Guadalupe, Zacatecas to Tepotzotlán Road Trip: Route & Stops

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Guadalupe, Zacatecas to Tepotzotlán is 348 miles (560 km), about 5 h 53 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; Guanajuato — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Querétaro — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. State of Mexico is the Mexican state that contains Tepotzotlán. This route passes through a state at the advisory's highest level. Read the full advisory before you plan this drive.
Museo de la InsurgenciaMuseum of Contemporary ArtCelaya CathedralCerro de las CampanasEl Cimatario National ParkTula National ParkTemplo y exconvento de San FranciscoGuadalupe, ZacatecasTepotzotlán
Route from Guadalupe, Zacatecas to Tepotzotlán with the 7 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance348 mi (560 km)
Driving time, no stops5 h 53 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-45D → MEX-45 → MEX-47D → MEX-57D
Mexican states on the routeZacatecas (Level 4), Aguascalientes (Level 2), Jalisco (Level 3), Guanajuato (Level 3), Querétaro (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-45D, MEX-43D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 13.9 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below7

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 Guadalupe, Zacatecas to Tepotzotlán is like

MEX-45D (163 mi) and MEX-57D (65 mi) carry about 66% of the 348 miles. MEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-45 is a free federal road (libre). It runs through 7 states: Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Querétaro, State of Mexico, Hidalgo. Of the 7 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Guadalupe, Zacatecas to Tepotzotlán, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–44Zacatecas
MEX-45D4–2521Zacatecas
MEX-4525–5328Zacatecas, Aguascalientes
local roads53–574Aguascalientes
MEX-4557–8730Aguascalientes, Jalisco
MEX-45D87–229142Jalisco, Guanajuato
MEX-47D229–28152Guanajuato, Querétaro
MEX-57D281–34665Querétaro, State of Mexico, Hidalgo
local roads346–3482State of Mexico
  • Mile 30 of this route: Zacatecas → Aguascalientes (state line)
  • Mile 83 of this route: Aguascalientes → Jalisco (state line)
  • Mile 132 of this route: Jalisco → Guanajuato (state line)
  • Mile 242 of this route: Guanajuato → Querétaro (state line)
  • Mile 283 of this route: Querétaro → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 316 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 336 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)

Stops between Guadalupe, Zacatecas and Tepotzotlán

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museum of Contemporary Art (mile 68), Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (mile 329)
  • Nature and outdoors: Cerro de las Campanas (mile 240), El Cimatario National Park (mile 245), Tula National Park (mile 320)
  • Museums and history: Museo de la Insurgencia (mile 48), Museum of Contemporary Art (mile 68), Celaya Cathedral (mile 217)

Museo de la Insurgencia

Mile 48 · 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.

Museum of Contemporary Art

Mile 68 · Art museum · 0.2 mi from the route

Aguascalientes' Museum of Contemporary Art shows works by contemporary Mexican artists in its Jesús F. Contreras gallery.

Celaya Cathedral

Mile 217 · Church building · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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.

Cerro de las Campanas

Mile 240 · National Park of Mexico · 12 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Rising within Querétaro City, the Cerro de las Campanas is a hill that is protected as a Mexican national park.

El Cimatario National Park

Mile 245 · National Park of Mexico · 9 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

El Cimatario National Park protects about 24 square kilometers of land just south of the city of Santiago de Querétaro.

Tula National Park

Mile 320 · National Park of Mexico · 9 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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.

Templo y exconvento de San Francisco

Mile 329 · Convent · 0.6 mi from the route

The Templo y Exconvento de San Francisco is a church and former convent located in the city of Tepeji del Río, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo.

When you get to Tepotzotlán

Parque Espejo de los Lirios

Park · in Tepotzotlán

Espejo de los Lirios is a lake park in Cuautitlán Izcalli, opened as a park in 1973 and declared a protected natural area in 2009 along with the city's Central Park.

Museo Nacional del Virreinato

Museum · in Tepotzotlán

Housed in the former Jesuit college of San Francisco Javier in Tepotzotlán, begun in 1606, this national museum covers three centuries of colonial art. Its Baroque church, built 1670-1682, keeps altarpieces designed by Miguel Cabrera and Higinio de Chávez.

Cuautitlán Cathedral

Catholic cathedral · in Tepotzotlán

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.

More drives to Tepotzotlán

From Guadalupe, Zacatecas to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Guadalupe, Zacatecas to Tepotzotlán?

About 5 h 53 min of driving without stops, over 348 miles.

How far is Tepotzotlán from Guadalupe, Zacatecas by car?

About 348 miles (560 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 Guadalupe, Zacatecas to Tepotzotlán?

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 Guadalupe, Zacatecas to Tepotzotlán?

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

What roads does the drive from Guadalupe, Zacatecas to Tepotzotlán use?

In order: MEX-45D, MEX-45, MEX-47D and MEX-57D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Guadalupe, Zacatecas and Tepotzotlán?

Closest to the road: Museum of Contemporary Art (art museum, mile 68, 0.2 mi from the route); Celaya Cathedral (church building, mile 217, 2 mi from the route); Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (convent, mile 329, 0.6 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.