By road, Oaxaca and Guanajuato are about 498 miles (801 km) apart, or roughly 8 h 2 min of driving.
| Total distance | 498 mi (801 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 8 h 2 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-190 → MEX-135D → MEX-150D → MEX-M40D → MEX-57D → MEX-47D → MEX-45D → MEX-45 → MEX-110 |
| Mexican states on the route | Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Querétaro, Guanajuato |
| Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap) | MEX-135D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D, MEX-57D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 19.9 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.
The Oaxaca–Guanajuato drive in a few lines
MEX-135D (151 mi) and MEX-M40D (106 mi) carry about 52% of the 498 miles. It runs through 7 states: Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Querétaro, Guanajuato. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-135D, MEX-150D and MEX-M40D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.
Roads you'll take from Oaxaca to Guanajuato
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-190 | 2–7 | 5 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-135D | 7–158 | 151 | Oaxaca, Puebla |
| MEX-150D | 158–227 | 69 | Puebla |
| connecting roads | 227–228 | 1 | Puebla |
| MEX-M40D | 228–334 | 106 | Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico |
| MEX-57D | 334–370 | 36 | Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Querétaro |
| MEX-47D | 370–423 | 53 | Querétaro, Guanajuato |
| MEX-45D | 423–473 | 50 | Guanajuato |
| connecting roads | 473–474 | 1 | Guanajuato |
| MEX-45 | 474–484 | 10 | Guanajuato |
| local roads | 484–490 | 6 | Guanajuato |
| MEX-110 | 490–497 | 7 | Guanajuato |
| local roads | 497–498 | 1 | Guanajuato |
- Mile 107 of this route: Oaxaca → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 233 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
- Mile 255 of this route: Tlaxcala → Hidalgo (state line)
- Mile 263 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
- Mile 275 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
- Mile 292 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
- Mile 306 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)
- Mile 335 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
- Mile 368 of this route: State of Mexico → Querétaro (state line)
- Mile 410 of this route: Querétaro → Guanajuato (state line)
What to see on the way from Oaxaca to Guanajuato
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Suchilquitongo (mile 19)
- Nature and outdoors: Benito Juárez National Park (mile 7), Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve (mile 116), El Cimatario National Park (mile 405)
- Museums and history: Suchilquitongo (mile 19), Fort Loreto (mile 208), Casa de los muñecos (mile 208), Xochitecatl (mile 224), Jorge R. Acosta Museum (mile 322)
Benito Juárez National Park
Hikers heading just north of Oaxaca City reach Benito Juárez National Park, where trails cross roughly 2,737 hectares of pine and oak. La Coronilla, a moderate loop, runs about 5 km.
Suchilquitongo
Tomb 5 at Cerro de la Campana, excavated in 1985, holds murals and stucco carvings ranked among the finest funerary art of ancient Mexico. The Zapotec site crowns a hill in the northern Etla Valley.
Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve
Cactus diversity reaches one of its peaks in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, a dry landscape shared by Puebla and Oaxaca. Ancient canals, wells, terraces and dams show how people managed its scarce water.
Fort Loreto
Fort Loreto is a fort that stands in the city of Puebla, in the Mexican state of the same name.
Casa de los muñecos
A block northeast of Puebla's zócalo, the 18th-century Casa de los Muñecos is a notable example of the city's civil architecture and now houses the BUAP University Museum.
Convento de Huejotzingo
Founded by Franciscans in the 16th century, the former convent of San Miguel Arcángel in Huejotzingo shows colonial Plateresque architecture on the western slopes of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1994.
Xochitecatl
Xochitécatl is a pre-Hispanic archaeological site in the state of Tlaxcala. INAH runs it together with nearby Cacaxtla as a single zone, and the Xochitécatl site museum displays finds from the area.
Jorge R. Acosta Museum
Next to the Tula ruins, the Museo de Sitio Jorge R. Acosta traces the rise and decline of the Toltecs and their city, Tollan Xicocotitlan. It moved into new facilities in 1982 and covers nearly 20 years of digs led by archaeologist Jorge R. Acosta.
El Cimatario National Park
El Cimatario National Park protects about 24 square kilometers of land just south of the city of Santiago de Querétaro.
Once you reach Guanajuato
Tucked into a narrow mountain valley in central Mexico, Guanajuato grew into the world's leading silver-extraction center in the 18th century. Its Baroque churches, tunnels and underground streets earned the Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent Mines a place on UNESCO's World Heritage list in 1988.
- Alhóndiga de Granaditas: Built from 1797 to 1809 as a granary and stormed by Miguel Hidalgo's insurgents in 1810, it has housed the Regional Museum of Guanajuato since 1958. source
- Underground streets: Drive or walk the subterranean roadways that run beneath the city, one of the features UNESCO singles out in its listing. source
- Historic mines: The old silver mines on the edge of town are part of the World Heritage property along with the historic center. source
Basílica Colegiata de Guanajuato
On Guanajuato's Plaza de la Paz, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato stands opposite the plaque marking the city center as a World Heritage Site.
Teatro Juárez
Guanajuato's Teatro Juárez is a 19th-century theater designed by architect José Noriega and built between 1872 and 1903 by order of General Florencio Antillón.
More drives to Guanajuato
- McAllen, TX to Guanajuato
- Brownsville, TX to Guanajuato
- Laredo, TX to Guanajuato
- South Padre Island, TX to Guanajuato
- Guadalupe, Zacatecas to Guanajuato
- Fresnillo to Guanajuato
From Oaxaca to other places in Mexico
- Oaxaca to Orizaba
- Oaxaca to Córdoba, Mexico
- Oaxaca to Cholula
- Oaxaca to Zacatelco
- Oaxaca to Chiautempan
- Oaxaca to Apizaco
Coming to Guanajuato from the United States? Border crossings, permits and routes from U.S. cities: Driving to Guanajuato, Mexico from the U.S.
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Oaxaca to Guanajuato?
About 8 h 2 min of driving without stops, over 498 miles.
What is the driving distance from Oaxaca to Guanajuato?
About 498 miles (801 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 Oaxaca to Guanajuato?
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 Oaxaca to Guanajuato?
The U.S. State Department rates Oaxaca Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Querétaro Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Guanajuato Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Oaxaca to Guanajuato?
In order: MEX-190, MEX-135D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D, MEX-57D, MEX-47D, MEX-45D, MEX-45 and MEX-110. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Oaxaca and Guanajuato?
Closest to the road: Suchilquitongo (archaeological site, mile 19, 0.4 mi from the route); Fort Loreto (fort, mile 208, 2 mi from the route); Jorge R. Acosta Museum (museum, mile 322, 1 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 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: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place 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.