Tulancingo to Actopan Road Trip: Where to Stop on the Way

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Tulancingo to Actopan is 50 miles (81 km), about 1 h 19 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Hidalgo — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Hidalgo is the Mexican state that contains Actopan. See the full advisory for current details.
Aqueduct of Padre TemblequeTemplo y exconvento de San Andrés ApóstolEl HilocheTeatro de la Ciudad San FranciscoBasílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de GuadalupeEl Chico National ParkTulancingoActopan
Route from Tulancingo to Actopan with the 6 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance50 mi (81 km)
Driving time, no stops1 h 19 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-130
Mexican states on the routeHidalgo (Level 2)
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 2.0 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below6

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 Tulancingo to Actopan is like

MEX-130 (23 mi) carries about 46% of the 50 miles. The route stays on free federal roads (libre): MEX-130. None of the 6 stops below is right on the road, so plan each as a short side trip.

The route from Tulancingo to Actopan, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–22Hidalgo
MEX-1302–2523Hidalgo
local roads25–5025Hidalgo

Stops between Tulancingo and Actopan

  • Nature and outdoors: El Hiloche (mile 25), El Chico National Park (mile 32)
  • Museums and history: Templo y exconvento de San Andrés Apóstol (mile 17), Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (mile 29)

Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque

Mile 16 · Aqueduct · 14 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Built by Franciscan friar Francisco de Tembleque between 1554 and 1572, this 16th-century water system runs more than 48 km between Zempoala and Otumba. Its tallest arcade at Tepeyahualco reaches almost 40 meters, and UNESCO listed it in 2015.

Templo y exconvento de San Andrés Apóstol

Mile 17 · Museum · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Augustinian friars raised this 16th-century church and convent in Epazoyucan, Hidalgo; the complex keeps its posa chapels, open chapel and atrium, and its stonework mixes Plateresque carving with Indigenous tequitqui craftsmanship.

El Hiloche

Mile 25 · State park · 5 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Bosque El Hiloche is a state park of about 100 hectares of forest in Mineral del Monte, Hidalgo, and one of the geosites of the Comarca Minera Geopark.

Teatro de la Ciudad San Francisco

Mile 28 · Theatre building · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

The Teatro de la Ciudad San Francisco is a theater in the historic center of Pachuca de Soto, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo.

Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

Mile 29 · Basilica · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Known locally as La Villita, the Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe is a Catholic basilica dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe in Pachuca.

El Chico National Park

Mile 32 · National Park of Mexico · 7 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In Hidalgo, El Chico National Park is known for towering cliffs such as Las Ventanas and Peña del Cuervo, popular with climbers, and forest wildlife including gray foxes, ringtails, armadillos, hawks, falcons and woodpeckers.

More drives to Actopan

From Tulancingo to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Tulancingo to Actopan?

About 1 h 19 min of driving without stops, over 50 miles.

How far is Actopan from Tulancingo by car?

About 50 miles (81 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 Tulancingo to Actopan?

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 Tulancingo to Actopan?

The U.S. State Department rates Hidalgo Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What are good stops between Tulancingo and Actopan?

Closest to the road: Templo y exconvento de San Andrés Apóstol (museum, mile 17, 2 mi from the route); Teatro de la Ciudad San Francisco (theatre building, mile 28, 2 mi from the route); Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (basilica, mile 29, 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.