Mexico City to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes Road Trip

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Mexico City to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes is 335 miles (539 km), about 6 h 7 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; Hidalgo — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Querétaro — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Guanajuato — Level 3, Reconsider 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 San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Museo SoumayaParque NaucalliParque TezozómocTenayucaXólotl MuseumTemplo y exconvento de San FranciscoCerro de las CampanasHistoric centre of AguascalientesMexico CitySan José de Gracia, Aguascalientes
Route from Mexico City to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance335 mi (539 km)
Driving time, no stops6 h 7 min
Main roads, in orderViaducto → Periférico → MEX-57 → MEX-47D → MEX-45D → MEX-45 → AGS 19
Mexican states on the routeMexico City (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), Querétaro (Level 2), Guanajuato (Level 3), Jalisco (Level 3), Aguascalientes (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-57D, MEX-47D, MEX-45D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 13.4 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 Mexico City to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes is like

MEX-45D (141 mi) and MEX-57 (70 mi) carry about 63% of the 335 miles. MEX-47D, MEX-45D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-57, MEX-45 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 7 states: Mexico City, State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Aguascalientes. Of the 8 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Mexico City to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–22Mexico City
Viaducto2–64Mexico City
Periférico6–2418Mexico City, State of Mexico
MEX-5724–9470State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Querétaro
MEX-47D94–14854Querétaro, Guanajuato
MEX-45D148–289141Guanajuato, Jalisco
MEX-45289–31930Jalisco, Aguascalientes
local roads319–3223Aguascalientes
MEX-45322–3264Aguascalientes
AGS 19326–3348Aguascalientes
local roads334–3351Aguascalientes
  • Mile 9 of this route: Mexico City → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 41 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 60 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 93 of this route: State of Mexico → Querétaro (state line)
  • Mile 135 of this route: Querétaro → Guanajuato (state line)
  • Mile 245 of this route: Guanajuato → Jalisco (state line)
  • Mile 293 of this route: Jalisco → Aguascalientes (state line)

Stops between Mexico City and San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museo Soumaya (mile 9), Parque Naucalli (mile 13), Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (mile 47), Historic centre of Aguascalientes (mile 307)
  • Nature and outdoors: Parque Naucalli (mile 13), Parque Tezozómoc (mile 14), Cerro de las Campanas (mile 136)
  • Museums and history: Museo Soumaya (mile 9), Tenayuca (mile 18), Xólotl Museum (mile 18), Historic centre of Aguascalientes (mile 307)

Museo Soumaya

Mile 9 · Museum network · 0.6 mi from the route

Museo Soumaya is a private, nonprofit art museum in Mexico City with two buildings, Plaza Loreto and Plaza Carso. Its collection spans pre-Hispanic sculpture, Mexican art and European masters such as Rodin, Dalí and Tintoretto.

Parque Naucalli

Mile 13 · Park · 0.2 mi from the route

Parque Naucalli is a park just outside Mexico City, in the municipality of Naucalpan de Juárez, where planning for the park began in 1975.

Parque Tezozómoc

Mile 14 · Park · 2 mi from the route

A large park in the Azcapotzalco borough, Parque Tezozómoc offers open green space in the northwestern part of Mexico City.

Tenayuca

Mile 18 · Archaeological site · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Tenayuca is a pre-Hispanic archaeological site in the Valley of Mexico. In the Postclassic period it was a settlement on the old western shore of Lake Texcoco.

Xólotl Museum

Mile 18 · Archaeological museum · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Run by INAH at the Tenayuca archaeological zone in Tlalnepantla, the Xólotl Museum traces the history of Tenayuca, an early Chichimec settlement in the Basin of Mexico.

Templo y exconvento de San Francisco

Mile 47 · 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.

Cerro de las Campanas

Mile 136 · 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.

Historic centre of Aguascalientes

Mile 307 · Historic district · 0.0 mi from the route

The historic center of Aguascalientes is the city's zone of historic monuments, which INAH has declared part of the nation's heritage.

When you get to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes

Santuario del Cristo Roto, San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes

Statue · in San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes

A 28-meter broken Christ, the Cristo Roto, stands on an island in the Presidente Calles dam at San José de Gracia, reachable only by boat. Sculptors Erasmo Aguilar and Miguel Romo Santino made it to recall what the town lost when the dam was built.

More drives to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes

From Mexico City to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Mexico City to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes?

About 6 h 7 min of driving without stops, over 335 miles.

How far is San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes from Mexico City by car?

About 335 miles (539 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 San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes?

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 San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes?

The U.S. State Department rates Mexico City Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Querétaro Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Guanajuato Level 3: Reconsider 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 Mexico City to San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes use?

In order: Viaducto, Periférico, MEX-57, MEX-47D, MEX-45D, MEX-45 and AGS 19. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Mexico City and San José de Gracia, Aguascalientes?

Closest to the road: Parque Naucalli (park, mile 13, 0.2 mi from the route); Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (convent, mile 47, 0.6 mi from the route); Historic centre of Aguascalientes (historic district, mile 307, 0.0 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.