By road, Tlaxcala and Puerto Escondido are about 345 miles (555 km) apart, or roughly 6 h 6 min of driving.
| Total distance | 345 mi (555 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 6 h 6 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-119 → MEX-150D → MEX-135D → MEX-190 → MEX-175 → MEX-175D → MEX-200 |
| Mexican states on the route | Tlaxcala, Puebla, Oaxaca |
| Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap) | MEX-150D, MEX-135D, MEX-175D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 13.8 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 Tlaxcala–Puerto Escondido drive in a few lines
MEX-135D (151 mi) and MEX-175D (63 mi) carry about 62% of the 345 miles. It runs through 3 states: Tlaxcala, Puebla, Oaxaca. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-150D, MEX-135D and MEX-175D. Of the 8 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.
Road-by-road breakdown: Tlaxcala to Puerto Escondido
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Tlaxcala |
| MEX-119 | 2–17 | 15 | Tlaxcala, Puebla |
| connecting roads | 17–19 | 2 | Puebla |
| MEX-150D | 19–68 | 49 | Puebla |
| MEX-135D | 68–219 | 151 | Puebla, Oaxaca |
| MEX-190 | 219–224 | 5 | Oaxaca |
| local roads | 224–231 | 7 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-175 | 231–241 | 10 | Oaxaca |
| local roads | 241–252 | 11 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-175 | 252–263 | 11 | Oaxaca |
| local roads | 263–270 | 7 | Oaxaca |
| connecting roads | 270–274 | 4 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-175D | 274–337 | 63 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-200 | 337–344 | 7 | Oaxaca |
| local roads | 344–345 | 1 | Oaxaca |
- Mile 16 of this route: Tlaxcala → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 121 of this route: Puebla → Oaxaca (state line)
Places worth a stop between Tlaxcala and Puerto Escondido
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Suchilquitongo (mile 207), Planetario Nundehui (mile 225), Museo de los Pintores Oaxaqueños (mile 226), Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca (mile 234)
- Nature and outdoors: Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve (mile 111), Benito Juárez National Park (mile 219)
- Museums and history: Museo Regional de la Revolución Mexicana (mile 19), Suchilquitongo (mile 207), Planetario Nundehui (mile 225), Museo de los Pintores Oaxaqueños (mile 226), Zaachila (mile 234), Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca (mile 234)
Museo Regional de la Revolución Mexicana
The Serdán family home in downtown Puebla, now the Museo Regional de la Revolución Mexicana, recalls Aquiles, Máximo and Carmen Serdán and the start of the 1910 Revolution. It opened in 1960.
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.
Suchilquitongo
Tomb 5 at Cerro de la Campana, excavated in 1985, holds murals and stucco carvings ranked among the finest funerary art of ancient Mexico. The Zapotec site crowns a hill in the northern Etla Valley.
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.
Planetario Nundehui
Built through a sister-city agreement between Palo Alto, California, and Oaxaca de Juárez, the Nundehui Planetarium opened in 1976 high on Cerro del Fortín, north of the Guelaguetza Auditorium.
Museo de los Pintores Oaxaqueños
Created in 2004 to showcase Oaxacan artists, this museum occupies a 17th-century colonial building at Independencia and García Vigil in the historic center of Oaxaca de Juárez.
Zaachila
Occupied as far back as about 1500 BC, Zaachila was a Zapotec city, later shared with Mixtecs. People still lived there when the Spanish arrived.
Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca
In San Bartolo Coyotepec, the town known for its black clay pottery (barro negro), this state-run museum traces the history of that craft and shows works by Oaxaca's folk art masters alongside temporary exhibitions.
More drives to Puerto Escondido
- Tehuacán to Puerto Escondido
- Tuxtepec to Puerto Escondido
- Huamantla to Puerto Escondido
- Zacatelco to Puerto Escondido
- Chiautempan to Puerto Escondido
- Iguala to Puerto Escondido
From Tlaxcala to other places in Mexico
- Tlaxcala to Omitlán
- Tlaxcala to Atlatlahucan
- Tlaxcala to Huasca de Ocampo
- Tlaxcala to Actopan
- Tlaxcala to Metepec
- Tlaxcala to Malinalco
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Tlaxcala to Puerto Escondido?
About 6 h 6 min of driving without stops, over 345 miles.
How far is Puerto Escondido from Tlaxcala by car?
About 345 miles (555 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 Tlaxcala to Puerto Escondido?
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 Tlaxcala to Puerto Escondido?
The U.S. State Department rates Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Oaxaca Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Tlaxcala to Puerto Escondido?
In order: MEX-119, MEX-150D, MEX-135D, MEX-190, MEX-175, MEX-175D and MEX-200. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Tlaxcala to Puerto Escondido?
Closest to the road: Suchilquitongo (archaeological site, mile 207, 0.4 mi from the route); Planetario Nundehui (museum, mile 225, 0.6 mi from the route); Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca (folk art museum, mile 234, 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.