By road, Villahermosa and Malinalco are about 523 miles (841 km) apart, or roughly 9 h 16 min of driving.
| Distance by road | 523 mi (841 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 9 h 16 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-180 → MEX-180D → MEX-145D → MEX-150D → MEX-190 → PUE 438D → MEX-94D → MOR 21 → MEX-185 → MEX-181 |
| Mexican states on the route | Tabasco, Veracruz, Puebla, Morelos, State of Mexico |
| Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap) | MEX-180D, MEX-145D, MEX-150D, MEX-94D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 20.9 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
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.
On the road from Villahermosa to Malinalco
MEX-145D (143 mi) and MEX-150D (131 mi) carry about 52% of the 523 miles. It runs through 5 states: Tabasco, Veracruz, Puebla, Morelos, State of Mexico. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-180D, MEX-145D and MEX-150D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.
Which roads connect Villahermosa and Malinalco
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Tabasco |
| MEX-180 | 2–40 | 38 | Tabasco |
| MEX-180D | 40–74 | 34 | Tabasco |
| MEX-180 | 74–93 | 19 | Tabasco, Veracruz |
| MEX-180D | 93–114 | 21 | Veracruz |
| MEX-145D | 114–257 | 143 | Veracruz |
| MEX-150D | 257–388 | 131 | Veracruz, Puebla |
| MEX-190 | 388–403 | 15 | Puebla |
| local roads | 403–414 | 11 | Puebla |
| PUE 438D | 414–448 | 34 | Puebla, Morelos |
| MEX-94D | 448–480 | 32 | Morelos |
| connecting roads | 480–483 | 3 | Morelos |
| MOR 21 | 483–493 | 10 | Morelos |
| local roads | 493–513 | 20 | Morelos, State of Mexico |
| MEX-185 | 513–518 | 5 | State of Mexico |
| MEX-181 | 518–522 | 4 | State of Mexico |
| local roads | 522–523 | 1 | State of Mexico |
- Mile 76 of this route: Tabasco → Veracruz (state line)
- Mile 324 of this route: Veracruz → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 440 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)
- Mile 511 of this route: Morelos → State of Mexico (state line)
Where to stop on the way to Malinalco
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (mile 311)
- Nature and outdoors: Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (mile 311), Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 503)
- Museums and history: La Venta (mile 73), Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla (mile 393), Historic centre of Puebla (mile 403), Las Pilas archaeological site (mile 450), Xochicalco (mile 497), Museo de sitio de Xochicalco (mile 497)
La Venta
La Venta was an important city of the Olmec civilization, in Tabasco near Huimanguillo. Its site museum displays more than 200 artifacts, including monumental sandstone sculptures found at the foot of the main pyramid.
Teatro Pedro Díaz
In downtown Córdoba, the Teatro Pedro Díaz was built in the late 19th century by Pedro Díaz to a design by engineer A. Durán; its facade was remodeled in 1905.
Cañón del Río Blanco National Park
Veracruz is home to Cañón del Río Blanco National Park, a natural area that the Mexican government has set aside for protection.
Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla
Behind the facade of Puebla's Santo Domingo church hides the Capilla del Rosario, inaugurated in 1690. Gold covers its walls, pilasters and vaults, and contemporaries hailed it as the eighth wonder of the New World.
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.
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.
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.
Museo de sitio de Xochicalco
Next to the Xochicalco archaeological zone in Morelos, the site museum sits along the Xochicalco–Tetlama federal road.
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 Malinalco itself
Malinalco
Carved straight into the hillside above Malinalco, the Cuauhcalli is a rock-cut temple at the heart of this archaeological zone. The Mexica took the Matlatzinca town around 1476 and used it to train and consecrate elite warriors.
Desierto del Carmen National Park
Declared a national park on October 10, 1942, Desierto del Carmen is a protected area in the municipality of Tenancingo, in the State of Mexico.
More drives to Malinalco
- Valle de Bravo to Malinalco
- Zitácuaro to Malinalco
- Tlalpujahua to Malinalco
- San Juan del Río to Malinalco
- Tequisquiapan to Malinalco
- Salvatierra to Malinalco
From Villahermosa to other places in Mexico
- Villahermosa to Tehuacán
- Villahermosa to Cholula
- Villahermosa to Chiautempan
- Villahermosa to Tlaxcala
- Villahermosa to Calpulalpan
- Villahermosa to San Miguel, Morelos
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Villahermosa to Malinalco?
About 9 h 16 min of driving without stops, over 523 miles.
How far is Malinalco from Villahermosa by car?
About 523 miles (841 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 Villahermosa to Malinalco?
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 Villahermosa to Malinalco?
The U.S. State Department rates Tabasco Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Veracruz Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel; State of Mexico Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Villahermosa to Malinalco?
In order: MEX-180, MEX-180D, MEX-145D, MEX-150D, MEX-190, PUE 438D, MEX-94D, MOR 21, MEX-185 and MEX-181. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Villahermosa and Malinalco?
Closest to the road: Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (national park, mile 311, 0.5 mi from the route); Las Pilas archaeological site (archaeological site, mile 450, 1 mi from the route); Museo de sitio de Xochicalco (museum, mile 497, 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.