Orizaba to Taxco Road Trip: Route, Stops & Safety

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Orizaba to Taxco is 223 miles (359 km), about 4 h 9 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Veracruz — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Guerrero — Level 4, Do Not TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Guerrero is the Mexican state that contains Taxco. This route passes through a state at the advisory's highest level. Read the full advisory before you plan this drive.
Cañón del Río Blanco National ParkLa Malinche National ParkJardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de PueblaHistoric centre of PueblaInternational Museum of the BaroqueChalcatzingoLas Pilas archaeological siteXochicalcoGrutas de Cacahuamilpa National ParkOrizabaTaxco
Route from Orizaba to Taxco with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance223 mi (359 km)
Driving time, no stops4 h 9 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-150D → MEX-190 → PUE 438D → MEX-94D → MEX-95 → MEX-92D
Mexican states on the routeVeracruz (Level 2), Puebla (Level 2), Morelos (Level 3), Guerrero (Level 4)
Toll roadsMEX-150D, MEX-94D, MEX-95D, MEX-92D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 8.9 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 Orizaba to Taxco is like

MEX-150D (83 mi) and MEX-94D (38 mi) carry about 54% of the 223 miles. MEX-150D, MEX-94D, MEX-92D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-190, MEX-95 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 4 states: Veracruz, Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero. Of the 9 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Orizaba to Taxco, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–33Veracruz
MEX-150D3–8683Veracruz, Puebla
MEX-19086–10115Puebla
local roads101–11211Puebla
PUE 438D112–14634Puebla, Morelos
MEX-94D146–18438Morelos
connecting roads184–1895Morelos
local roads189–1967Morelos
MEX-95196–21418Morelos, Guerrero
connecting roads214–2173Guerrero
MEX-92D217–2225Guerrero
local roads222–2231Guerrero
  • Mile 23 of this route: Veracruz → Puebla (state line)
  • Mile 139 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)
  • Mile 209 of this route: Morelos → Guerrero (state line)

Stops between Orizaba and Taxco

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (mile 9)
  • Nature and outdoors: Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (mile 9), La Malinche National Park (mile 84), Jardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (mile 97), Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 211)
  • Museums and history: International Museum of the Baroque (mile 101), Chalcatzingo (mile 147), Las Pilas archaeological site (mile 148), Xochicalco (mile 196)

Cañón del Río Blanco National Park

Mile 9 · National Park of Mexico · 0.6 mi from the route

Cañón del Río Blanco National Park is a protected natural area in the Mexican state of Veracruz, set aside by the government as a national park.

La Malinche National Park

Mile 84 · National Park of Mexico · 11 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Tlaxcala's La Malinche National Park surrounds the inactive Matlalcuéyetl volcano, with pine, oak and fir forests on its slopes, hiking trails, birdwatching, and stone cabins and campsites at the Malintzi Vacation Center.

Jardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla

Mile 97 · Botanical garden · 2 mi from the route

On the Ciudad Universitaria campus of BUAP in Puebla, the university botanical garden covers about 10.7 hectares and was formerly named after Ignacio Rodríguez Alconedo.

Historic centre of Puebla

Mile 101 · Urban area · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Laid out from scratch in 1531, Puebla's UNESCO-listed core is a grid of tile-covered houses, colonial churches and the 16th–17th-century cathedral, with the old archbishop's palace that houses the Palafox Library, established in 1646.

International Museum of the Baroque

Mile 101 · Art museum · 1 mi from the route

Designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito and opened in 2016, Puebla's baroque museum wraps its galleries in curving white concrete walls beside a reflecting pond. Exhibits cover baroque painting, sculpture, architecture, music, theater and literature.

Chalcatzingo

Mile 147 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route

At the foot of Cerro Chalcatzingo in eastern Morelos, this early site is known for stone reliefs carved mainly between 700 and 500 BC, some among the region's earliest stone sculpture and several in Olmec style, spread across the hillside.

Las Pilas archaeological site

Mile 148 · Archaeological site · 1 mi from the route

Set inside a bathing park in Jonacatepec, Las Pilas was a ceremonial center devoted to water, where inhabitants built channels to collect and store underground water for irrigation; burials were found within the channel system.

Xochicalco

Mile 196 · Archaeological site · 12 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

A fortified hilltop city that thrived between about 650 and 900, Xochicalco is a UNESCO World Heritage site where you can see the Pyramid of the Plumed Serpent with its carved reliefs, ball courts, an underground observatory and a site museum.

Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park

Mile 211 · National Park of Mexico · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Protected as a national park since 1936, this area near Taxco centers on the Cacahuamilpa caverns, where a guided route of about 4 km passes chambers up to 80 meters high, decorated with flowstone and floor-to-ceiling columns.

When you get to Taxco

Church of Santa Prisca de Taxco

Church building · in Taxco

Silver baron José de la Borda paid for Santa Prisca with the bonanza from his San Ignacio mine in Taxco, and the church was dedicated in 1759, the same year his nearby house on the plaza was finished.

William Spratling Museum

Museum · in Taxco

Taxco's archaeological museum grew from the collection of William Spratling, the American who revived the town's silver craft in the 1930s. It shows pre-Hispanic pieces, including Olmec and Mezcala-style works, plus a gallery on silversmithing.

Museo de Arte Virreinal de Taxco

Museum · in Taxco

Housed in the historic Casa Humboldt in Taxco, the Museo de Arte Virreinal shows colonial sacred art recovered from the Santa Prisca parish church, along with permanent exhibitions on Alexander von Humboldt and the town's history.

More drives to Taxco

From Orizaba to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Orizaba to Taxco?

About 4 h 9 min of driving without stops, over 223 miles.

How far is Taxco from Orizaba by car?

About 223 miles (359 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 Orizaba to Taxco?

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 Orizaba to Taxco?

The U.S. State Department rates Veracruz Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Guerrero Level 4: Do Not Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Orizaba to Taxco use?

In order: MEX-150D, MEX-190, PUE 438D, MEX-94D, MEX-95 and MEX-92D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Orizaba and Taxco?

Closest to the road: Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (National Park of Mexico, mile 9, 0.6 mi from the route); International Museum of the Baroque (art museum, mile 101, 1 mi from the route); Las Pilas archaeological site (archaeological site, mile 148, 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 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.