The Wayro route from Mexico City to Zacatecas is 380 miles (612 km), about 6 h 57 min of driving without stops.
| Distance | 380 mi (612 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 6 h 57 min |
| Main roads, in order | Viaducto → Periférico → MEX-57 → MEX-47D → MEX-45D → MEX-45 |
| Mexican states on the route | Mexico City (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2), Querétaro (Level 2), Guanajuato (Level 3), Jalisco (Level 3), Aguascalientes (Level 2), Zacatecas (Level 4) |
| Toll roads | MEX-57D, MEX-47D, MEX-45D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 15.2 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
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 Zacatecas is like
MEX-45D (162 mi) and MEX-57 (70 mi) carry about 61% of the 380 miles. MEX-47D, MEX-45D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-57, MEX-45 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 8 states: Mexico City, State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas. Of the 9 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Mexico City to Zacatecas, 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 | 24–94 | 70 | State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Querétaro |
| MEX-47D | 94–148 | 54 | Querétaro, Guanajuato |
| MEX-45D | 148–289 | 141 | Guanajuato, Jalisco |
| MEX-45 | 289–319 | 30 | Jalisco, Aguascalientes |
| local roads | 319–322 | 3 | Aguascalientes |
| MEX-45 | 322–350 | 28 | Aguascalientes, Zacatecas |
| MEX-45D | 350–371 | 21 | Zacatecas |
| connecting roads | 371–372 | 1 | Zacatecas |
| MEX-45 | 372–380 | 8 | Zacatecas |
- 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 244 of this route: Guanajuato → Jalisco (state line)
- Mile 293 of this route: Jalisco → Aguascalientes (state line)
- Mile 346 of this route: Aguascalientes → Zacatecas (state line)
Stops between Mexico City and Zacatecas
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museo Soumaya (mile 9), Parque Naucalli (mile 13), Parque de las Esculturas (mile 26), Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (mile 47)
- Nature and outdoors: Los Remedios National Park (mile 12), Parque Naucalli (mile 13), Cerro de las Campanas (mile 136), La Pona (mile 308)
- Museums and history: Museo Soumaya (mile 9), Tlalnepantla Cathedral (mile 17), Tenayuca (mile 18), Parque de las Esculturas (mile 26)
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.
Los Remedios National Park
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.
Parque Naucalli
Parque Naucalli is a park just outside Mexico City, in the municipality of Naucalpan de Juárez, where planning for the park began in 1975.
Tlalnepantla Cathedral
Consecrated on August 23, 1964, Tlalnepantla's Corpus Christi Cathedral stands where Franciscans founded the Convent of San Francisco in 1525.
Tenayuca
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.
Parque de las Esculturas
Seventeen sculptures by Charlotte Yazbek, first shown at the Mexico Pavilion of the 1964 New York World's Fair, stand in this Cuautitlán Izcalli park. The artist oversaw their installation here in 1976.
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.
Cerro de las Campanas
Rising within Querétaro City, the Cerro de las Campanas is a hill that is protected as a Mexican national park.
La Pona
Inside the city of Aguascalientes, La Pona protects a native mesquite woodland as an ecological conservation zone, with a quiet forest area for walks and a separate section with sports and recreation spaces.
When you get to Zacatecas
Zacatecas climbs the steep slopes of a narrow valley between the Bufa and Grillo hills in north-central Mexico. Founded in 1546 after the discovery of a rich silver lode, its historic center has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993, and the city is also part of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the colonial silver route listed by UNESCO in 2010.
- Zacatecas Cathedral: Built between 1730 and 1760, the cathedral dominates downtown with Baroque façades that mix European and Indigenous decorative elements. source
- Teatro Calderón: The downtown theater dates from 1834 and is one of the civic landmarks UNESCO highlights in the historic center. source
- Mercado González Ortega: The iron-framed market building from 1886 stands in the historic center near the cathedral. source
Teatro Fernando Calderón
Built between 1891 and 1897 to plans by architect George Edward King, Zacatecas' Teatro Calderón honors playwright Fernando Calderón and witnessed violent events during the Toma de Zacatecas.
Museo Toma de Zacatecas
On the Cerro de la Bufa, this museum explains the military and social story behind the Taking of Zacatecas during the Mexican Revolution, along with glimpses of daily life in the city at the time.
Cathedral Basilica of Zacatecas
Dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption, the Cathedral of Zacatecas is the main church of the Diocese of Zacatecas.
More drives to Zacatecas
- Del Rio, TX to Zacatecas
- South Padre Island, TX to Zacatecas
- McAllen, TX to Zacatecas
- Laredo, TX to Zacatecas
- Corpus Christi, TX to Zacatecas
- Brownsville, TX to Zacatecas
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
Coming to Zacatecas from the United States? Border crossings, permits and routes from U.S. cities: Driving to Zacatecas, Mexico from the U.S.
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Mexico City to Zacatecas?
About 6 h 57 min of driving without stops, over 380 miles.
How far is Zacatecas from Mexico City by car?
About 380 miles (612 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 Zacatecas?
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 Zacatecas?
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; Zacatecas 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 Zacatecas use?
In order: Viaducto, Periférico, MEX-57, MEX-47D, MEX-45D and MEX-45. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Mexico City and Zacatecas?
Closest to the road: Parque Naucalli (park, mile 13, 0.2 mi from the route); Parque de las Esculturas (open-air museum, mile 26, 0.6 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.