Plan on about 8 h 1 min of driving for the 421-mile (677 km) trip from Tampico to Ixcateopan, before any stops.
| Distance by road | 421 mi (677 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 8 h 1 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-180 → MEX-180D → MEX-130D → MEX-132D → MEX-119D → MEX-119 → MEX-117D → PUE 438D → MEX-94D → MEX-95 → MEX-92D |
| Mexican states on the route | Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Puebla, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Morelos, Guerrero |
| Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap) | MEX-180D, MEX-130D, MEX-132D, MEX-119D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 16.8 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.
Driving Tampico to Ixcateopan: the shape of the trip
MEX-132D (63 mi) and MEX-119D (51 mi) carry about 27% of the 421 miles. It runs through 7 states: Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Puebla, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Morelos, Guerrero. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-180D, MEX-130D and MEX-132D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
Which roads connect Tampico and Ixcateopan
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–1 | 1 | Tamaulipas |
| MEX-180 | 1–45 | 44 | Tamaulipas, Veracruz |
| local roads | 45–74 | 29 | Veracruz |
| MEX-180D | 74–108 | 34 | Veracruz |
| MEX-130D | 108–123 | 15 | Veracruz |
| MEX-132D | 123–186 | 63 | Veracruz, Puebla |
| connecting roads | 186–188 | 2 | Hidalgo |
| MEX-119D | 188–228 | 40 | Hidalgo, Puebla, Tlaxcala |
| connecting roads | 228–230 | 2 | Tlaxcala |
| MEX-119 | 230–242 | 12 | Tlaxcala |
| connecting roads | 242–245 | 3 | Tlaxcala |
| MEX-117D | 245–257 | 12 | Tlaxcala |
| MEX-119D | 257–268 | 11 | Tlaxcala, Puebla |
| local roads | 268–288 | 20 | Puebla |
| PUE 438D | 288–322 | 34 | Puebla, Morelos |
| MEX-94D | 322–360 | 38 | Morelos |
| connecting roads | 360–365 | 5 | Morelos |
| local roads | 365–372 | 7 | Morelos |
| MEX-95 | 372–391 | 19 | Morelos, Guerrero |
| connecting roads | 391–393 | 2 | Guerrero |
| MEX-92D | 393–398 | 5 | Guerrero |
| connecting roads | 398–399 | 1 | Guerrero |
| local roads | 399–421 | 22 | Guerrero |
- Mile 7 of this route: Tamaulipas → Veracruz (state line)
- Mile 132 of this route: Veracruz → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 186 of this route: Puebla → Hidalgo (state line)
- Mile 192 of this route: Hidalgo → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 222 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
- Mile 265 of this route: Tlaxcala → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 315 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)
- Mile 385 of this route: Morelos → Guerrero (state line)
Where to stop on the way to Ixcateopan
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Exconvento de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves (mile 254), William Spratling Museum (mile 400)
- Nature and outdoors: Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 388)
- Museums and history: El Tajín (mile 123), Museo Nacional de Antropología e Historia de Tlaxcala (mile 253), Museo de Historia y Antropología de Cholula (mile 273), Las Pilas archaeological site (mile 324), Xochicalco (mile 373), William Spratling Museum (mile 400)
El Tajín
A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Veracruz, El Tajín peaked from the early 9th to the early 13th century. Look for the Pyramid of the Niches, elaborately carved reliefs on columns and friezes, and some of the site's 17 ballcourts.
Museo Nacional de Antropología e Historia de Tlaxcala
Set in the cloisters of Tlaxcala's former Franciscan convent, founded in 1528, the regional museum (Museo Regional de Tlaxcala) traces the state from paleontology and pre-Hispanic cultures through the colonial era to the Revolution, with pottery, sculpture and paintings.
Exconvento de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves
The remains of this 16th-century convent stand in San Juan Totolac, Tlaxcala, and are open to visitors. Parts of the nave, two side chapels and a freestanding bell tower survive; in 1591 Tlaxcalan families left here to settle northern New Spain.
Museo de Historia y Antropología de Cholula
Run by INAH, the Museo de Historia y Antropología de Cholula is the site museum for Cholula's archaeological zone. Don't confuse it with the Museo Regional de Cholula, two blocks away.
Tonantzintla Observatory
The Tonantzintla Observatory in Puebla was home to the National Astrophysical Observatory directed by Guillermo Haro. Its main instrument, a Schmidt camera, was a wide-field telescope built for photographing the sky.
Las Pilas archaeological site
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
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
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.
William Spratling Museum
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.
When you get to Ixcateopan
Ixcateopan
Some 36 kilometers from Taxco in the rugged mountains of northern Guerrero, the ruins at Ixcateopan de Cuauhtémoc belong to a city that served as an important regional ceremonial center.
More drives to Ixcateopan
- Tlaltizapán to Ixcateopan
- Tepoztlán to Ixcateopan
- Metepec to Ixcateopan
- Oaxtepec to Ixcateopan
- Tlayacapan to Ixcateopan
- Zacualpan de Amilpas to Ixcateopan
From Tampico to other places in Mexico
- Tampico to Huasca de Ocampo
- Tampico to Pachuca
- Tampico to Omitlán
- Tampico to Actopan
- Tampico to Calpulalpan
- Tampico to Zacatelco
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Tampico to Ixcateopan?
About 8 h 1 min of driving without stops, over 421 miles.
How far is Ixcateopan from Tampico by car?
About 421 miles (677 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 Tampico to Ixcateopan?
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 Tampico to Ixcateopan?
The U.S. State Department rates Tamaulipas Level 4: Do Not Travel; Veracruz Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala 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 Tampico to Ixcateopan use?
In order: MEX-180, MEX-180D, MEX-130D, MEX-132D, MEX-119D, MEX-119, MEX-117D, PUE 438D, MEX-94D, MEX-95 and MEX-92D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Tampico and Ixcateopan?
Closest to the road: Museo Nacional de Antropología e Historia de Tlaxcala (museum, mile 253, 1 mi from the route); Exconvento de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves (convent, mile 254, 0.1 mi from the route); William Spratling Museum (museum, mile 400, 0.4 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.