Pátzcuaro to Pabellón de Arteaga Road Trip: Route & Stops

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Pátzcuaro to Pabellón de Arteaga is 243 miles (391 km), about 4 h 13 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Michoacán — Level 4, Do Not Travel; Guanajuato — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Jalisco — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Aguascalientes — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Aguascalientes is the Mexican state that contains Pabellón de Arteaga. This route passes through a state at the advisory's highest level. Read the full advisory before you plan this drive.
Historic Centre of MoreliaMuseo Regional de AguascalientesLa PonaPátzcuaroPabellón de Arteaga
Route from Pátzcuaro to Pabellón de Arteaga with the 3 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance243 mi (391 km)
Driving time, no stops4 h 13 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-37D → MEX-15D → MEX-43D → MEX-45D → MEX-45
Mexican states on the routeMichoacán (Level 4), Guanajuato (Level 3), Jalisco (Level 3), Aguascalientes (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-37D, MEX-15D, MEX-43D, MEX-45D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 9.7 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below3

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 Pátzcuaro to Pabellón de Arteaga is like

MEX-45D (108 mi) and MEX-43D (51 mi) carry about 65% of the 243 miles. MEX-37D, MEX-15D, MEX-43D, MEX-45D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-45 is a free federal road (libre). It runs through 4 states: Michoacán, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Aguascalientes. Of the 3 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Pátzcuaro to Pabellón de Arteaga, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–33Michoacán
connecting roads3–41Michoacán
MEX-37D4–4238Michoacán
MEX-15D42–453Michoacán
connecting roads45–472Michoacán
MEX-43D47–9851Michoacán, Guanajuato
MEX-45D98–206108Guanajuato, Jalisco
MEX-45206–23529Jalisco, Aguascalientes
local roads235–2438Aguascalientes
  • Mile 62 of this route: Michoacán → Guanajuato (state line)
  • Mile 161 of this route: Guanajuato → Jalisco (state line)
  • Mile 209 of this route: Jalisco → Aguascalientes (state line)

Stops between Pátzcuaro and Pabellón de Arteaga

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (mile 224)
  • Nature and outdoors: La Pona (mile 225)
  • Museums and history: Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (mile 224)

Historic Centre of Morelia

Mile 29 · Urban area · 9 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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 Regional de Aguascalientes

Mile 224 · History museum · 0.3 mi from the route

An early 20th-century building by self-taught architect Refugio Reyes holds this INAH museum of Aguascalientes history, with fossils, archaeological finds, colonial paintings by Juan Correa and more than 300 devotional ex-voto paintings.

La Pona

Mile 225 · Park · 2 mi from the route

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 Pabellón de Arteaga

Museo de la Insurgencia

Museum · in Pabellón de Arteaga

Set in a 17th-century estate, the Museo de la Insurgencia opened in 1964 to tell the story of Mexico's independence movement. One hall shows farm, mining and textile tools from hacienda work; another displays everyday objects from past eras.

More drives to Pabellón de Arteaga

From Pátzcuaro to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Pátzcuaro to Pabellón de Arteaga?

About 4 h 13 min of driving without stops, over 243 miles.

How far is Pabellón de Arteaga from Pátzcuaro by car?

About 243 miles (391 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 Pátzcuaro to Pabellón de Arteaga?

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 Pátzcuaro to Pabellón de Arteaga?

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

What roads does the drive from Pátzcuaro to Pabellón de Arteaga use?

In order: MEX-37D, MEX-15D, MEX-43D, 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 Pátzcuaro and Pabellón de Arteaga?

Closest to the road: Historic Centre of Morelia (urban area, mile 29, 9 mi from the route); Museo Regional de Aguascalientes (history museum, mile 224, 0.3 mi from the route); La Pona (park, mile 225, 2 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.