Irapuato to Atlatlahucan Road Trip: Where to Stop on the Way

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Irapuato to Atlatlahucan is 249 miles (401 km), about 4 h 13 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.
Celaya CathedralCerro de las CampanasTemplo y exconvento de San FranciscoHistoric center of Mexico CityLuis Barragán House and StudioMuseo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense BicentenarioMolino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National ParkIztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National ParkSacromonte National ParkIrapuatoAtlatlahucan
Route from Irapuato to Atlatlahucan with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance249 mi (401 km)
Driving time, no stops4 h 13 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-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-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-5D, MEX-115D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 10.0 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 Irapuato to Atlatlahucan is like

MEX-57D (57 mi) and MEX-5D (54 mi) carry about 45% of the 249 miles. MEX-45D, MEX-47D, MEX-57D, MEX-5D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-115 is a free federal road (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 Irapuato to Atlatlahucan, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–44Guanajuato
MEX-45D4–5046Guanajuato
MEX-47D50–10353Guanajuato, Querétaro
MEX-57D103–16057Querétaro, State of Mexico, Hidalgo
MEX-5D160–21454State of Mexico
connecting roads214–2151State of Mexico
MEX-115215–23116State of Mexico
local roads231–24514State of Mexico, Morelos
MEX-115245–2483Morelos
local roads248–2491Morelos
  • Mile 63 of this route: Guanajuato → Querétaro (state line)
  • Mile 104 of this route: Querétaro → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 137 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 157 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 238 of this route: State of Mexico → Morelos (state line)

Stops between Irapuato and Atlatlahucan

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (mile 150), Museo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario (mile 202), Sacromonte National Park (mile 229)
  • Nature and outdoors: Cerro de las Campanas (mile 61), Molino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National Park (mile 203), Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park (mile 229), Sacromonte National Park (mile 229)
  • Museums and history: Celaya Cathedral (mile 37), Luis Barragán House and Studio (mile 191), Museo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario (mile 202)

Celaya Cathedral

Mile 37 · 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 61 · 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.

Templo y exconvento de San Francisco

Mile 150 · 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 191 · 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 191 · 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.

Museo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario

Mile 202 · Museum · 0.2 mi from the route

The museum at the Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario opened in 2011 with a permanent exhibit, Encuentro con Nuestras Raíces, a hall of art from the State of Mexico and three temporary galleries.

Molino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National Park

Mile 203 · 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.

Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park

Mile 229 · 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.

Sacromonte National Park

Mile 229 · National Park of Mexico · 0.4 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 Atlatlahucan

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 Mateo Apóstol

Convent · in Atlatlahucan

Built by Augustinian friars, the Templo y Exconvento de San Mateo Apóstol in Atlatlahucan is well preserved, with murals and decorated vaults, and is associated with the origins of the Chinelo dancers.

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 Irapuato to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Irapuato to Atlatlahucan?

About 4 h 13 min of driving without stops, over 249 miles.

How far is Atlatlahucan from Irapuato by car?

About 249 miles (401 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 Irapuato 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 Irapuato 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 Irapuato to Atlatlahucan use?

In order: 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 Irapuato and Atlatlahucan?

Closest to the road: Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (convent, mile 150, 0.6 mi from the route); Museo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario (museum, mile 202, 0.2 mi from the route); Sacromonte National Park (National Park of Mexico, mile 229, 0.4 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.