By road, Matehuala and Omitlán are about 383 miles (616 km) apart, or roughly 7 h 23 min of driving.
| Total distance | 383 mi (616 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 7 h 23 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-57 → MEX-57D → MEX-M40D → MEX-85 → MEX-105 |
| Mexican states on the route | San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato, Querétaro, State of Mexico, Hidalgo |
| Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap) | MEX-57D, MEX-M40D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 15.3 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
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 insurance | Required 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 Matehuala to Omitlán is like
MEX-57 (175 mi) and MEX-57D (128 mi) carry about 79% of the 383 miles. It runs through 5 states: San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato, Querétaro, State of Mexico, Hidalgo. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-57D and MEX-M40D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.
Matehuala to Omitlán: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | San Luis Potosí |
| MEX-57 | 2–80 | 78 | San Luis Potosí |
| MEX-57D | 80–122 | 42 | San Luis Potosí |
| MEX-57 | 122–219 | 97 | San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato, Querétaro |
| connecting roads | 219–221 | 2 | Querétaro |
| MEX-57D | 221–307 | 86 | Querétaro, State of Mexico |
| connecting roads | 307–308 | 1 | Hidalgo |
| MEX-M40D | 308–354 | 46 | Hidalgo, State of Mexico |
| MEX-85 | 354–366 | 12 | Hidalgo |
| local roads | 366–373 | 7 | Hidalgo |
| MEX-105 | 373–378 | 5 | Hidalgo |
| local roads | 378–383 | 5 | Hidalgo |
- Mile 160 of this route: San Luis Potosí → Guanajuato (state line)
- Mile 213 of this route: Guanajuato → Querétaro (state line)
- Mile 274 of this route: Querétaro → State of Mexico (state line)
- Mile 307 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
- Mile 337 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
- Mile 350 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
Stops between Matehuala and Omitlán
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Atlantean figures (mile 319), Museo El Rehilete (mile 367), Parque Cultural Hidalguense (mile 368), Parque Ecológico Cubitos (mile 371)
- Nature and outdoors: El Gogorrón National Park (mile 134), Parque Cultural Hidalguense (mile 368), Parque Ecológico Cubitos (mile 371)
- Museums and history: San Luis Potosí Cathedral (mile 114), Former hacienda of Chichimequillas (mile 228), Museo El Rehilete (mile 367), Museo de Mineralogía de la UAEH (mile 375)
San Luis Potosí Cathedral
Look closely at the two towers of San Luis Potosí's cathedral: one is built of mortar, the other of quarried cantera stone. The Baroque church is the seat of the archdiocese.
El Gogorrón National Park
Hot-spring balnearios lie within the bounds of Gogorrón National Park, which covers parts of Villa de Reyes and Santa María del Río in San Luis Potosí. Its higher ground carries pine-oak forest.
Former hacienda of Chichimequillas
Discalced Carmelite friars founded this hacienda around 1690 to shelter travelers on the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro and to farm. Its two-story stone and lime main house, finished in 1813, wraps around a central courtyard beside a chapel.
Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro
Querétaro's historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996, pairs the Spaniards' grid of streets with the winding lanes of the old Indigenous quarters. Walk it for Baroque churches and mansions of the 17th and 18th centuries and the city's landmark aqueduct.
Atlantean figures
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.
Museo El Rehilete
Kids head to Pachuca's interactive museum El Rehilete for its planetarium, observatory, dinosaur park, botanical garden and archaeological walk, plus a historic DC-3 airplane and a fire truck they can explore.
Parque Cultural Hidalguense
Formerly Parque David Ben Gurión, Pachuca's Parque Cultural Hidalguense reopened in 2025 after a major renovation, with a monumental chess board, an artificial lake with fountains, a skate park and Byron Gálvez's restored artwork known as el Pisal.
Parque Ecológico Cubitos
Between Pachuca de Soto and Mineral de la Reforma, Parque Ecológico Cubitos is a 90-hectare protected natural area whose public section has a botanical garden, an arboretum, a herpetarium, a farm, a maze, a zip line and a bike path.
Museo de Mineralogía de la UAEH
Inside the central building of the state university in downtown Pachuca, the UAEH Mineralogy Museum displays minerals and rocks and is one of the longest-running museums of its kind in Mexico.
When you get to Omitlán
Paste Museum
The Museo del Paste in Mineral del Monte, Hidalgo, is a food museum that shares and promotes the culinary and historical legacy of the paste.
La Dificultad Mine Museum
At the La Dificultad mine in Mineral del Monte, a site museum and interpretation center tells the area's mining and hospital history, showing how the mines moved from steam power to electricity.
Museo Casa Grande
The Museo Casa Grande is a museum in Mineral del Monte, in the state of Hidalgo, run by the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo.
More drives to Omitlán
- Tulancingo to Omitlán
- Otumba to Omitlán
- Tepotzotlán to Omitlán
- Mexico City to Omitlán
- Jilotepec to Omitlán
- Zimapán to Omitlán
From Matehuala to other places in Mexico
- Matehuala to San Juan de los Lagos
- Matehuala to Pabellón de Arteaga
- Matehuala to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes
- Matehuala to Calvillo
- Matehuala to Temacapulín
- Matehuala to Jalpa
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Matehuala to Omitlán?
About 7 h 23 min of driving without stops, over 383 miles.
How far is Omitlán from Matehuala by car?
About 383 miles (616 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 Matehuala to Omitlán?
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 Matehuala to Omitlán?
The U.S. State Department rates San Luis Potosí Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; 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 (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Matehuala to Omitlán?
In order: MEX-57, MEX-57D, MEX-M40D, MEX-85 and MEX-105. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Matehuala and Omitlán?
Closest to the road: Museo El Rehilete (museum, mile 367, 0.1 mi from the route); Parque Cultural Hidalguense (park, mile 368, 0.2 mi from the route); Parque Ecológico Cubitos (park, mile 371, 0.7 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 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: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place 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.