The Wayro route from Veracruz to Ixcateopan is 321 miles (516 km), about 6 h 7 min of driving without stops.
| Distance | 321 mi (516 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 6 h 7 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-180D → MEX-180 → MEX-140 → MEX-140D → MEX-190 → PUE 438D → MEX-94D → MEX-95 → MEX-92D |
| Mexican states on the route | Veracruz (Level 2), Puebla (Level 2), Tlaxcala (Level 2), Morelos (Level 3), Guerrero (Level 4) |
| Toll roads | MEX-180D, MEX-140D, MEX-150D, MEX-94D, MEX-95D, MEX-92D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 12.8 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.
What the drive from Veracruz to Ixcateopan is like
MEX-140D (118 mi) and MEX-94D (38 mi) carry about 49% of the 321 miles. MEX-180D, MEX-140D, MEX-94D, MEX-92D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-180, MEX-140, MEX-190, MEX-95 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 5 states: Veracruz, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Morelos, Guerrero. Of the 8 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Veracruz to Ixcateopan, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–4 | 4 | Veracruz |
| MEX-180D | 4–21 | 17 | Veracruz |
| MEX-180 | 21–30 | 9 | Veracruz |
| MEX-140 | 30–39 | 9 | Veracruz |
| MEX-140D | 39–47 | 8 | Veracruz |
| MEX-140 | 47–50 | 3 | Veracruz |
| MEX-140D | 50–160 | 110 | Veracruz, Puebla, Tlaxcala |
| connecting roads | 160–162 | 2 | Puebla |
| MEX-190 | 162–177 | 15 | Puebla |
| local roads | 177–188 | 11 | Puebla |
| PUE 438D | 188–222 | 34 | Puebla, Morelos |
| MEX-94D | 222–260 | 38 | Morelos |
| connecting roads | 260–265 | 5 | Morelos |
| local roads | 265–272 | 7 | Morelos |
| MEX-95 | 272–291 | 19 | Morelos, Guerrero |
| connecting roads | 291–293 | 2 | Guerrero |
| MEX-92D | 293–298 | 5 | Guerrero |
| connecting roads | 298–299 | 1 | Guerrero |
| local roads | 299–321 | 22 | Guerrero |
- Mile 101 of this route: Veracruz → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 127 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
- Mile 135 of this route: Tlaxcala → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 142 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
- Mile 150 of this route: Tlaxcala → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 214 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)
- Mile 285 of this route: Morelos → Guerrero (state line)
Stops between Veracruz and Ixcateopan
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): William Spratling Museum (mile 300)
- Nature and outdoors: Parque Nacional Cofre de Perote (mile 91), Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 287)
- Museums and history: Cantona (mile 108), Chalcatzingo (mile 222), Xochicalco (mile 272), William Spratling Museum (mile 300)
Parque Nacional Cofre de Perote
Cofre de Perote National Park protects the forested slopes of the mountain, and its role is practical as well as scenic: a little over 40 percent of the water used in Xalapa comes from here.
Cantona
High on the Puebla plateau near the Veracruz line, Cantona was a fortified pre-Hispanic city that controlled trade toward the Gulf; its explored southern section reveals interconnected streets, walled residential units and more than two dozen ballgame courts.
Historic centre of Puebla
Laid out from scratch in 1531, Puebla's UNESCO-listed core is a grid of tile-covered houses, colonial churches and the 16th–17th-century cathedral, with the old archbishop's palace that houses the Palafox Library, established in 1646.
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.
Chalcatzingo
At the foot of Cerro Chalcatzingo in eastern Morelos, this early site is known for stone reliefs carved mainly between 700 and 500 BC, some among the region's earliest stone sculpture and several in Olmec style, spread across the hillside.
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 Veracruz to other places in Mexico
- Veracruz to Tecolutla
- Veracruz to Poza Rica
- Veracruz to Zacatelco
- Veracruz to Huejotzingo
- Veracruz to Cuautla
- Veracruz to Oaxtepec
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Veracruz to Ixcateopan?
About 6 h 7 min of driving without stops, over 321 miles.
How far is Ixcateopan from Veracruz by car?
About 321 miles (516 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 Veracruz 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 Veracruz to Ixcateopan?
The U.S. State Department rates Veracruz Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla 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 Veracruz to Ixcateopan use?
In order: MEX-180D, MEX-180, MEX-140, MEX-140D, MEX-190, PUE 438D, MEX-94D, MEX-95 and MEX-92D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Veracruz and Ixcateopan?
Closest to the road: Cantona (archaeological site, mile 108, 3 mi from the route); Chalcatzingo (archaeological site, mile 222, 2 mi from the route); William Spratling Museum (museum, mile 300, 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 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.