The Wayro route from Tampico to Taxco is 400 miles (643 km), about 7 h 20 min of driving without stops.
| Total distance | 400 mi (643 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 7 h 20 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 16.0 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.
How the Tampico to Taxco drive plays out
MEX-132D (63 mi) and MEX-119D (51 mi) carry about 28% of the 400 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 8 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.
Tampico to Taxco: the road sequence
| 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 |
| local roads | 398–400 | 2 | 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)
What to see on the way from Tampico to Taxco
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Exconvento de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves (mile 254)
- Nature and outdoors: Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 388)
- Museums and history: El Tajín (mile 123), Museo Casa de Piedra (mile 243), Museo Nacional de Antropología e Historia de Tlaxcala (mile 253), International Museum of the Baroque (mile 278), Las Pilas archaeological site (mile 324)
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 Casa de Piedra
Apizaco's old railroad station, dating from 1916, now houses the Museo Casa de Piedra. Inside, photographs and documents trace the town's history, especially its long ties to the railroads.
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.
Great Pyramid of Cholula
Under a hilltop church dedicated to the Virgin of los Remedios lies Tlachihualtepetl, a pyramid built in superimposed stages with a base about 400 meters per side. Excavations have opened roughly 8 km of tunnels inside the mound.
International Museum of the Baroque
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.
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.
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.
In Taxco itself
Church of Santa Prisca de 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
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
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
- Morelia to Taxco
- Celaya to Taxco
- San Miguel de Allende to Taxco
- Pátzcuaro to Taxco
- Irapuato to Taxco
- Salamanca to Taxco
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 Taxco?
About 7 h 20 min of driving without stops, over 400 miles.
How far is Taxco from Tampico by car?
About 400 miles (643 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 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 Tampico to Taxco?
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 Taxco 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 Taxco?
Closest to the road: Museo Casa de Piedra (railway museum, mile 243, 1 mi from the route); 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). 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.