The Wayro route from Mexico City to Uruapan is 258 miles (416 km), about 4 h 22 min of driving without stops.
| Distance | 258 mi (416 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 4 h 22 min |
| Main roads, in order | Viaducto → Periférico → MEX-57 → MEX-M40D → MEX-15D → MEX-37D → MEX-14D |
| Mexican states on the route | Mexico City (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), Michoacán (Level 4) |
| Toll roads | MEX-M40D, MEX-15D, MEX-37D, MEX-14D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 10.4 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 7 |
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 Mexico City to Uruapan is like
MEX-15D (90 mi) and MEX-37D (39 mi) carry about 50% of the 258 miles. MEX-M40D, MEX-15D, MEX-37D, MEX-14D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-57 is a free federal road (libre). It runs through 4 states: Mexico City, State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Michoacán. Of the 7 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Mexico City to Uruapan, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Mexico City |
| Viaducto | 2–6 | 4 | Mexico City |
| Periférico | 6–24 | 18 | Mexico City, State of Mexico |
| MEX-57 | 24–58 | 34 | State of Mexico, Hidalgo |
| connecting roads | 58–60 | 2 | Hidalgo |
| MEX-M40D | 60–93 | 33 | Hidalgo, State of Mexico |
| MEX-15D | 93–183 | 90 | State of Mexico, Michoacán |
| MEX-37D | 183–222 | 39 | Michoacán |
| MEX-14D | 222–258 | 36 | Michoacán |
- 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)
Stops between Mexico City and Uruapan
- 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: Rayón National Park (mile 114)
- Museums and history: Museo Soumaya (mile 9), Teatro Morelos de Maravatío (mile 132), Museo de Artes e Industrias Populares (mile 226)
Museo Soumaya
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.
Torres de Satélite
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.
Templo y exconvento de San Francisco
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
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
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.
Historic Centre of Morelia
Morelia's old core, founded in the 16th century as Valladolid, keeps more than 200 historic buildings in the region's pink stone around its cathedral and checkerboard streets. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 1991.
Museo de Artes e Industrias Populares
Housed in an 18th-century building adapted from the Colegio de San Nicolás, which Vasco de Quiroga founded in the 16th century, this INAH museum in Pátzcuaro shows Purépecha pottery, textiles, woodwork and lacquerware.
When you get to Uruapan
Barranca del Cupatitzio National Park
In Michoacán, Barranca del Cupatitzio National Park follows the headwaters of the Cupatitzio River, which bubbles up from an underground spring and carves a small ravine as it starts to flow.
Salto La Tzaráracua
About 10 km from Uruapan, Michoacán, the Tzaráracua waterfall drops roughly 40 meters. It is formed by the Cupatitzio River, which rises in the Barranca del Cupatitzio park inside the city.
More drives to Uruapan
- Mazatlán to Uruapan
- Durango to Uruapan
- Cuernavaca to Uruapan
- Puebla to Uruapan
- Xalapa to Uruapan
- Veracruz to Uruapan
From Mexico City to other places in Mexico
- Mexico City to Metepec
- Mexico City to Toluca
- Mexico City to Cuernavaca
- Mexico City to Atlatlahucan
- Mexico City to Malinalco
- Mexico City to Cuautla
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Mexico City to Uruapan?
About 4 h 22 min of driving without stops, over 258 miles.
How far is Uruapan from Mexico City by car?
About 258 miles (416 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 Uruapan?
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 Uruapan?
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 (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Mexico City to Uruapan use?
In order: Viaducto, Periférico, MEX-57, MEX-M40D, MEX-15D, MEX-37D and MEX-14D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Mexico City and Uruapan?
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.