Mexico City to Tepatitlán Road Trip: Route, Tolls & Stops

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Mexico City to Tepatitlán is 323 miles (520 km), about 5 h 38 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 TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Jalisco is the Mexican state that contains Tepatitlán. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Museo SoumayaCatedral de AzcapotzalcoTorres de SatéliteMuseo Hacienda de Santa MónicaTenayucaTula National ParkCerro de las CampanasCelaya CathedralTeocaltitan Archaeological SiteMexico CityTepatitlán
Route from Mexico City to Tepatitlán with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance323 mi (520 km)
Driving time, no stops5 h 38 min
Main roads, in orderViaducto → Periférico → MEX-57 → MEX-47D → MEX-45D → MEX-80 → MEX-80D
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)
Toll roadsMEX-57D, MEX-47D, MEX-45D, MEX-80D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 12.9 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below9

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 Tepatitlán is like

MEX-45D (114 mi) and MEX-57 (70 mi) carry about 57% of the 323 miles. MEX-47D, MEX-45D, MEX-80D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-57, MEX-80 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 6 states: Mexico City, State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Jalisco. Of the 9 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Mexico City to Tepatitlán, 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-45D148–262114Guanajuato, Jalisco
MEX-80262–27614Jalisco
MEX-80D276–31640Jalisco
connecting roads316–3182Jalisco
MEX-80318–3224Jalisco
local roads322–3231Jalisco
  • 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)

Stops between Mexico City and Tepatitlán

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museo Soumaya (mile 9), Torres de Satélite (mile 14), Museo Hacienda de Santa Mónica (mile 16)
  • Nature and outdoors: Tula National Park (mile 56), Cerro de las Campanas (mile 136)
  • Museums and history: Museo Soumaya (mile 9), Catedral de Azcapotzalco (mile 11), Museo Hacienda de Santa Mónica (mile 16), Tenayuca (mile 18), Celaya Cathedral (mile 160), Teocaltitan Archaeological Site (mile 289)

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.

Catedral de Azcapotzalco

Mile 11 · Catholic cathedral · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Officially the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Philip and James, the Catedral de Azcapotzalco is the seat of the Diocese of Azcapotzalco in 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.

Museo Hacienda de Santa Mónica

Mile 16 · Museum · 0.4 mi from the route

Part of the Antonio Haghenbeck Cultural Foundation, the Museo Hacienda de Santa Mónica is a museum in the municipality of Tlalnepantla de Baz, State of Mexico.

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.

Tula National Park

Mile 56 · National Park of Mexico · 9 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

This park protects the ruins of Tula, ancient capital of the Toltecs. Walk up to the main pyramid to stand beside the Atlantes, basalt warrior figures more than four meters tall, and look for the Coatepantli wall's reliefs of snakes devouring skeletons.

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.

Celaya Cathedral

Mile 160 · Church building · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Celaya's main Catholic church, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, occupies the space of a former chapel that was annexed to the neighboring Temple of St. Francis.

Teocaltitan Archaeological Site

Mile 289 · 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.

More drives to Tepatitlán

From Mexico City to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Mexico City to Tepatitlán?

About 5 h 38 min of driving without stops, over 323 miles.

How far is Tepatitlán from Mexico City by car?

About 323 miles (520 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 Tepatitlán?

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 Tepatitlán?

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 (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Mexico City to Tepatitlán use?

In order: Viaducto, Periférico, MEX-57, MEX-47D, MEX-45D, MEX-80 and MEX-80D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Mexico City and Tepatitlán?

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); Museo Hacienda de Santa Mónica (museum, mile 16, 0.4 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.