Manzanillo to Calvillo Road Trip: Route, Stops & Safety

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Manzanillo to Calvillo is 349 miles (561 km), about 6 h 22 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Colima — Level 4, Do Not Travel; Jalisco — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Aguascalientes — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Aguascalientes is the Mexican state that contains Calvillo. This route passes through a state at the advisory's highest level. Read the full advisory before you plan this drive.
Museo Comunitario de la SalCathedral Basilica of ColimaCiudad Guzmán CathedralEl IxtépeteGuadalajara city museumTeocaltitan Archaeological SiteCathedral Basilica of San Juan de los LagosMuseo DescubreManzanilloCalvillo
Route from Manzanillo to Calvillo with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance349 mi (561 km)
Driving time, no stops6 h 22 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-200 → MEX-200D → MEX-110 → MEX-54 → MEX-54D → MEX-15 → MEX-15D → MEX-80D → MEX-45D → MEX-45 → MEX-70
Mexican states on the routeColima (Level 4), Jalisco (Level 3), Aguascalientes (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-200D, MEX-54D, MEX-15D, MEX-80D, MEX-45D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 14.0 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below8

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 Manzanillo to Calvillo is like

MEX-54D (91 mi) and MEX-80D (72 mi) carry about 47% of the 349 miles. MEX-200D, MEX-54D, MEX-15D, MEX-80D, MEX-45D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-200, MEX-110, MEX-54, MEX-15, MEX-45, MEX-70 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 3 states: Colima, Jalisco, Aguascalientes. Of the 8 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Manzanillo to Calvillo, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–33Colima
MEX-2003–96Colima
MEX-200D9–3526Colima
connecting roads35–383Colima
MEX-11038–6325Colima
MEX-5463–707Colima
MEX-54D70–16191Colima, Jalisco
MEX-15161–17817Jalisco
local roads178–1824Jalisco
MEX-15D182–19816Jalisco
connecting roads198–2013Jalisco
MEX-80D201–27372Jalisco
connecting roads273–2741Jalisco
local roads274–28612Jalisco
MEX-45D286–30014Jalisco
MEX-45300–31616Jalisco, Aguascalientes
local roads316–3226Aguascalientes
MEX-70322–34927Aguascalientes
  • Mile 80 of this route: Colima → Jalisco (state line)
  • Mile 304 of this route: Jalisco → Aguascalientes (state line)

Stops between Manzanillo and Calvillo

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museo Comunitario de la Sal (mile 26), Museo Descubre (mile 316)
  • Museums and history: Museo Comunitario de la Sal (mile 26), Cathedral Basilica of Colima (mile 64), Ciudad Guzmán Cathedral (mile 106), El Ixtépete (mile 177), Guadalajara city museum (mile 182), Teocaltitan Archaeological Site (mile 261), Cathedral Basilica of San Juan de los Lagos (mile 268), Museo Descubre (mile 316)

Museo Comunitario de la Sal

Mile 26 · Museum · 0.4 mi from the route

Set in an old warehouse in Cuyutlán, the community Salt Museum (Museo Comunitario de la Sal) explains how local salt has been harvested, from the old tapeixtle technique to modern methods, with historic photos of the salt works.

Cathedral Basilica of Colima

Mile 64 · Cathedral · 2 mi from the route

Colima Cathedral, the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, stands at a corner of the Jardín Libertad in the city center. Pope John Paul II named it a minor basilica on October 12, 1998.

Ciudad Guzmán Cathedral

Mile 106 · Cathedral · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Ciudad Guzmán's St. Joseph Cathedral (Catedral de San José) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ciudad Guzmán and the seat of its bishop.

El Ixtépete

Mile 177 · Archaeological site · 1 mi from the route

Zapopan's El Ixtépete preserves a pyramid built around AD 650-750, during the Grillo tradition, with at least seven superimposed construction phases; the site lies within the Guadalajara metro area near the Periférico and Avenida Mariano Otero.

Guadalajara city museum

Mile 182 · Museum · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Guadalajara's city museum (Museo de la Ciudad), in the historic center, opened on February 14, 1992, and covers the city's history and many sides of its culture.

Teocaltitan Archaeological Site

Mile 261 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Near Jalostotitlán in the Los Altos region, the Teocaltitán site holds pyramids, sunken patios and a ball court spread across about nine hectares, built by a people who dominated much of the area from AD 400 to 900.

Cathedral Basilica of San Juan de los Lagos

Mile 268 · Minor basilica · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Pilgrims come from far and wide to San Juan de los Lagos to see the small image of the Virgin kept in this cathedral basilica, built between 1732 and 1769. Inside are Gothic-style ribbed vaults and a silver-framed Way of the Cross.

Museo Descubre

Mile 316 · Museum · 0.8 mi from the route

Museo Descubre is a hands-on, interactive museum in the city of Aguascalientes whose spiral-shaped interior leads inward along various paths of knowledge.

When you get to Calvillo

La Santa Cruz

Museum · in Calvillo

In Calvillo's town center, La Santa Cruz is a cultural and monumental complex with Catholic and historical themes devoted to Calvillo's role in the Cristero War of 1926; it opened in 2021.

More drives to Calvillo

From Manzanillo to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Manzanillo to Calvillo?

About 6 h 22 min of driving without stops, over 349 miles.

How far is Calvillo from Manzanillo by car?

About 349 miles (561 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 Manzanillo to Calvillo?

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 Manzanillo to Calvillo?

The U.S. State Department rates Colima Level 4: Do Not Travel; Jalisco Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Aguascalientes Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Manzanillo to Calvillo use?

In order: MEX-200, MEX-200D, MEX-110, MEX-54, MEX-54D, MEX-15, MEX-15D, MEX-80D, MEX-45D, MEX-45 and MEX-70. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Manzanillo and Calvillo?

Closest to the road: Museo Comunitario de la Sal (museum, mile 26, 0.4 mi from the route); El Ixtépete (archaeological site, mile 177, 1 mi from the route); Museo Descubre (museum, mile 316, 0.8 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.