Guanajuato to Huamantla Road Trip: Stops, Tolls & Drive Time

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Guanajuato to Huamantla is 295 miles (475 km), about 5 h 3 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 CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Tlaxcala is the Mexican state that contains Huamantla. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Celaya CathedralCerro de las CampanasEl Cimatario National ParkAtlantean figuresSala Histórica QuetzalcóatlTeotihuacanParque nacional XicoténcatlEx Convento de Santa María de la Concepción AtlihuetziaBasílica de Nuestra Señora de las Misericordias, ApizacoGuanajuatoHuamantla
Route from Guanajuato to Huamantla with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance295 mi (475 km)
Driving time, no stops5 h 3 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-110 → MEX-45 → MEX-45D → MEX-47D → MEX-57D → MEX-M40D → MEX-136
Mexican states on the routeGuanajuato (Level 3), Querétaro (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), Tlaxcala (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-45D, MEX-43D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-M40D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 11.8 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 Huamantla is like

MEX-M40D (88 mi) and MEX-47D (52 mi) carry about 47% of the 295 miles. MEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-M40D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-110, MEX-45, MEX-136 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 5 states: Guanajuato, Querétaro, State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala. None of the 9 stops below is right on the road, so plan each as a short side trip.

The route from Guanajuato to Huamantla, 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-M40D164–25288Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Tlaxcala
MEX-136252–29543Tlaxcala
  • 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)

Stops between Guanajuato and Huamantla

  • Nature and outdoors: Cerro de las Campanas (mile 87), El Cimatario National Park (mile 93), Parque nacional Xicoténcatl (mile 276)
  • Museums and history: Celaya Cathedral (mile 63), Sala Histórica Quetzalcóatl (mile 175), Teotihuacan (mile 224), Basílica de Nuestra Señora de las Misericordias, Apizaco (mile 280)

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.

Atlantean figures

Mile 175 · Atlantean figures · 1 mi from the route

Crowning the main pyramid at the Tula archaeological zone, these basalt sculptures of Toltec warriors stand more than four meters tall in what was once the Toltec capital; the nearby Wall of Snakes shows carved serpents devouring skeletons.

Sala Histórica Quetzalcóatl

Mile 175 · Museum · 1 mi from the route

The Sala Histórica Quetzalcóatl is an archaeological museum located in Tula de Allende, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo.

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.

Parque nacional Xicoténcatl

Mile 276 · National Park of Mexico · 7 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.

Ex Convento de Santa María de la Concepción Atlihuetzia

Mile 277 · Convent · 1 mi from the route

The ruined walls of this 16th-century Franciscan convent in Atlihuetzia rise as high as 21 meters beside the 17th-century Purísima Concepción church. The site also holds a sanctuary to Cristóbal, honored as the first Catholic child martyr in the Americas.

Basílica de Nuestra Señora de las Misericordias, Apizaco

Mile 280 · Basilica · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In the city of Apizaco, this Catholic basilica (Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia) was begun in the third decade of the 20th century and completed in 1961.

When you get to Huamantla

Museo Nacional del Títere

Museum · in Huamantla

On the main square of Huamantla, the National Puppet Museum (Museo Nacional del Títere) fills eight galleries with puppets from Mexico and abroad, including pieces tied to the Rosete Aranda family, whose company toured Mexico for generations.

More drives to Huamantla

From Guanajuato to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Guanajuato to Huamantla?

About 5 h 3 min of driving without stops, over 295 miles.

How far is Huamantla from Guanajuato by car?

About 295 miles (475 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 Huamantla?

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 Huamantla?

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 (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Guanajuato to Huamantla use?

In order: MEX-110, MEX-45, MEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-M40D and MEX-136. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Guanajuato and Huamantla?

Closest to the road: Atlantean figures (atlantean figures, mile 175, 1 mi from the route); Sala Histórica Quetzalcóatl (museum, mile 175, 1 mi from the route); Ex Convento de Santa María de la Concepción Atlihuetzia (convent, mile 277, 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.