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

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Guanajuato to Ocuituco is 279 miles (449 km), about 5 h 6 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 Ocuituco. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
El Cimatario National ParkTemplo y exconvento de San FranciscoHistoric center of Mexico CityLuis Barragán House and StudioCerro de la Estrella National ParkMolino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National ParkAcozacBosque de los Arboles de NavidadSacromonte National ParkGuanajuatoOcuituco
Route from Guanajuato to Ocuituco with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance279 mi (449 km)
Driving time, no stops5 h 6 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
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 11.2 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 Ocuituco is like

MEX-57D (57 mi) and MEX-5D (55 mi) carry about 40% of the 279 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, 3 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Guanajuato to Ocuituco, 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-115240–26121State of Mexico
local roads261–27918State of Mexico, Morelos
  • 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 270 of this route: State of Mexico → Morelos (state line)

Stops between Guanajuato and Ocuituco

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (mile 176), Bosque de los Arboles de Navidad (mile 252), Sacromonte National Park (mile 255)
  • Nature and outdoors: El Cimatario National Park (mile 93), Cerro de la Estrella National Park (mile 221), Molino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National Park (mile 228), Bosque de los Arboles de Navidad (mile 252), Sacromonte National Park (mile 255)
  • Museums and history: Luis Barragán House and Studio (mile 217), Acozac (mile 239)

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.

Templo y exconvento de San Francisco

Mile 176 · 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.

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.

Cerro de la Estrella National Park

Mile 221 · National Park of Mexico · 9 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Rising in eastern Mexico City's Iztapalapa borough, Cerro de la Estrella is where the Mexica lit the New Fire every 52 years; trails lead up to a pyramid-shaped site museum near the summit and to caves with traces of pre-Hispanic use.

Molino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National Park

Mile 228 · National Park of Mexico · 6 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Named for Antonio Flores de Valdés, who inherited the estate in 1642, this former hacienda and mill near Texcoco became a national park in 1937. Visitors walk among its ruins, the San Joaquín church remains and a chapel built on rock.

Acozac

Mile 239 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Acozac is an archaeological site in the municipality of Ixtapaluca, State of Mexico, located at kilometer 30 of the federal Mexico City–Puebla road, heading toward Ixtapaluca.

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.

Sacromonte National Park

Mile 255 · National Park of Mexico · 0.3 mi from the route

Sacromonte National Park is a national park and protected area in the State of Mexico, established in 1952 and covering roughly 0.44 square kilometers.

When you get to Ocuituco

Convento de Santiago Apóstol

Convent · in Ocuituco

In the town of Ocuituco, the Temple and Ex-convent of Santiago Apóstol (Templo y Exconvento de Santiago Apóstol) belongs to the UNESCO-listed group of 16th-century monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl, inscribed in 1994.

Convento de San Juan Bautista

Convent · in Ocuituco

This convent in Tetela del Volcán, known for its carved wooden sacristy and light-filled cloister walks, was cleaned of soot left from its use as a barracks during the Mexican Revolution in a conservation project completed in 2009.

More drives to Ocuituco

From Guanajuato to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Guanajuato to Ocuituco?

About 5 h 6 min of driving without stops, over 279 miles.

How far is Ocuituco from Guanajuato by car?

About 279 miles (449 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 Ocuituco?

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 Ocuituco?

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 Ocuituco 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 Ocuituco?

Closest to the road: Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (convent, mile 176, 0.6 mi from the route); Bosque de los Arboles de Navidad (park, mile 252, 1 mi from the route); Sacromonte National Park (National Park of Mexico, mile 255, 0.3 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.