Xico to Tlaltizapán Road Trip: Route, Tolls & Stops

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Xico to Tlaltizapán is 201 miles (324 km), about 3 h 47 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Veracruz — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala — 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 Tlaltizapán. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
Jardín de EsculturasParque Nacional Cofre de PeroteConvent Church of Santo Domingo, PueblaJardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de PueblaHistoric centre of PueblaMonasteries on the slopes of PopocatépetlChalcatzingoLas Pilas archaeological siteXicoTlaltizapán
Route from Xico to Tlaltizapán with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance201 mi (324 km)
Driving time, no stops3 h 47 min
Main roads, in orderVER 7 → MEX-140 → MEX-140D → MEX-190 → PUE 438D → MEX-94D → MOR 9
Mexican states on the routeVeracruz (Level 2), Puebla (Level 2), Tlaxcala (Level 2), Morelos (Level 3)
Toll roadsMEX-140D, MEX-150D, MEX-94D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 8.1 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below8

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 Xico to Tlaltizapán is like

MEX-140D (91 mi) and PUE 438D (34 mi) carry about 62% of the 201 miles. MEX-140D, MEX-94D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-140, MEX-190 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 4 states: Veracruz, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Morelos. Of the 8 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Xico to Tlaltizapán, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–66Veracruz
VER 76–104Veracruz
connecting roads10–133Veracruz
MEX-14013–185Veracruz
connecting roads18–191Veracruz
MEX-140D19–11091Veracruz, Puebla, Tlaxcala
connecting roads110–1122Puebla
MEX-190112–12715Puebla
local roads127–13811Puebla
PUE 438D138–17234Puebla, Morelos
MEX-94D172–19018Morelos
connecting roads190–1911Morelos
MOR 9191–2009Morelos
local roads200–2011Morelos
  • Mile 51 of this route: Veracruz → Puebla (state line)
  • Mile 76 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
  • Mile 86 of this route: Tlaxcala → Puebla (state line)
  • Mile 92 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
  • Mile 99 of this route: Tlaxcala → Puebla (state line)
  • Mile 165 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)

Stops between Xico and Tlaltizapán

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Jardín de Esculturas (mile 12)
  • Nature and outdoors: Parque Nacional Cofre de Perote (mile 42), Jardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (mile 123)
  • Museums and history: Jardín de Esculturas (mile 12), Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla (mile 117), Chalcatzingo (mile 173), Las Pilas archaeological site (mile 174)

Jardín de Esculturas

Mile 12 · Museum · 0.9 mi from the route

Xalapa's Jardín de Esculturas is an open-air sculpture garden and museum displaying works by nationally and internationally recognized artists.

Parque Nacional Cofre de Perote

Mile 42 · National Park of Mexico · 10 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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.

Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla

Mile 117 · Church building · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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.

Jardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla

Mile 123 · Botanical garden · 2 mi from the route

On the Ciudad Universitaria campus of BUAP in Puebla, the university botanical garden covers about 10.7 hectares and was formerly named after Ignacio Rodríguez Alconedo.

Historic centre of Puebla

Mile 127 · Urban area · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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.

Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl

Mile 166 · World Heritage Site · 15 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Inscribed by UNESCO in 1994, this World Heritage site groups early 16th-century monasteries that Franciscan, Dominican and Augustinian friars built on the slopes of Popocatépetl, with large open spaces used to evangelize the Indigenous population.

Chalcatzingo

Mile 173 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route

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.

Las Pilas archaeological site

Mile 174 · Archaeological site · 1 mi from the route

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.

When you get to Tlaltizapán

Xochicalco

Archaeological site · about 14 mi from Tlaltizapán

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.

More drives to Tlaltizapán

From Xico to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Xico to Tlaltizapán?

About 3 h 47 min of driving without stops, over 201 miles.

How far is Tlaltizapán from Xico by car?

About 201 miles (324 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 Xico to Tlaltizapán?

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 Xico to Tlaltizapán?

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 (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Xico to Tlaltizapán use?

In order: VER 7, MEX-140, MEX-140D, MEX-190, PUE 438D, MEX-94D and MOR 9. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Xico and Tlaltizapán?

Closest to the road: Jardín de Esculturas (museum, mile 12, 0.9 mi from the route); Chalcatzingo (archaeological site, mile 173, 2 mi from the route); Las Pilas archaeological site (archaeological site, mile 174, 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 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.