Guanajuato to Atlatlahucan Road Trip: Route, Stops & Safety

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Guanajuato to Atlatlahucan is 275 miles (442 km), about 4 h 52 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: 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; 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.
Cerro de las CampanasEl Cimatario National ParkTula National ParkTeotihuacanSacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, EcatepecHistoric center of Mexico CityLuis Barragán House and StudioBosque de los Arboles de NavidadIztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National ParkGuanajuatoAtlatlahucan
Route from Guanajuato to Atlatlahucan with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance275 mi (442 km)
Driving time, no stops4 h 52 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-110 → MEX-45 → MEX-45D → MEX-47D → MEX-57D → MEX-5D → MEX-115
Mexican states on the routeGuanajuato (Level 3), Querétaro (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), Morelos (Level 3)
Toll roadsMEX-45D, MEX-43D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-5D, MEX-115D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 11.0 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below9

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 Guanajuato to Atlatlahucan is like

MEX-57D (57 mi) and MEX-5D (55 mi) carry about 41% of the 275 miles. MEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-5D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-110, MEX-45, MEX-115 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 5 states: Guanajuato, Querétaro, State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Morelos. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Guanajuato to Atlatlahucan, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–11Guanajuato
MEX-1101–76Guanajuato
local roads7–136Guanajuato
MEX-4513–2310Guanajuato
connecting roads23–241Guanajuato
MEX-45D24–7551Guanajuato
connecting roads75–761Guanajuato
MEX-47D76–12852Guanajuato, Querétaro
MEX-57D128–18557Querétaro, State of Mexico, Hidalgo
MEX-5D185–24055State of Mexico
MEX-115240–25616State of Mexico
local roads256–27115State of Mexico, Morelos
MEX-115271–2743Morelos
local roads274–2751Morelos
  • Mile 88 of this route: Guanajuato → Querétaro (state line)
  • Mile 130 of this route: Querétaro → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 163 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 183 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 264 of this route: State of Mexico → Morelos (state line)

Stops between Guanajuato and Atlatlahucan

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, Ecatepec (mile 208), Bosque de los Arboles de Navidad (mile 252)
  • Nature and outdoors: Cerro de las Campanas (mile 87), El Cimatario National Park (mile 93), Tula National Park (mile 167), Bosque de los Arboles de Navidad (mile 252), Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park (mile 255)
  • Museums and history: Teotihuacan (mile 207), Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, Ecatepec (mile 208), Luis Barragán House and Studio (mile 217)

Cerro de las Campanas

Mile 87 · 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 93 · 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 167 · 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.

Teotihuacan

Mile 207 · Historic site · 14 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Built between the 1st and 7th centuries AD, this UNESCO-listed ancient city lines the Avenue of the Dead, where you can walk between the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, Ecatepec

Mile 208 · Cathedral · 0.7 mi from the route

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, also called Ecatepec Cathedral, is the main Catholic church and seat of the Diocese of Ecatepec in Mexico, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Historic center of Mexico City

Mile 217 · Old town · 8 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Built by the Spanish in the 16th century on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, Mexico City's Centro Histórico holds the Metropolitan Cathedral, the excavated Aztec Templo Mayor and the Palacio de Bellas Artes. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 1987.

Luis Barragán House and Studio

Mile 217 · Museum · 12 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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.

Bosque de los Arboles de Navidad

Mile 252 · Park · 1 mi from the route

Bosque de los Árboles de Navidad in Amecameca, State of Mexico, is a tourist park with a greenhouse, covering about 400 hectares.

Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park

Mile 255 · National Park of Mexico · 8 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park, also called Izta-Popo Zoquiapan, protects the land around Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, Mexico's second- and third-highest peaks, where the states of México, Puebla and Morelos meet.

When you get to Atlatlahucan

Templo y Exconvento de San Juan Bautista de Yecapixtla

Convent · in Atlatlahucan

The 16th-century church and former monastery of San Juan Bautista in Yecapixtla belongs to the Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatepetl, inscribed by UNESCO in 1994 as early missionary architecture with large open courtyards.

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 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 Guanajuato to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Guanajuato to Atlatlahucan?

About 4 h 52 min of driving without stops, over 275 miles.

How far is Atlatlahucan from Guanajuato by car?

About 275 miles (442 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 Guanajuato 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 Guanajuato to Atlatlahucan?

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

What roads does the drive from Guanajuato to Atlatlahucan use?

In order: MEX-110, MEX-45, MEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-5D and MEX-115. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Guanajuato and Atlatlahucan?

Closest to the road: Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, Ecatepec (cathedral, mile 208, 0.7 mi from the route); Bosque de los Arboles de Navidad (park, mile 252, 1 mi from the route); Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park (National Park of Mexico, mile 255, 8 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.