Edward King, Zacatecas' Teatro Calderón honors playwright Fernando Calderón and witnessed violent events during the Toma de Zacatecas.
Cathedral Basilica of Zacatecas
Dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption, the Cathedral of Zacatecas is the main church of the Diocese of Zacatecas.
Manuel Felguérez Museum
A former seminary begun in 1870, later a barracks and then a prison until 1995, now holds Zacatecas' Museo de Arte Abstracto Manuel Felguérez, devoted to abstract art and to the work of the painter it's named after.
More drives to Zacatecas
- Del Rio, TX to Zacatecas
- South Padre Island, TX to Zacatecas
- McAllen, TX to Zacatecas
- Laredo, TX to Zacatecas
- Corpus Christi, TX to Zacatecas
- Brownsville, TX to Zacatecas
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
Coming to Zacatecas from the United States? Border crossings, permits and routes from U.S. cities: Driving to Zacatecas, Mexico from the U.S.
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Cuernavaca to Zacatecas?
About 7 h 51 min of driving without stops, over 422 miles.
How far is Zacatecas from Cuernavaca by car?
About 422 miles (679 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 Zacatecas?
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 Zacatecas?
The U.S. State Department rates Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Mexico City Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Querétaro Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Guanajuato Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Jalisco Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Aguascalientes Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Zacatecas Level 4: Do Not Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Cuernavaca to Zacatecas use?
In order: MEX-95D, Periférico, MEX-57, MEX-47D, MEX-45D and MEX-45. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Cuernavaca and Zacatecas?
Closest to the road: Luis Barragán House and Studio (museum, mile 48, 0.1 mi from the route); Museo de Arte Moderno (museum of modern art, mile 49, 1 mi from the route); Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (history museum, mile 349, 0.2 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.