By road, Oaxaca and Tepotzotlán are about 310 miles (499 km) apart, or roughly 5 h 19 min of driving.
| Total distance | 310 mi (499 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 5 h 19 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-190 → MEX-135D → MEX-150D → MEX-M40D → MEX-136 → MEX-142 → MEX-132 |
| Mexican states on the route | Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, State of Mexico |
| Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap) | MEX-135D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 12.4 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 8 |
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–Tepotzotlán drive in a few lines
MEX-135D (151 mi) and MEX-150D (69 mi) carry about 71% of the 310 miles. It runs through 4 states: Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, State of Mexico. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-135D, MEX-150D and MEX-M40D. Of the 8 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
Road-by-road breakdown: Oaxaca to Tepotzotlán
| 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 | 228–246 | 18 | Puebla, Tlaxcala |
| connecting roads | 246–247 | 1 | Tlaxcala |
| MEX-136 | 247–280 | 33 | Tlaxcala, State of Mexico |
| MEX-142 | 280–289 | 9 | State of Mexico |
| MEX-132 | 289–293 | 4 | State of Mexico |
| local roads | 293–310 | 17 | State of Mexico |
- Mile 107 of this route: Oaxaca → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 232 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
- Mile 265 of this route: Tlaxcala → State of Mexico (state line)
Places worth a stop between Oaxaca and Tepotzotlán
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Tecoaque (mile 260), Texcoco Cathedral (mile 278)
- Nature and outdoors: Benito Juárez National Park (mile 7), Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve (mile 116), Los Remedios National Park (mile 303)
- Museums and history: Capilla del Arte (mile 208), Tecoaque (mile 260), Tepetlaoztoc (mile 273), Texcoco Cathedral (mile 278)
Benito Juárez National Park
Pine and oak forest covers about 2,737 hectares in Benito Juárez National Park, a short way north of Oaxaca City. Among its trails is La Coronilla, a loop of around 5 km at moderate difficulty.
Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve
This arid valley straddling Puebla and Oaxaca joined UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2018 as a mixed site. It is a major center of cactus diversity and preserves ancient canals, wells, terraces and dams built to manage scarce water.
Capilla del Arte
Capilla del Arte is a cultural space of the Universidad de las Américas Puebla in the old Las Fábricas de Francia building, with a contemporary art gallery and a reading nook.
Tecoaque
Near Calpulalpan in western Tlaxcala, Tecoaque is a Mesoamerican archaeological site once inhabited by the Acolhua, one of the three groups that made up the Aztec Empire.
Tepetlaoztoc
Tepetlaoztoc, also spelled Tepetlaoxtoc, was an Aztec-Nahua settlement of the Late Postclassic period in central Mexico, and it stayed occupied into the colonial era.
Texcoco Cathedral
Texcoco's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception occupies a former convent built by the Franciscans in the 16th century, one of the order's early convent complexes in the Americas.
Historic center of Mexico City
Built by the Spanish in the 16th century on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, Mexico City's Centro Histórico holds the Metropolitan Cathedral, the excavated Aztec Templo Mayor and the Palacio de Bellas Artes. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 1987.
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.
When you get to Tepotzotlán
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.
Cuautitlán Cathedral
Cuautitlán's St. Bonaventure Cathedral (Catedral de San Buenaventura) is a Catholic church that forms part of the convent of the same name in this State of Mexico municipality.
Parque Espejo de los Lirios
Espejo de los Lirios is a lake park in Cuautitlán Izcalli, opened as a park in 1973 and declared a protected natural area in 2009 along with the city's Central Park.
More drives to Tepotzotlán
- Mexico City to Tepotzotlán
- Toluca to Tepotzotlán
- Cuernavaca to Tepotzotlán
- Cuautla to Tepotzotlán
- Celaya to Tepotzotlán
- San Miguel de Allende to Tepotzotlán
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
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Oaxaca to Tepotzotlán?
About 5 h 19 min of driving without stops, over 310 miles.
How far is Tepotzotlán from Oaxaca by car?
About 310 miles (499 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 Tepotzotlán?
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 Tepotzotlán?
The U.S. State Department rates Oaxaca Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Oaxaca to Tepotzotlán use?
In order: MEX-190, MEX-135D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D, MEX-136, MEX-142 and MEX-132. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Oaxaca and Tepotzotlán?
Closest to the road: Tecoaque (archaeological site, mile 260, 0.3 mi from the route); Tepetlaoztoc (archaeological site, mile 273, 2 mi from the route); Texcoco Cathedral (cathedral, mile 278, 0.7 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.