Fresnillo to Manzanillo Road Trip: Stops, Tolls & Drive Time

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Fresnillo to Manzanillo is 424 miles (683 km), about 7 h 39 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Zacatecas — Level 4, Do Not Travel; Aguascalientes — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Jalisco — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Colima — Level 4, Do Not TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Colima is the Mexican state that contains Manzanillo. This route passes through a state at the advisory's highest level. Read the full advisory before you plan this drive.

Route from Fresnillo to Manzanillo with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).

Distance	424 mi (683 km)
Driving time, no stops	7 h 39 min
Main roads, in order	MEX-45 → MEX-45D → MEX-80D → MEX-15D → MEX-15 → MEX-54D → MEX-54 → MEX-110 → MEX-200D
Mexican states on the route	Zacatecas (Level 4), Aguascalientes (Level 2), Jalisco (Level 3), Colima (Level 4)
Toll roads	MEX-45D, MEX-80D, MEX-90D, MEX-15D, MEX-54D, MEX-200D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)	about 17.0 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below	9

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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 Fresnillo to Manzanillo is like

MEX-54D (89 mi) and MEX-80D (87 mi) carry about 42% of the 424 miles. MEX-45D, MEX-80D, MEX-15D, MEX-54D, MEX-200D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-45, MEX-15, MEX-54, MEX-110 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 4 states: Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Colima. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Fresnillo to Manzanillo, road by road

Road	Route miles (from–to)	Length, mi	State
local roads	0–1	1	Zacatecas
MEX-45	1–14	13	Zacatecas
MEX-45D	14–65	51	Zacatecas
MEX-45	65–93	28	Zacatecas, Aguascalientes
local roads	93–97	4	Aguascalientes
MEX-45	97–127	30	Aguascalientes, Jalisco
MEX-45D	127–140	13	Jalisco
local roads	140–152	12	Jalisco
MEX-80D	152–239	87	Jalisco
MEX-15D	239–244	5	Jalisco
local roads	244–248	4	Jalisco
MEX-15	248–265	17	Jalisco
MEX-54D	265–354	89	Jalisco, Colima
MEX-54	354–362	8	Colima
MEX-110	362–386	24	Colima
connecting roads	386–388	2	Colima
MEX-200D	388–421	33	Colima
local roads	421–424	3	Colima

Mile 70 of this route: Zacatecas → Aguascalientes (state line)
Mile 124 of this route: Aguascalientes → Jalisco (state line)
Mile 345 of this route: Jalisco → Colima (state line)

Discover stops along your route

Stops between Fresnillo and Manzanillo

Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museo Escarcega (mile 108), Museo Comunitario de la Sal (mile 398)
Museums and history: Guadalupe regional museum (mile 43), Museo de la Insurgencia (mile 88), Museo Escarcega (mile 108), Cathedral Basilica of San Juan de los Lagos (mile 158), Universidad de Guadalajara. Museo de las Artes (mile 244), Ciudad Guzmán Cathedral (mile 320), Cathedral Basilica of Colima (mile 360), Museo Comunitario de la Sal (mile 398)

Guadalupe regional museum

Mile 43 · Museum · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In Guadalupe, Zacatecas, the Museo de Guadalupe fills a former college that sent missionaries to the north and holds an important collection of 17th- to 19th-century painting, including works by Cristóbal de Villalpando, Miguel Cabrera and Juan Correa.

Museo de la Insurgencia

Mile 88 · Museum · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Set in a 17th-century estate, the Museo de la Insurgencia opened in 1964 to tell the story of Mexico's independence movement. One hall shows farm, mining and textile tools from hacienda work; another displays everyday objects from past eras.

Museo Escarcega

Mile 108 · Art museum · 0.6 mi from the route

Eduardo Escárcega Rangel created this museum in the city of Aguascalientes to show his personal collection of paintings and prints by local, national and international artists.

Cathedral Basilica of San Juan de los Lagos

Mile 158 · Minor basilica · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Pilgrims come from far and wide to San Juan de los Lagos to see the small image of the Virgin kept in this cathedral basilica, built between 1732 and 1769. Inside are Gothic-style ribbed vaults and a silver-framed Way of the Cross.

Universidad de Guadalajara. Museo de las Artes

Mile 244 · Museum · 2 mi from the route

The University of Guadalajara's Museo de las Artes, known as MUSA, opened on October 10, 1994, and was expanded in 2013.

Statue of Minerva, Guadalajara

Mile 244 · Statue · 2 mi from the route

At a roundabout fountain in Guadalajara, a bronze statue of Minerva, Roman goddess of wisdom, stands on a large pedestal inscribed with the names of 18 notable citizens.

Ciudad Guzmán Cathedral

Mile 320 · Cathedral · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Ciudad Guzmán's St. Joseph Cathedral (Catedral de San José) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ciudad Guzmán and the seat of its bishop.

Cathedral Basilica of Colima

Mile 360 · Cathedral · 2 mi from the route

Colima Cathedral, the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, stands at a corner of the Jardín Libertad in the city center. Pope John Paul II named it a minor basilica on October 12, 1998.

Museo Comunitario de la Sal

Mile 398 · Museum · 0.5 mi from the route

Set in an old warehouse in Cuyutlán, the community Salt Museum (Museo Comunitario de la Sal) explains how local salt has been harvested, from the old tapeixtle technique to modern methods, with historic photos of the salt works.

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Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Fresnillo to Manzanillo?

About 7 h 39 min of driving without stops, over 424 miles.

How far is Manzanillo from Fresnillo by car?

About 424 miles (683 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 Fresnillo to Manzanillo?

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 Fresnillo to Manzanillo?

The U.S. State Department rates Zacatecas Level 4: Do Not Travel; Aguascalientes Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Jalisco Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Colima Level 4: Do Not Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Fresnillo to Manzanillo use?

In order: MEX-45, MEX-45D, MEX-80D, MEX-15D, MEX-15, MEX-54D, MEX-54, MEX-110 and MEX-200D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Fresnillo and Manzanillo?

Closest to the road: Museo Escarcega (art museum, mile 108, 0.6 mi from the route); Cathedral Basilica of Colima (cathedral, mile 360, 2 mi from the route); Museo Comunitario de la Sal (museum, mile 398, 0.5 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.