Mexico City to Ocuituco Road Trip: Route, Stops & Safety

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Mexico City to Ocuituco is 58 miles (94 km), about 1 h 35 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Mexico City — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico — 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.
Jardín Botánico Medicinal De la Cruz-BadianoIztapasauriaMuseo Comunitario de San Miguel TeotongoAcozacIztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National ParkSacromonte National ParkTemplo y exconvento de San GuillermoMexico CityOcuituco
Route from Mexico City to Ocuituco with the 7 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance58 mi (94 km)
Driving time, no stops1 h 35 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-150D → MEX-115
Mexican states on the routeMexico City (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Morelos (Level 3)
Toll roadsMEX-150D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 2.3 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below7

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 Mexico City to Ocuituco is like

MEX-115 (21 mi) and MEX-150D (8 mi) carry about 50% of the 58 miles. MEX-150D is a toll highway (cuota); MEX-115 is a free federal road (libre). It runs through 3 states: Mexico City, State of Mexico, Morelos. Of the 7 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Mexico City to Ocuituco, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–1010Mexico City, State of Mexico
connecting roads10–111State of Mexico
MEX-150D11–198State of Mexico
MEX-11519–4021State of Mexico
local roads40–5818State of Mexico, Morelos
  • Mile 6 of this route: Mexico City → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 49 of this route: State of Mexico → Morelos (state line)

Stops between Mexico City and Ocuituco

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Jardín Botánico Medicinal De la Cruz-Badiano (mile 7), Museo Comunitario de San Miguel Teotongo (mile 11), Sacromonte National Park (mile 34)
  • Nature and outdoors: Jardín Botánico Medicinal De la Cruz-Badiano (mile 7), Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park (mile 34), Sacromonte National Park (mile 34)
  • Museums and history: Museo Comunitario de San Miguel Teotongo (mile 11), Acozac (mile 19)
  • With kids: Iztapasauria (mile 8)

Jardín Botánico Medicinal De la Cruz-Badiano

Mile 7 · Botanical garden · 0.7 mi from the route

UNAM's De la Cruz-Badiano medicinal botanical garden in Iztapalapa is one of Mexico's early gardens devoted to medicinal plants.

Iztapasauria

Mile 8 · Theme park · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Opened on December 4, 2021, Iztapasauria is a dinosaur theme park inside the Deportivo Utopía Santa Cruz Meyehualco sports complex in Iztapalapa.

Museo Comunitario de San Miguel Teotongo

Mile 11 · Museum · 0.4 mi from the route

San Miguel Teotongo's community museum sits in the San Miguel Teotongo neighborhood of the Iztapalapa borough in Mexico City.

Acozac

Mile 19 · 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.

Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park

Mile 34 · 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 34 · 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.

Templo y exconvento de San Guillermo

Mile 43 · Convent · 9 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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.

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 Mexico City to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Mexico City to Ocuituco?

About 1 h 35 min of driving without stops, over 58 miles.

How far is Ocuituco from Mexico City by car?

About 58 miles (94 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 Mexico City 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 Mexico City to Ocuituco?

The U.S. State Department rates Mexico City Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico 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 Mexico City to Ocuituco use?

In order: MEX-150D and MEX-115. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Mexico City and Ocuituco?

Closest to the road: Jardín Botánico Medicinal De la Cruz-Badiano (botanical garden, mile 7, 0.7 mi from the route); Museo Comunitario de San Miguel Teotongo (museum, mile 11, 0.4 mi from the route); Sacromonte National Park (National Park of Mexico, mile 34, 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.