Tulancingo to Tlayacapan Road Trip: Stops, Tolls & Drive Time

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Tulancingo to Tlayacapan is 110 miles (177 km), about 2 h 44 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Hidalgo — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos — Level 3, Reconsider TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Morelos is the Mexican state that contains Tlayacapan. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Church and former convent of Todos los SantosPyramid of the MoonTemple of the Feathered Serpent, TeotihuacanCatedral de TeotihuacánPaleontological Museum in TocuilaMolino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National ParkHistoric center of Mexico CityMuseo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense BicentenarioAcozacTulancingoTlayacapan
Route from Tulancingo to Tlayacapan with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance110 mi (177 km)
Driving time, no stops2 h 44 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-130 → MEX-132 → MEX-142 → MEX-5D → MEX-113
Mexican states on the routeHidalgo (Level 2), State of Mexico (Level 2), Morelos (Level 3)
Toll roadsMEX-132D, MEX-5D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 4.4 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below9

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 Tlayacapan is like

MEX-132 (41 mi) and MEX-113 (13 mi) carry about 49% of the 110 miles. MEX-5D is a toll highway (cuota); MEX-130, MEX-132, MEX-142, MEX-113 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 3 states: Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Morelos. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Tulancingo to Tlayacapan, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–22Hidalgo
MEX-1302–64Hidalgo
MEX-1326–4741Hidalgo, State of Mexico
connecting roads47–536State of Mexico
MEX-14253–6310State of Mexico
connecting roads63–663State of Mexico
MEX-5D66–7812State of Mexico
connecting roads78–802State of Mexico
local roads80–9212State of Mexico
MEX-11392–10513State of Mexico, Morelos
local roads105–1105Morelos
  • Mile 29 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 96 of this route: State of Mexico → Morelos (state line)

Stops between Tulancingo and Tlayacapan

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Paleontological Museum in Tocuila (mile 60), Museo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario (mile 65)
  • Nature and outdoors: Molino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National Park (mile 61)
  • Museums and history: Catedral de Teotihuacán (mile 46), Paleontological Museum in Tocuila (mile 60), Museo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario (mile 65), Acozac (mile 77)

Church and former convent of Todos los Santos

Mile 24 · Convent · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Franciscan friars built this fortress-style convent in Zempoala, and the complex still keeps the classic layout of atrium, church, open chapel and cloister. It pairs well with a drive through the area's old pulque haciendas.

Pyramid of the Moon

Mile 42 · Step pyramid · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In the western part of ancient Teotihuacan, in present-day San Martín de las Pirámides, the Pyramid of the Moon mimics the contours of Cerro Gordo, the mountain just north of the site.

Temple of the Feathered Serpent, Teotihuacan

Mile 44 · Step pyramid · 1 mi from the route

The Temple of the Feathered Serpent is a pyramid at Teotihuacan, a pre-Columbian city in central Mexico that rose around the 1st or 2nd century BC and was occupied into the 600s or 700s.

Catedral de Teotihuacán

Mile 46 · Catholic cathedral · 2 mi from the route

In Teotihuacán de Arista, the town at the heart of the municipality, the Cathedral Sanctuary of the Divine Redeemer serves as the seat of the Diocese of Teotihuacán.

Paleontological Museum in Tocuila

Mile 60 · Paleontological museum · 0.7 mi from the route

The Paleontological Museum in Tocuila, in Texcoco, State of Mexico, is a fossil museum displaying part of a rich deposit of Late Pleistocene animals from the Americas.

Molino de Flores Nezahualcóyotl National Park

Mile 61 · National Park of Mexico · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Named for Antonio Flores de Valdés, who inherited the estate in 1642, this former hacienda and mill near Texcoco became a national park in 1937. Visitors walk among its ruins, the San Joaquín church remains and a chapel built on rock.

Historic center of Mexico City

Mile 65 · Old town · 15 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Built by the Spanish in the 16th century on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, Mexico City's Centro Histórico holds the Metropolitan Cathedral, the excavated Aztec Templo Mayor and the Palacio de Bellas Artes. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 1987.

Museo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario

Mile 65 · Museum · 0.2 mi from the route

The museum at the Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario opened in 2011 with a permanent exhibit, Encuentro con Nuestras Raíces, a hall of art from the State of Mexico and three temporary galleries.

Acozac

Mile 77 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Acozac is an archaeological site in the municipality of Ixtapaluca, State of Mexico, located at kilometer 30 of the federal Mexico City–Puebla road, heading toward Ixtapaluca.

When you get to Tlayacapan

Templo y Exconvento de San Juan Bautista de Tlayacapan

Convent · in Tlayacapan

Augustinian friars began this fortress-like church and monastery in the 16th century. Part of the UNESCO-listed group of monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl, its former cloister now holds a museum with 17th-century murals and religious art.

Templo y exconvento de San Guillermo

Convent · in Tlayacapan

Augustinian friars began the Templo y Exconvento de San Guillermo in Totolapan in the mid-16th century; part of the UNESCO-listed Popocatépetl monasteries, it was badly damaged in the 2017 earthquake, and INAH has supervised its restoration.

More drives to Tlayacapan

From Tulancingo to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Tulancingo to Tlayacapan?

About 2 h 44 min of driving without stops, over 110 miles.

How far is Tlayacapan from Tulancingo by car?

About 110 miles (177 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 Tlayacapan?

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 Tlayacapan?

The U.S. State Department rates Hidalgo Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Tulancingo to Tlayacapan use?

In order: MEX-130, MEX-132, MEX-142, MEX-5D and MEX-113. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Tulancingo and Tlayacapan?

Closest to the road: Temple of the Feathered Serpent, Teotihuacan (step pyramid, mile 44, 1 mi from the route); Paleontological Museum in Tocuila (paleontological museum, mile 60, 0.7 mi from the route); Museo del Centro Cultural Mexiquense Bicentenario (museum, mile 65, 0.2 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.