Guanajuato to Atlixco Road Trip: Distance, Time & Stops

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Guanajuato to Atlixco is 300 miles (483 km), about 5 h 17 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; Tlaxcala — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Puebla is the Mexican state that contains Atlixco. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Celaya CathedralCerro de las CampanasEl Cimatario National ParkTulaTula National ParkTeotihuacanAqueduct of Padre TemblequeParque nacional XicoténcatlConvento de HuejotzingoGuanajuatoAtlixco
Route from Guanajuato to Atlixco with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance300 mi (483 km)
Driving time, no stops5 h 17 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-110 → MEX-45 → MEX-45D → MEX-47D → MEX-57D → MEX-M40D
Mexican states on the routeGuanajuato (Level 3), Querétaro (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), Tlaxcala (Level 2), Puebla (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-45D, MEX-43D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-M40D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 12.0 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 Atlixco is like

MEX-M40D (106 mi) and MEX-47D (52 mi) carry about 53% of the 300 miles. MEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-M40D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-110, MEX-45 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 6 states: Guanajuato, Querétaro, State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Puebla. Of the 9 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Guanajuato to Atlixco, 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-57D128–16335Querétaro, State of Mexico
connecting roads163–1641Hidalgo
MEX-M40D164–270106Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Puebla
local roads270–30030Puebla
  • 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 193 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 207 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 224 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 236 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 244 of this route: Hidalgo → Tlaxcala (state line)
  • Mile 267 of this route: Tlaxcala → Puebla (state line)

Stops between Guanajuato and Atlixco

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Tula National Park (mile 176)
  • Nature and outdoors: Cerro de las Campanas (mile 87), El Cimatario National Park (mile 93), Tula National Park (mile 176), Parque nacional Xicoténcatl (mile 265)
  • Museums and history: Celaya Cathedral (mile 63), Tula (mile 175), Teotihuacan (mile 224)

Celaya Cathedral

Mile 63 · 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 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

Mile 175 · Archaeological site · 1 mi from the route

Once the Toltec capital, the Tula archaeological zone is best known for its Atlantes, basalt warrior figures over four meters (13 feet) tall crowning the main pyramid. Visitors also see a ball court, the Burnt Palace and the Coatepantli wall, carved with snakes devouring skeletons.

Tula National Park

Mile 176 · National Park of Mexico · 1 mi from the route

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 224 · Historic site · 13 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.

Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque

Mile 226 · Aqueduct · 2 mi from the route

Built by Franciscan friar Francisco de Tembleque between 1554 and 1572, this 16th-century water system runs more than 48 km between Zempoala and Otumba. Its tallest arcade at Tepeyahualco reaches almost 40 meters, and UNESCO listed it in 2015.

Parque nacional Xicoténcatl

Mile 265 · National Park of Mexico · 11 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Covering roughly 600 hectares in central Tlaxcala, Xicohténcatl National Park takes in the historic center of Tlaxcala city plus Quiahuixtlán, Ocotelulco and Tepeticpac, which correspond to three of the old Tlaxcalan lordships.

Convento de Huejotzingo

Mile 281 · Convent · 1 mi from the route

Founded by Franciscans in the 16th century, the former convent of San Miguel Arcángel in Huejotzingo shows colonial Plateresque architecture on the western slopes of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1994.

More drives to Atlixco

From Guanajuato to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Guanajuato to Atlixco?

About 5 h 17 min of driving without stops, over 300 miles.

How far is Atlixco from Guanajuato by car?

About 300 miles (483 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 Atlixco?

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 Atlixco?

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; Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Guanajuato to Atlixco use?

In order: MEX-110, MEX-45, MEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D and MEX-M40D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Guanajuato and Atlixco?

Closest to the road: Tula (archaeological site, mile 175, 1 mi from the route); Tula National Park (National Park of Mexico, mile 176, 1 mi from the route); Convento de Huejotzingo (convent, mile 281, 1 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.