Mexico City to San Luis Soyatlán Road Trip: Stops & Drive Time

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Mexico City to San Luis Soyatlán is 349 miles (561 km), about 6 h 22 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; Michoacán — Level 4, Do Not Travel; Jalisco — Level 3, Reconsider TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Jalisco is the Mexican state that contains San Luis Soyatlán. This route passes through a state at the advisory's highest level. Read the full advisory before you plan this drive.
Museo SoumayaLos Remedios National ParkTorres de SatéliteTenayucaSanta Cecilia AcatitlanTemplo y exconvento de San FranciscoRayón National ParkTeatro Morelos de MaravatíoMexico CitySan Luis Soyatlán
Route from Mexico City to San Luis Soyatlán with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance349 mi (561 km)
Driving time, no stops6 h 22 min
Main roads, in orderViaducto → Periférico → MEX-57 → MEX-M40D → MEX-15D → MEX-110 → MEX-15
Mexican states on the routeMexico City (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), Michoacán (Level 4), Jalisco (Level 3)
Toll roadsMEX-M40D, MEX-15D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 13.9 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 Luis Soyatlán is like

MEX-15D (188 mi) and MEX-15 (44 mi) carry about 66% of the 349 miles. MEX-M40D, MEX-15D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-57, MEX-110, MEX-15 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 5 states: Mexico City, State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Michoacán, Jalisco. Of the 8 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Mexico City to San Luis Soyatlán, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–22Mexico City
Viaducto2–64Mexico City
Periférico6–2418Mexico City, State of Mexico
MEX-5724–5834State of Mexico, Hidalgo
connecting roads58–602Hidalgo
MEX-M40D60–9333Hidalgo, State of Mexico
MEX-15D93–281188State of Mexico, Michoacán, Jalisco
connecting roads281–2865Jalisco
MEX-110286–30418Michoacán
MEX-15304–34844Michoacán, Jalisco
local roads348–3491Jalisco
  • Mile 9 of this route: Mexico City → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 41 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 62 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 111 of this route: State of Mexico → Michoacán (state line)
  • Mile 279 of this route: Michoacán → Jalisco (state line)
  • Mile 286 of this route: Jalisco → Michoacán (state line)
  • Mile 320 of this route: Michoacán → Jalisco (state line)

Stops between Mexico City and San Luis Soyatlán

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museo Soumaya (mile 9), Torres de Satélite (mile 14), Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (mile 47)
  • Nature and outdoors: Los Remedios National Park (mile 12), Rayón National Park (mile 114)
  • Museums and history: Museo Soumaya (mile 9), Tenayuca (mile 18), Santa Cecilia Acatitlan (mile 18), Teatro Morelos de Maravatío (mile 132)

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.

Los Remedios National Park

Mile 12 · National Park of Mexico · 2 mi from the route

Los Remedios National Park, created by federal decree in 1938, covers about 400 hectares on the far western side of Naucalpan, just northwest of Mexico City.

Torres de Satélite

Mile 14 · Sculpture · 0.1 mi from the route

The Torres de Satélite are giant sculptures in Ciudad Satélite, Naucalpan, conceived from 1957 by architect Luis Barragán, painter Jesús Reyes Ferreira and sculptor Mathias Goeritz.

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.

Santa Cecilia Acatitlan

Mile 18 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Santa Cecilia Acatitlan is an early Aztec archaeological zone in Tlalnepantla de Baz, about 10 km northwest of Mexico City, once on the shore of Lake Texcoco.

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.

Rayón National Park

Mile 114 · National Park of Mexico · 5 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Just outside Tlalpujahua, Rayón National Park (Parque Nacional Rayón) marks the start of the area's famous butterfly reserve country, which stretches south and west from here.

Teatro Morelos de Maravatío

Mile 132 · Opera house · 1 mi from the route

Maravatío's Teatro Morelos is a late-19th-century theater in a French-influenced neoclassical style, designed by architect Rafael Guerrero Torres. It opened on January 11, 1879, with a performance by opera singer Ángela Peralta.

More drives to San Luis Soyatlán

From Mexico City to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Mexico City to San Luis Soyatlán?

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

How far is San Luis Soyatlán from Mexico City 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 Mexico City to San Luis Soyatlán?

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 Luis Soyatlán?

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; Michoacán Level 4: Do Not Travel; Jalisco 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 San Luis Soyatlán use?

In order: Viaducto, Periférico, MEX-57, MEX-M40D, MEX-15D, MEX-110 and MEX-15. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Mexico City and San Luis Soyatlán?

Closest to the road: Museo Soumaya (museum network, mile 9, 0.6 mi from the route); Torres de Satélite (sculpture, mile 14, 0.1 mi from the route); Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (convent, mile 47, 0.6 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.